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
The cans of baked beans lay abandoned on the table as Baka and Tatum talked about everything and anything well into the night. It was as though the months of hiding their emotions and thoughts finally leaked out that night making them express themselves to one another in a way they never had before.Tatum found himself telling her about many things in his life and childhood that he’d never told a soul before. And he enjoyed it. He enjoyed listening to her too, telling him about her life with her family—her brother, Henry, her father, and mother. What their lives had been like before the werewolves first attack.He noticed that her tone no longer sounded accusatory towards him when she retold her past, as though she had forgiven him. But Tatum knew that was too much to hope for. For now, he was just happy that she had accepted him as her mate. He still couldn’t believe it. He refused to think about her dalliance with Eugene. One kiss didn’t make them soulmates. And she had said it woul
Baka could scarcely believe how healed she was already. Her broken wrist and fingers had righted themselves and she barely felt any pain around her body. It felt like seeing a miracle. But she knew it was their bond at work.They were heading back to the palace in the same car they had used to go to Avenue City. Baka couldn't believe how close the cabin was to the palace and yet no one had an inkling because of how buried it was in the woods.It was a little past midnight the next day. Tatum had said it was best to return to the city under the cover of night since she wasn’t particularly dressed appropriately, being in his shirt and small boxer shorts. She loved how comfortable his clothes were on her skin given how baggy they felt. And secretly, she loved the feeling of wearing something that belonged to him. It was as intimate a thing as ever.He had told her that the marking had made them one in every sense of the word, that they now shared the same scent, and that it would be not