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40. The Childhood Sweetheart
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Related chapters
Marked by the Alpha King 41. The Breakfast Table
Baka sat before the grand oval mirror as a slave girl attended to her, fixing up her hair. It felt weird being the one attended to and she fidgeted a little.The small girl, whom she’d come to know as Fatima, had wanted to give her a bath minutes earlier. “No!” Baka had screamed, then caught herself immediately. “I mean, don’t worry. I’ll handle that myself.”The slave girl had paled, thinking that she was somehow in trouble. Baka noticed the bruises that adorned her otherwise lovely skin tone. She reminded her of Mosaan. Too young and too innocent for this cruel world.Her big doe eyes pierced Baka and her lower lips quivered. “But M-master said I should attend to you fully, my lady.”Baka had briefly wondered if she had meant Boaz or Jerome, finally concluding that it was Boaz.She understood that for the girl, it was obey her master or bear the consequences either by lashes or death. But she really, really couldn’t bear the thought of being washed by her. It felt wrong.“Fatima,”
Marked by the Alpha King 42. The Proposal
Boaz’s idea of a men’s day out included slaves being used for target practice. They were on the training field, wielding daggers while two male slaves ran around every which way, wearing a wooden board. Boaz sent his dagger flying. It hit one of the slaves on his leg and he cried out in pain, sinking to his knees.Boaz barked out a laugh as blood pooled down the slave’s ankles. Jerome looked sick to his stomach. Tatum hid his disgust, having had enough time to practice how to school his expression to one of bored indifference.“Your turn,” Boaz declared, pointing at Tatum. He chanced a glance at his son and shook his head in disappointment.“I’m convinced I did not father you. If your mother were alive, I would have her tell me who she spread her legs for because it most certainly wasn’t me.”As usual, Jerome said nothing as his face began getting some of it’s colour back. Tatum felt a strong need to stand up for his friend. His father hadn’t been this cruel. He was tough on his sons
Marked by the Alpha King 43. The Surprising Discovery
After spending over an hour in Sarah’s company, Baka had concluded that she really didn’t like the lady. This was outside the fact that she was possibly jealous.The woman was diabolical. She had spent half of their walk asking Baka about her background and the other half talking about her and Tatum’s lives as teenagers, and so many other details Baka didn’t care to know.It was obvious to Baka that Sarah still harboured strong feelings for Tatum. Why else would she be talking about their past constantly and making a point to emphasise on their “life-changing” relationship?She clearly felt threatened by Baka, and Baka knew Sarah had narrated their entire history to her deliberately to make her feel small in comparison.An “I’ve known him longer than you” sort-of game.Baka scoffed. That was Tatum’s past. Baka was his present. But Sarah didn’t need to know that. Once again, Baka found herself grateful that Tatum had introduced her as a woman of few words. She didn’t have to suffer ans
Marked by the Alpha King 44. The Introduction
The palace was abuzz with dancing and singing as night fell. But Baka could barely join in the merriment as she tended to Stephan. The guard from earlier had helped her for a while but had to return to his post. So she had been the only one tending to him.She had managed to stop the bleeding and hoped she had cauterised his wounds enough to avoid an infection. Thankfully, the dagger hadn’t pierced any important organs. He had simply lost an alarming amount of blood and needed to eat a lot of food with iron. He had a mild fever and was currently asleep. But the worst of it was over. Now he just needed to heal. And she had to find a way to get him out of here.But how? She was only hu—A thought struck her at that moment and she paled. When was the last time she felt a tingle? Night had already fallen. She had last taken Imposter at nine am in the morning. The last time, Imposter had taken a little over five hours to wear off.Her mind raced as panic shrouded her vision. Oh, God n
Marked by the Alpha King 45. The Feast
It had been a while since Tatum was scolded about anything, especially so passionately. The more he got to know Baka, the more he wanted to know more.She had a fierce will and was not beyond putting herself in danger if it meant she could help someone. She was afraid, but she never let her fear stop her from voicing out her opinions. Even before they became close, she defied him with her glare and mutinous curve of her mouth.He loved her with everything that he was. Yet he was afraid it wasn’t mutual. She might have feelings for him, but she still saw him as a tyrant. And he knew a part of her hated having feelings for him.But she couldn’t stop it no more than he could stop his. In time, their feelings for each other would overwhelm them. They would be one in every sense of the word. He wanted that with every fibre of his being. But maybe it was just wishful thinking.He gazed down at the fragile human in front of him. Stephan, Baka had called him. Aja’s brother. He wondered if
Marked by the Alpha King 46. The Main Attraction
Tatum glanced towards the entrance of the throne room as a young slave boy was brought in in chains. He had wild brown hair and a hardened face. His clothes were drenched in his own blood, with laceration marks marring his torso.He moved in pain. He couldn’t be over fifteen years old. From the corner of his eyes, Tatum saw Baka hold her breath as she pressed her lips together, hard. She was trying not to cry. He chanced a glance at Boaz who was grinning like a Cheshire cat. The man was sick. Tatum lowered his head.Whatever was about to happen will be imprinted on their minds forever. He was sure of it.The guard accompanying the slave boy pushed him forward, kicking him behind the knee so that he slumped on them against the floor.“Tell us your name, Boy,” Boaz commanded.The boy said nothing, looking down at the floor. Several seconds passed. Tatum watched as everyone’s gaze was transfixed at the boy. Jerome and Rose seemed uneasy as they stared at him, wanting to look away bu
Marked by the Alpha King 47. The Law Breaker
Baka was happy when morning came. She hadn’t been able to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Joshua’s head and unseeing eyes. She hadn’t returned back to the feast that night. She’d simply curled up in her bed as ready tears came upon her. She cried for Joshua. She cried for people like him who died so needlessly every day. She cried for herself.Tatum had come into her room to check on her three times during the night, but she hadn’t wanted to talk so he had kissed her cheek and finally left her alone.She couldn’t stand to look at him. Every time she thought of Joshua, she saw Tatum swinging the sword that separated his head from his shoulders.All of them had sat there and just watched as a little boy’s life was taken in a horrible manner.They were all murderers. Heartless, evil depraved beasts. She wished The Judgement would kill all of them. They deserved to die in the most gruesome way possible.Fatima had brought her attention to breakfast being served downstair
Marked by the Alpha King 48. The Dispute
Baka couldn’t say she was thrilled to be back at Khandom City, but she was glad she wasn’t in Avenue City anymore. She never wished to return to that place ever again.They had arrived at night and as luck would have it, it was Thorin who greeted them at the gate.“Welcome back, my lord.” He smiled at Baka but said nothing to her.“Thank you,” Tatum replied, getting out of the car. “There are suitcases, three bags of grain in the back seat, and a boy in the trunk. See to them.”Thorin stared at him in confusion. “My lord?”With little force, Baka got out of the car and went over to the trunk, tapping it lightly. “His name is Stephan and he’s hurt. Please take him to Healer Freya.”Thorin looked first at her then back at Tatum. If perplexity were a person, it would be Thorin at that very moment. “Do as she says, Warrior.”An expression of concern crossed Thorin’s features but he said nothing else. With a brisk nod, he went over to the trunk of the car and opened it. Sure enough, ther
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Marked by the Alpha King Epilogue
Baka stared at her wedding gown, captivated. It was a gown made for royalty and it looked like it was painted on her body. It flowed into a delicate train that pooled around her feet. The floral embroidery on the train was accentuated with tiny pearls and ruffles which covered the bodice and sleeves of the form fitting gown, tapering off on the trumpet skirt.Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail with two strands of hair framing each side of her face.She could hardly recognise herself. The more she looked, the weirder she felt. In the best way possible.Henry appeared in the doorway, carrying little Dream in his arms. They’d become inseparable since Rohey’s unfortunate passing and he had taken it upon himself to become a father to her.“Still admiring yourself in the mirror?” Henry chastised. “By the time you’re done, Tatum will be on his deathbed.”Dream, who was playing with his curls, started giggling.Baka glared at Henry through the mirror. “Don’t influence the little gi
Marked by the Alpha King 100. The Sacrifice
“Well, well, well,” Takoda whistled, slamming the door shut. “What do we have here?” He sauntered into the cell, his gaze fixed on each of them, barely lingering on Aksana’s still form. “My disgraced brother, his lover, and her lover. I came to pay my last respects and this is the scene I’m greeted with.”Baka’s heart sank. They were too late. Her gun was useless, and her dagger was with Eugene. Aksana was too far away from her for her to grab her daggers. She was out of weapons and out of time.Eugene grunted. “I tried to stop them but as you can see…” he pointed towards his injured thigh.“Interesting,” Takoda barely whispered, staring at him. “I thought you two were friends.”“And I thought we were brothers,” Tatum spat, his body trembling underneath Bekon’s arms. “You killed my wife and child!”“And you stole what was rightfully mine. We’re even, don't you think?” Takoda argued without missing a beat.Tatum brushed Bekon off him and stepped forward menacingly. “No, Tatum,” Ba
Marked by the Alpha King 99. The Bargain
Someone was clapping. Loudly. The figure leaned off against the wall and sauntered towards them. “I gotta say I’m impressed.”Baka blinked. “Eugene?” She looked behind him, briefly wondering who else was hiding in the secret dark corners of the prison cell. “What are you doing here?”Eugene didn’t answer immediately. He seemed to look past her to Tatum’s cell, as though trying to confirm something.“What are you doing here?” he countered. “You should be at the safe haven. And who’s this?” He added, pointing demurely at Bekon. “A friend.” Baka didn’t have time for introductions. “If you’re going to help us, great. If not, please pretend you didn’t see us.”“Oh, I have no intention of doing either.”His tone sent chills down her spine. Baka lowered Aksana on the ground slowly but did not release her grip on her throat.“Please, don’t stop on my account,” Eugene advised with a strange smile. “Never liked that toad. Feel free to finish her off.”With her free hand and a wary eye on E
Marked by the Alpha King 98. The Infiltration
Baka watched the guards make rounds on the ground and the rooftop, waiting for her opportunity to sneak in undetected. The last time she’d come through these gates, she’d been in a truck. This time she was exposed, dressed to blend into her environment.This was suicide. She knew it. Her brother had said as much. But she wasn’t going to let Tatum die.“Now what?” Bekon whispered beside her. Of all people she didn’t think would come with her on her little rescue mission, Bekon was in the top five. His hatred for the king was well known to her. But when he and Henry had seen that she wouldn’t be convinced out of coming, they’d chosen to come with her. She believed she had a way in. When she’d been captured by Ares, she’d noticed that the cells had small air ventilators that led outside. They were big enough to house a human being. So somewhere behind the city was a direct way into the prison.“We need a distraction,” she replied. “One of you should distract the guards while me and th
Marked by the Alpha King 97. The Turncoat
Tatum was thirsty. As he sat in the stinking cell his brother had left him in, he tried to ignore all the things nature demanded. In truth, he didn’t understand why his brother hadn’t killed him yet. He’d gotten what he wanted. A seat on the throne. Tatum was of no further use to him.Unless he was keeping him around to relish in his humiliation. By now his people and all the territories knew of his connection with his slave. He’d been spared the worst, having been locked up for the most part. His brother had been here a couple of times to gloat. Yet Tatum couldn’t deny that a part of him was relieved that his secret was out. He may not have liked how it got out but there was such a weight lifted off his shoulders now that it was. After Fortune had gotten the truth out of him, he didn’t stand a chance. Takoda had succeeded in convincing the Alphas that his loyalties were divided and they could no longer trust him with the throne, the city or its secrets. But that was the least of
Marked by the Alpha King 96. The Word
Days passed and Baka learnt to fall into the routine of their settlement. She checked on Rohey often even when Rohey had shouted at her to stop babysitting her. The girl was too independent for her own good.Baka’s house, House Phillipi, were on kitchen duty today. She and the girls in her house, which included Mosann, were hard at work washing the dishes they had just used for lunch. The food made here held no candle to the palace food she had grown used to, but it was still pretty good.The girls did their chores in awkward silence as some of them didn’t know Baka and Mosann well enough to strike a conversation. Baka didn’t mind. She needed the peace of mind which ironically always came when working, especially doing something so mundane as dish washing.The boys fetched the water they were using to wash the dishes and some of them hung around waiting for them to finish washing so that they would return the plates back into the kitchen.“Is it true that you were Alpha King Tatum’
Marked by the Alpha King 95. The Toilet
Baka walked into the armoury where young boys were assembling a few weapons while others cleaned it or trained with it. Rohey wasn’t in the kitchen nor was she in her room and someone had told her to check in here. She spotted her brother talking quietly with a boy called Hassan. They’d been introduced during the week she’d been here. She’d found him to be a little weird.“Have you seen Rohey?” She asked once she reached them.Her brother turned to her sharply. “Wow, no hello or hi?”“Sorry,” she mumbled, sending an apology to Hassan with her eyes. “I’m in a hurry.”Henry stared at her for a second and then turned to Hassan, patting him on the shoulders. “We’ll finish our discussion later.”Turning back to Baka, he led her away from the armory and into the pathway towards the tree in the middle of their settlement.“What’s wrong?” Henry asked once they sat on the cemented floor. “You look worried.”Baka decided she didn’t have time to hide the truth from him. He’d only press her fu
Marked by the Alpha King 94. The Safe Haven
A week had passed since Baka left Khandom City behind. Her stay at the safe haven with the rebel group hadn’t been unpleasant. It was small yet spacious, hidden deep inside the woods with lots of armories and underground tunnels. There were about a hundred people living in the settlement and they were all divided into houses. House Philippi, house Rome, house Ephesus, house Thessalonica and house Corinth.They had a day-to-day schedule with routines on the upkeep of their environment, exchanging duties on a daily basis. It was very Henry to come up with such an arrangement. He was a big organizer. His idea brought order to their community.Baka was in house Phillipi. The community had been excited to have the sister and mother of their leader join them. They had welcomed them with open arms and ensured that they wanted for nothing. It was nothing short of amazing.It was as though Baka had regained her family again. It felt so similar to old times she could imagine it exactly as it
Marked by the Alpha King 93. The Vote
The room became more tense as the Alphas looked from the high priestess to Tatum. The high priestesses were known for one thing—power beyond imagining. The most powerful ones could inhabit the full power of the moon goddess herself. One of those special abilities was the power of confession. With one touch, they could get a man to spill any secrets, even those he believed he would take to his grave. It was a horrible invasion of privacy and the kind of sentencing they only gave to traitors who had committed high treason.Tatum had once witnessed a man being confessed when he was a teenager. It was both a fascinating and terrifying sight. It was as though the man had lost all free will, his tongue had loosened like running water, and he simply wanted to please the high priestess who had merely touched his cheeks.It was said that it worked differently for everyone. The weakest of men could become slaves to the high priestess until her death released them from her hold and vice ver
