Bile rose up her throat as Baka covered her mouth in disbelief. What was wrong with her? Having feelings for the Alpha king? Her people’s oppressor? Shame on her!How could she crave his touch? How could she feel the way she did when he was around? He was the enemy, for Pete’s sake! Even breathing the same air as him should be repulsive to her!Yet the feelings he had aroused within her was unmatched. And what he had just whispered to her… the nerve! How could he say such a crazy thing? She was his slave, he was her master. There was too great a power imbalance for him to even entertain such a notion.But she couldn't deny the pleasure that coursed through her. Bekon had said roughly the same thing to her and she had never felt as fired up as she did at this moment.It was abominable. It was unacceptable. It was unforgivable. Her dad and brother would be turning in their graves. She was no different from Odessa—a disgrace to all of humankind.She couldn't be around him anymore. But th
“What do you mean there’s been an attack?” Tatum asked his brother as they stood together on the balcony.It was early noon and Tatum had been preparing to go to the courtyard for his usual run when Takoda had pulled him aside into the balcony with urgency.“Exactly what I said,” Takoda grumbled, folding his arms and lowering his voice an octave lower. “Yundum City is in ruins. I heard their Alpha King suffered serious injuries and might not make it.”Tatum furrowed his brows in disbelief. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Yundum City had one of the largest territory and werewolf communities with at least twelve werewolf packs. Their Alpha King, Lee, a formidable and powerful werewolf had been one of the generals who had led them to victory during the Great War. No one in their right mind would ever wage war against him or his people. He was a feared man. Even Tatum’s late father did not hold a candle to him. Yundum City had been indestructible. Or so he thought.“Who was behi
The market was not as busy at noon time as it was in the morning. There were few people and even fewer stalls were open. Baka hoped David’s stall was one of them. As she traipsed further into the market, she decided to take a shortcut. She noted the stalls as she passed them— Jerry, the potato seller, Aunty Haddy who sold avocado and banana, Michael, the pepper and garlic seller. David’s shop was right after Aunty Inola’s who sold cassava flakes and sugar. In all the opened stalls she passed, she noticed a considerable minimal amount of products. The decrease in food supply was beginning to have a serious dent. She briefly wondered how soon they would seek help from the other werewolf territories.As she took a left turn, an arm grabbed her with careful force and pulled her into a small corner. She almost yelped.“It’s me. It’s me. Don’t scream,” Bekon announced as he slowly removed his hands from her person. “I’m so glad I caught you.”Baka’s nostrils flared as she glared at him.
The field of crops was a mess. Tatum could hardly believe what he was seeing. Alpha Wally had not been exaggerating. The plants had lost their vibrant green color. It was now a sickly dull brown with faded patches of discoloration. Most plants had fallen lifeless to the earth. Others were barely standing upright.At least a third of the crops had gone bad, only a measly amount looked edible and worth harvesting.He stood rigid as he stared at the dying plants left in utter disarray.“This is a disaster,” he commented, shaking his head this way and that.“Quite right, my lord.” Alpha Wally was carrying his daughter, Winnie, while his son stood by his leg, hugging it.They were toddlers, about two or three years old. Winnie was staring straight at Tatum with open curiosity. She had her father’s brunette hair and straight nose. Winner looked more like their mother with his dark curls and oval face.They were adorable, but from many observations, Tatum knew they could be quite wild.Shift
News of the attack on Yundum City had spread like wildfire in Khandom City and just as Baka had predicted, their werewolf oppressors tightened their leash.Curfew had been moved from 8pm to 6pm in the evening. Anyone seen outside after 6pm was locked up in the cells located under the city for questioning. If the guards believed them to have ill intent—which was almost always—they were killed. They were also randomly searched when running any errands, and no one was allowed into Kotu without Alpha Takoda’s express permission.This meant that Baka sometimes had to go days without seeing her mother or the girls. She had tried to reach out to Bekon but he had been giving her the cold shoulder since their argument the last time they met.The werewolves' hatred towards them had skyrocketed beyond comprehension. Baka heard more reports that some slaves owned by Alphas suspected of being part of the human rebel group were killed without question.Each day Baka heard news about her people’s se
“Mother Tina, be reasonable,” Tatum tried once again. He was tired and had a lot on his mind. The day had been a long one and he just needed rest to prepare for the journey ahead. The last thing he needed was to spend the rest of the day conducting a search, especially over something so minute.He remembered the broach she spoke about. It was emerald with silver stones decorating its interior. Tia knew of her Mother’s love for jewellery and was almost always gifting them to her.Mother Tina had worn this particular broach during Tia’s funeral.“You have other gifts from Tia,” he added after she shook her head firmly.“It's not the same. She gifted that broach to me the day before she died. It's her last gift to me. It's priceless. Do you understand, Tatum? Priceless.” He sighed. “Fine. When did you last see it?”Mother Tina furrowed her brow in thought. “Yesterday. It was on top of my dresser.”“Maybe it fell under. Did you check?”The glare Mother Tina gave him could've turned him i
Baka’s breath caught in her throat as she stared in utter disbelief at the broach. Surely, she was imagining it. She blinked twice, fully expecting the broach to disappear. But it was still there. “Whose bed does this belong to?” the Alpha king asked, making them turn around to face him.Aja and Emily looked at her with pity and lowered their heads. Did they truly believe she was the thief?Moments passed and no one said anything.“The Alpha king asked a question,” Takoda interjected with a deadly tone. Still, no one spoke. They all kept their heads lowered. Baka’s heart pounded so rapidly within her chest she thought she would explode. The girls were visibly shaking next to her, and she could hear Emily silently murmur what sounded like a prayer.“Very well, then,” Takoda continued with a cynical smile. “If no one speaks by the time I count to three, you will all die. One… two—”“It's mine, my lord,” Baka blurted out.“I knew it!” Mother Tina exclaimed, her bony arms lifted up in
Tatum was still shocked at his recent discovery. He had known Mother Tina could be manipulative and a little over the top. But this was diabolical. This was another level of darkness. Having an innocent slave killed because of a perverse feeling of jealousy and entitlement?He realized then and there that he truly did not know his mother-in-law like he thought he did. He never would've thought her capable of this. He could now understand where Tania had gotten her character trait from. But how could such a woman be the mother of his loving late mate, Tia? They were nothing alike.Tatum had to hand it to her. She had played her part well and managed to fool him up until this point. This was how far she was willing to go to get her way. It was truly an eye-opener for him.Now the problem remained what was to be done. He couldn't very well accuse her of stealing her own broach and framing a slave for it. She would just deny it and no one would believe it. He didn't want his household d