Her heart ached at the realisation, finally understanding what Aja’s words and solemn countenance had meant. Be careful. It wasn’t concern like she had thought. It was guilt.She closed her mind off to the searing pain of betrayal and sought a way to flee from her attackers. Slowly, she took a step back. Ares and his friend laughed, continuing their painfully slow advancement towards her, as if they had all the time in the world. Their reason and intent were obvious. She was human, they were werewolves. They could snuff her out like a fly. She was utterly defenseless. They had planned this well, waiting until Tatum was not around to launch at her.Before she could turn around and run, a hand grabbed her mouth from behind, shutting out her intended scream. Her hand flew to it through reflex, biting down hard at it.Her attacker released his grip a little with an angry cry. “She bit me!” He yanked her around to face him and she saw his face clearly, recognising it in an instant. He wa
Something was wrong. Tatum could feel it in his bones. He had started feeling uneasy a moment ago and had ignored it at first, chalking it up to his present company.He and Tamara Trinity were just outside Khandom City, riding their horses slowly in awkward silence as darkness loomed over them.But the uneasiness within him was only growing deeper, unsettling his wolf and nothing could quiet it. He felt a sudden jolt of pain through the bond. The one he shared with Baka. It was very faint but it was there. Crippling fear coursed through it. It’s Baka, his wolf cried. I - I think she’s dying!Fear the likes of which he’d never known seized him and he kicked his horse against the belly. “Run, Kal!”It flew at heightened speed, leaving a confused Tamara behind as she called after him wildly. But Tatum barely heard her over the hard pounding of his heart. His mind was racing with each leap. What was happening with Baka? He searched through their shared bond, sensing her faintly. Their b
Baka could barely hear Ares over the blinding pain shooting through her. She had lost count of how many fingers he had broken. Each time he had touched her, her flesh burnt. She had answered every question with the truth, but he didn’t believe her. Even though they both knew he could hear her heartbeat defending her statement.Ares was a sadist and enjoyed seeing her in pain. He had said as much, reveling in the act of inflicting pain on her naked body.She was so, so weak. Darkness creeped around her, calling to her and she wanted to welcome it. Anything to be free of the insurmountable pain. Then there was a sudden loud explosion as blocks of bricks flew every which way. She could barely keep her eyes open long enough to see what was happening around her. One moment she had closed her eyes and the next Ares was lying unmoving on the ground, a large wolf as dark as night towering over him with its claws hooked into his face.Tatum. He said he would come for her. Relief flooded thr
Tatum saw the panic in Baka’s eyes and tried to soothe her. “Don’t be alarmed. It’s Eugene.” He got up slowly from the couch and smiled down at her. “He’s probably brought us some food.”But Baka didn’t seem relieved. If anything, she grew very uncomfortable. He wondered what that meant as he marched towards the door, cursing Eugene’s impeccable timing. The man really knew how to spoil a moment.Springing the door open, he glared at a grinning Eugene holding a bundle of food in his arms. Shoving them into Tatum’s unprepared arms, Eugene breezed past him and said, “How’s the patient?”Tatum nearly growled, struggling to balance the food while trying to close the door. “Come on in, why don’t you.”Eugene ignored him, crouching down beside Baka. “Hi, Gorgeous. You gave us all a fright.”“I did?” came her quiet reply. Was it Tatum or did it sound forced?“Oh, yes. I nearly died of worry, and Tatum had sleepless nights. It’s good to see you awake.”Tatum marched to the table and dropped t
When Baka awoke again, Tatum was sleeping on the chair, his hand cradling his face and the book opened on his lap. He must’ve fallen asleep reading to her. She sighed, taking the opportunity to study his face. His dark hair that had always been so neat was now a bird's nest. Looking at him now, so unkempt and exhausted from lack of sleep and worry over her, he couldn’t be more beautiful to her. The most beautiful man she had ever seen. Her heart tugged at the sight.She had never watched him sleep before. She found it comforting.“You’re staring,” he drawled suddenly, his eyes still closed. He hadn’t been sleeping. She was mortified. She snapped her eyes away from him and faced the opened window in front of her.“Please, carry on. I don’t mind you staring. In fact, it pleases me greatly. I was beginning to think this wasn’t mutual.”She wished it wasn’t. Oh, how she wished it. Their connection was beginning to scare her. And she had a feeling it was much deeper than she realised.“
What had just happened? Tatum couldn’t understand. He felt her hurt through the bond but he didn’t know why. How could she be hurt? He had just told her she was his saving grace. How could that be a bad thing?Frustrated, he sprinted through the woods, the wind blowing his face violently. He didn’t mind. His wolf seemed to love it. Nothing had prepared him for the confession she’d shared about Eugene. Anger, betrayal, hurt… all of it had rushed through him. It was as though he was experiencing deja vu. A similar situation had happened with his brother and Wonjo. He felt like he had gone back in time—like he was reliving history. Eugene had kissed Baka and then stood next to him talking so casually about her, as though nothing was amiss. As though he didn’t know what her lips tasted like.He’d said nothing about what they had done—simply stood there listening to Tatum share his innermost desires about Baka.He wanted to throttle him.The full moon cast a pretty glow on the surroundin
Nothing could have prepared Baka for what Tatum had just told her. Even if she had suspected it, hearing it being confirmed was a different thing entirely.How could she be his mate? Who even determined that? She was human, he was part wolf. So how could they be mates in any universe? She didn’t know how mates worked but she was pretty sure it was uncommon for werewolves to mate with a human. If not, she would have heard rumors about it. And she had heard nothing.Yet when he had spoken to her in her mind, she knew that couldn’t be normal. She remembered hearing about werewolf mates whose bonds were so strong that they could talk to each other telepathically. She just hadn’t known it could happen with a human. “We’re not just mates, are we?” she asked after a few minutes had passed.Tatum shook his head. “No. We’re what my people call true mates. Have you heard of that?”“A little.”“True mates are rarer and more powerful than normal mates. One significant difference is that we can
With a tentative look, Baka squared her nose at Tatum. “I don’t know how you werewolves ask someone out but there’s usually a question involved.”He laughed, sniffling a little. His eyes had become moist again. The most surprising thing about him was how easily he cried. It amazed her every time.“Right, where are my manners?” He grinned at her and to her utter surprise, bent down on one knee. Her jaw nearly dropped as he stayed on a bent knee, wiping away at his eyes. He leaned closer to her and whispered, “Bakady Ruby Clark, will you do me the honor of becoming my mate?”She smiled at him, pouring all her emotions into her eyes. They had begun to well up again with fresh tears. She wished she wasn’t so constrained. She wanted to reach out and hug him to herself. She couldn’t remember ever feeling so happy. “Yes, Tatum. With all my heart.”Tatum hung his head in relief, then stared adoringly down at her, his eyes lingering at her lips. She could see the pure torment in his eyes. “Rep