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
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
“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
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
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
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
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’
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
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
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