Weird.
Everything was totally weird.
Candice thought to herself as she walked into a small building that held "Sally's Restaurant" boldly hanging from the door mantle. The building was painted blue, both inside and outside and drawings of yellow sunflowers dotted the walls. It was as if she was entering a children's daycare, she couldn't remember any restaurants in Nashville that would use this choice of colors. The houses she had passed on her way here were all painted with bright colors such as orange, pink, yellow, red, and green.
What's with this city and colorful paintings?
Despite the bright colors, there was an old country feel to this town. The streets were made of cobbled stones, not the usual modern coal tar. Oil lamps could be seen hanging from street poles, and the buildings were made of river rock and a red-clayish mortar, instead of the cement brick walls and concrete mortar she was used to. It looked like it had some ancient history around it.
This scenery could come straight out of an 18th-century movie and she wouldn't bat an eye. Except for the colors, everything seemed authentic. The only nearly modern house she had seen so far was Wayne Wyatt's.
How discomfiting.
She sighed deeply as she sat down at an empty table.
Just remembering his name made her weak, it was not easy dealing with a mentally challenged person. After what he proudly told her this morning, there was no doubt in her mind that he was a psychopath. He was going through a mid-life crisis, thinking himself to be the king of a gang of werewolves who lived in an alternate universe. Then she was his mate, like a Luna to an Alpha wolf in a hierarchy of wolf supremacy.
Very funny. Did he think she was as deranged as he was to believe such nonsense?
She could have suggested a good psychiatrist to him, if he had not stormed off to God knows where, after making such a shocking announcement.
"What can I offer you milady?" a middle-aged lady with grey hair came up to her table.
Candice tried not to notice the clothes she wore, it was very modest and the style looked to be shabby and outdated, not the trendy fabrics this woke generation wore. She too spoke in that funny way Wayne spoke, another reminder of the man.
"I'd like some coffee and a doughnut please," She replied.
Candice did not have any money on her when she had snuck out of Wayne's house. She had only managed to grab his black coat to cover her less-than-modest dress as it was daylight, and it would look irresponsible to work around the streets looking like that.
Hopefully, the coat should be worth some money and she could exchange it for food.
She had stopped a couple of people on her way to ask to burrow their cellphone to make a phone call. Some had just stared at her wide-eyed, others had just shaken their head in refusal as they hurried along, turning back to glance at her in a weird way.
It seemed the people of this community were not very welcoming to foreigners, or probably they did not speak English as their language.
Now, before her was a woman who was speaking to her and understanding her words.
Finally.
"Please can I borrow your cell phone?" Candice asked when the woman still stood looking confused despite her request.
"I do not have what you have ordered milady," the woman replied firmly after a brief moment of confusion.
"Oh okay, you see this this coat? It Is made from the finest cotton. I bet Gucci or Prada would pale in comparison. Let's say I offer this in exchange for one phone call, please I really need to call my friend," she tried to negotiate.
"We offer only what is on our menu," the woman repeated.
Candice grabbed the woman by the wrist "Please am really desperate, there's a crazy man who kidnapped me. Let me at least call the local police."
The woman took a step back from her and whispered "You are human from the Gaea plane (earth), you are not safe out here on these streets without your master."
"What? Okay, I get that you may not trust me but I really need to call my friend. Or can you direct me to the nearest police station?" she reached for the woman's hand again to gently rub it.
"Is she bothering you?" a rough male voice said from a table behind her.
"Do not worry about it Kregger, she is leaving now," The woman gave her a look that told her to leave immediately for her own good.
Tension filled the air, as the fine hairs on her skin stood straight, the voice from behind her carried menace with an undertone of trouble.
Candice got up quickly and was about to walk out of the place when iron-clad fingers curled around her arm and yanked her back to her seat.
"Kregger please do not cause trouble, let her go," the middle-aged woman pleaded.
"Why should I pretend as though I cannot smell her when I can clearly smell human flesh here on Plane Woede?" Kregger snarled as he put down his heavy goblet.
"She is my guest; I was the one who escorted her in," the woman said.
"I want to believe you Sally; I hope you are telling the truth. However, I would require her documents to believe she belongs to you. If not, she is open game, finders' keepers."
Kregger narrowed his eyes at Sally, who shrunk her shoulders in defeat and moved away. His fat meaty lips smiled in victory as he stood up, pulling Candice up along with him.
"Not so fast kregger," another male voice said from a corner "I saw her first."
"You lots amaze me; I have been following her secretly from two streets away!" another male who had entered the restaurant just after Candice shouted.
In a split second, three men were laying claim to her. One was the huge burly one holding her wrist tightly, the second was a short-looking muscular man and the third was a lanky-looking man with scrawny arms.
And they all seemed to want her.
"Don't you dare take my trophy from me; she will grace my bed tonight!" kregger sneered at the two of them. Then, he snaked his tongue out to give a wet lick on her cheeks.
His breath smelt of strong rum. Disgusting.
"Back at you kregger, you cannot intimidate me," the second man countered.
"She is mine to keep!" the third man yelled back.
Something strange began to happen before her very eyes, men who looked to be normal began to growl and snarl, and a dark image began to flicker all over their body. Kregger's nails around her arm grew into long black claws, he snarled as his teeth began to extend into pointed fangs, and his canines grew razor-sharp as he snapped them at his adversaries. The hairs on his skin began to fork in a grey mass of fur. His eyes grew milky until they turned yellow with his pupils thinning to a slit.
Candice couldn't believe what she was seeing, she looked at the other men and saw that they two had transformed into unrecognizable beings. Men with the physique of a human being now looked like a hybrid of both man and wolf.
Kregger roared to the roof and others roared too, it was an ear-splitting sound. She used her free hand to block out the sound as fear made her tremble. The two men seemed ready to attack Kregger and her by extension, raising long black claws with fangs dripping saliva, they lounged, and she closed her eyes and screamed with all her might.
An answering roar echoed from miles away.
This roar was different from the ones she had just heard. The building shook from it, the ground seemed to vibrate around her and time seemed to stop. She dared to pry her eyes open and she saw the three men who were just about to fight had gone stone cold exchanging fearful glances amongst themselves.
A chill filled the air as the door of the restaurant flung open, and two men in brown uniforms worked in. They looked identical in physique; Candice could remember seeing them at the mansion earlier this morning when she snuck past them. But the static energy that charged the room and created pin prickles of current on her skin was not coming from either of them.
Then they immediately parted and a third man walked in, his presence carried power. He towered above everyone else in the room and his eyes glowed eerie blue. He didn't look to have transformed like the other three men, only the color of his eyes had changed, promising pain and suffering.
The atmosphere shimmered around him with his hands bawling into fists as he searched her body from head to toe, then his eyes moved to the man grabbing her by the arm.
Kregger immediately let her go, shaking uncontrollably he sank to his knees. The two men followed suit, trembling visibly as they knelt before him.
"Alpha, do forgive us for we have sinned," they all chorused.
Wayne bared his huge fangs at them and sneered "Indeed, you have erred for ill," and in a flash of movements he had decapitated the fat burly male who had been grabbing her arm.
Kregger's head thudded to the ground, spraying blood everywhere.
The other two males cried in panic, as they shuffled away in fear.
Everyone in the restaurant cowered in fear as they all scurried to hide in different directions. Wayne's claws dripped red crimson; his face had blood splattered across it as his icy blue eyes kept staring at her with something so passionate, she could not understand it.
In all this, he still looked gorgeous. Deadly, but irresistibly gorgeous.
This man would stand out anywhere. His presence commanded authority, respect, or chaos.
Just like Bernice had said, "When you see him, you will know."
"Stay away from me!" Candice yelled as she ran to a corner of the room.After the ordeal at the restaurant, Wayne had hauled her back to his mansion. She had been too shocked to do anything but gaze into nothingness as he carried her back home. Now that she was back in the safety of his room, her sanity had begun to return to her."Will do," he calmly said as he watched her scurry from him."You ki-killed that man. Wait! He was not a man, he was…they were…" she tried to put into words what she had just seen."They are werewolves," he assisted."Yes! Werewolves. Half man and half wolf," she agreed "You too are…""I am a werewolf, just like I had told you previously," he agreed with her.She could barely coordinate her thoughts; they were racing through her brain "Do werewolves really exist? I thought they were just a myth.""Do you think humans were the only beings existing in the universe? How self-absorbed," he mused."Are there other beings apart from werewolves?" she asked her eyes
What was this thing she was feeling?Was she feeling sad that he was outrightly rejecting her before he even got to know her?Fine, she didn't even want him either. He had killed a man right in front of her without remorse. He could as well kill her too, who knew what he was capable of?"You can't go home; you are safer with me than in your world," he refused."I was safe before I met you, you are ruining my life," Candice spat out."If you go back to your earth plane, my enemies will find you sooner rather than later and you will be taken into captivity. Believe me when I say death will be bliss compared to what torture you will go through," he informed her."Was that why you murdered that man? Because death is bliss compared to torture?" she inquired."I had to send out a strong message, anyone who touches what's mine and they would die. Regardless, that wolf is known for his notorious ways, I have had it in mind to put him in order. Too bad he picked today to cause trouble," he casu
Money solved all problems.Wayne thought to himself as he walked into the red chamber at the Assembly quarters. The hall was big and crafted in the form of an auditorium. Five chairs, as tall as pillars stood at angles in a circular arrangement, and on it sat five grey-haired wolves. The gammas (elders) of Plane Woede were the advisers to the king. A royal bloodline who had lived up to a thousand years and was still alive assumed the position of gamma to advise on state affairs.Coming to the middle of the circle, Wayne's thought was still filled with the discussion he had with his naïve little mate two days ago. Everything was either white or black to her, she thought she was smart and could manipulate things to her favor. Well, she would later find out she was being outplayed.He had no plans of letting her go after six months, he had only offered the deal to buy some time with her. Within the timeframe, he hoped to find a way that would allow her birth his child, then he would releg
Candice smoothed down the white floral dress she was wearing.Adjusting the ribbon that held her thick mass of blond hair in a ponytail, she fidgeted with the paper and pen in her hands, biting hard on the rubber cap of the blue ink pen.The last three days were a roller coaster of events. Waking up in a stranger's bed in an alternate universe had been the beginning of her woes. She had been constantly insulted, and mocked, and was about to be fought over by otherworldly creatures she didn't know existed. She was now a target for some vengeful enemies she never knew she had, who wanted to capture and enslave her from no fault of hers, all because of some sort of universe-binding matehood.Her world had completely changed in a matter of days.Things were finally looking up for her at least. In her hands, she held the key to her future. Wayne had given her the liberty to draft the contract according to the terms and conditions she preferred. He would only go over it with her and sign.Hi
Damn, he moved so fast.The speed of lightning.The feel of his arms around her was soothing, as she felt his warmth sip into her body, his scent teased her nostrils and intoxicated her. He had a woodsy scent mixed with some honey notes, and a very alluring hedonic sensation washed over her. Like she was being drawn to him in an intense manner, an appeal she could not resist.Candice's lips parted as hot breaths left her, drying up her lips. She dipped her tongue to her bottom lip to wet it. His eyes followed her tongue movements and finally locked on her lips as his gaze narrowed. For a brief instant, she saw a flicker of blue glint in his eyes, but it immediately disappeared and he quickly set her straight on her feet and stepped back from her."I see you have freshened up," he said as he went to take his seat behind the desk."Yes, I have. Everette has been very helpful," she replied.She felt her face heat up with shame as her reaction to him had been so obvious. Had he felt anyth
Quick-paced footsteps echoed off stonewalls as arc doorways twisted and turned in different directions in the form of a maze.Sweat beaded up his lips, his heart pounded loudly, and tension strained his muscles as he ran the length of the Dragon Fortress. Coming into a large opening, a huge bed finely dressed in red linen sat on the ground and in the middle. A large wooden barrel stood next to it filled up with red wine, more than half a dozen bronze goblets were tossed around on the floor. Fruits like grapes, apples, and strawberries were served bountifully on a large metal tray. Lumps of cooked meat occupied a wooden bowl, and different varieties of savory sauce sat prettily in white jade bowls.Alcohol filled the air with the distinctive smell of sex.On the huge bed was a tangling mass of seven women sleeping soundly, as their arms and limbs were set in every direction."Master! Master!!" the man who had just entered called out.There was a slight stirring on the red linen covering
A gust of wind rushed in shaking the room window panels.Candice drew the bed covers over her; the air was chilly. It had rained non-stop for the better part of the evening. It was a continuous downpour, lightning flashes, and thunder vibrations.She was trying her best to concentrate on the book she was reading, yet it seemed the harder she tried, the louder the sounds grew.Everette had given her this book titled 'The Porter' when she had complained of boredom. There was no electricity on this plane, so she had no television channels to watch or a computer to browse through social media to keep up with the trends. It had been almost a week since she had been on this strange plane with nothing better to do. After signing the contract with Wayne a few days ago, she had barely seen him. Not that she was curious of his whereabouts, she hardly ever left her room. She only did so on very rare occasions when she wanted to take a walk along the seashore. Even at that Everette had accompanie
That was close.Wayne thought to himself. if he had been a few minutes late, she would have been taken from him.Damn it! He cursed inwardly; someone would pay dearly for this.A few days ago, after he had signed the contract with his mate, he had focused on other matters like visiting the Earth plane's department of astronomy to see if he could find anything on the next occurrence of the Lunar eclipse.He thought everything was under control since he had put Everette in charge of her daily dealings, the house was heavily guarded. They were all instructed to always be on alert and never allow her to leave the house alone. He and Rojan had traveled the entire earth within these few days, so they could independently find more information.He had just recently returned this evening. Since he had not traveled alone, he had made use of the official portal in the city's center. Arriving home, he had undressed quickly, removing his wet shirt and shoes. With the heavy rain, smells were difficu
Once he was in his bathroom, he turned on the shower and stepped under the spray.The cold water that ran down the length of his body, eased the knots that had tightened from all the pent-up emotions weighing him down.Switching the knob from the cold tank to the warm tank, he put his hands on the wall in front of him and leaned forward, letting the water cascade from the back of his neck and down his shoulders.He had just begun to revel in the warmth when cold hands hugged him from behind. He jolted at the contact, stiffening immediately.Soft supple flesh pressed against him from behind as lips as tender as butter pressed a light kiss on his back.His body responded by shuddering. The initial alarm faded as a sweet citrus fragrance filled his nostrils.Even without looking back, he knew who it was."Candice…" her name left his lips in a low whisper."I-I tried to hold back," her small voice murmured against his back, sending shivers up and down his spine.His cock hardened immediat
He rose from the bed.The blanket fell from his body.He stretched his limbs, his muscles taut and hard. All his cords and tendons ached from head to toe. His joints squeaked and cracked as he flexed them.The few days that had proceeded after the incident with the wolfsbane had been nothing but pure torture.His wee mate was a wicked temptress.Another peculiar side of her, he was only just discovering. She was giving him all the green lights that she wanted him, needed him to pleasure her.But he couldn't.At least not right now.Firstly, he needed to make her an amortal first, turn her into a wolf halfling. That was the top priority on his list at the moment. The terror he had felt when she lay in his arms lifeless, crumpling into a dry pile of flesh, gave him a scare like no other.Pandemonium.His emotions were in turmoil. His sense of clarity had become twisted and complicated.The thought of using her for childbirth and then relegating her to the background did not appeal to hi
His words were light and simple, so why did it sound like a groan to her ears and why did her nipples immediately grow hard at his smile?She saw his eyes dip to her chest; she knew her nipples were visible through the transparent red lingerie she was wearing. Recently, she had been dressing provocatively to bed, trying to seduce him.A flash of blue crossed his irises and he shook his head as if to clear it.There went her hope for a passionate morning of lovemaking. How long could she continue to endure this?"Wayne?" She asked gently."Yes, my kitten," he answered.He had begun calling her that endearment word ever since she woke up. Somehow, the nickname had started to grow on her."Do you…" she started to ask but trailed off. Too embarrassed to ask if he found her attractive or not."I just wanted to know if you had any plans this morning," she said instead.He gazed at the ceiling, avoiding to look at her "I have a meeting with the committee assigned to the hinterland relief dis
Candice stretched her limbs as she rolled over on the bed, her lashes fluttering as she pried them open.The morning sun filtered in through the curtains, blinding her eyes. She closed her eyes and turned over, trying to get to the other side of the bed.An object was in her path, preventing her smooth bed roll. Disoriented, she opened her eyes to see what was blocking her way and her heart skipped at the sight.Wayne was sleeping soundly beside her, as usual, he was naked and had the sheets tucked around his waist, leaving his upper body bare and visible.Her hungry eyes washed over him, greedily, gulping in the view. She could remember the first time she had woken up beside him, she had been alarmed and terrified to find herself in his bed. Now, a sense satisfaction enveloped her. She felt…happy to be with him in his bed.Ever since she had been revived from that deathly poison, Wayne had insisted she slept in his room with him every night. If he was to go into the city for meetings
The door to the restaurant swung on its hinges and Jason walked into a familiar place.He looked around, as usual the place was teaming with different folks, eating and chatting.Sally's restaurant was a small place, so it was not hard to find his twin brother, seated at a corner drinking from a jug and smoking his pipe.He strode over to the table and sat down "Getting high in the middle of the day, are we?"Jordan didn't answer immediately as he first let out a cloud of smoke from his mouth before saying "Care for some?" He held up his pipe, offering it."No thanks," Jason declined. Then drew back to stare at his brother "Why did you request to meet me here?"Watching his brother closely, he started to notice the dark shadows under his eyes, the worry lines that spanned his face and the fine lines around his mouth. His short brown hair was tousled and he looked like had aged significantly, even though they were of the same age and identical in every respect.With the way his shoulde
He knew trouble when he saw it.This man right here looked like trouble.And he didn't have time for this.Without turning back, Rojan answered "I don't think I know you," he muttered and took another step.Two of the leader's men breezed forward and were in front of him in a second, preventing him from leaving."You are the beta, second in command to the notorious King Wayne, aren't you?" the leader said from behind them.His mind began calculating as he eyed the two men in front. They had black spots in a shape of rosettes, tattooed all over their body and with the exact same bald haircut, as their leader.From how they were dressed, even without the hydrogen sulfide masking their scent, he knew they were Jaguar shapeshifters. That sect of shapeshifters enshrined the Samurai way of martial arts. Sleek and fast, utilizing double swords.They were usually hired as assassins. Whoever sent them on this bounty hunt, must really want the dragon's remains.Just like he did as well.He coul
He waited for a few more minutes after the second group had passed, before slowly removing his hand from her mouth and taking a step back."What's going on?" Bernice asked, trying to peer at him through the dark "I thought this place was supposed to be inhabited, empty even. Who are these people?"Still in the darkness, Rojan answered "It seems the man that sold the information to us, also went about selling it to others," he hissed "Wayne paid him handsomely to keep the information confidential, that backstabbing weasel.""What do we do now? Should we return back home?" She asked worriedly."Going back home is not an option. If anything, I am more determined to get to it before the others.""But there are ghouls and other bounty hunters searching for the dragon's remains. It has become dangerous for us to continue our search," she said to the darkness, unsure of where he now stood.After a few shuffling in the dark, bright beams of light shone from a small battery torch Rojan held in
"Oh my gosh, I’m so fucking freezing!" Bernice exclaimed as she hugged her arms underneath the winter jacket she wore.Rojan, who was walking in front of her, turned around and gave her a look that said 'I told you so.'Well, she knew he had nagged her non-stop and tried to dissuade her repeatedly. But nothing, absolutely nothing could have prepared her for such extreme climate conditions.Even though, Sabine had etched some runes into their skin using an unknown ink, claiming the runes would help them breathe and survive the harsh atmosphere of planet Uranus. To her, the runes had little or no effect against the negative degrees.This place was dark with a perpetual night sky and lots of thick clouds swirling across it, a constant blizzard blew throughout. They had entered this horrible planet through Sabine's door in her living room.Yeah, you heard right.A freaking door that shimmered with light brought them to this planet called Uranus. Not a plane, a rocket, or one of those fanc
"There was a ruckus at the palace. I had to wait for a few days for things to quiet down before coming," the creature on the other side explained."I meant tonight, you arrived late," he corrected.This was his informant, his contact person at the palace on plane Woede. Over the weeks since they had partnered together. The creature had refused to reveal its real identity. Only contacting him through proxies, choosing this place as their rendezvous point and taking precautionary measures to remain anonymous.There were no telltale signs to give an inkling as to whom he was dealing with. The creature, male or female, wolf or any other species, always arrived on time and was already seated in booth six before he came. Also, it always waited for him to leave, before exiting. One thing he was assured of, was that it had to be a werewolf and of pure blood, for it to serve in the king's house.He had recruited this invaluable resource from an agency that catered to mercenaries. Though the te