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Candice tried not to notice the clothes she wore, it was very modest and the style looked to be shabby and outdated, not the trendy fabrics this woke generation wore.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
"Candice, as much as I hate to do this to you, but I must remind you this is real life. Not everyone is lucky to be mated to a king. As an omega wolf, I must find my own path and create a future for myself," Everette's voice was cold as it floated to her ears."But you were my friend, I took you as my sister. You meant so much to me," her bottom lip shook from the sting of her betrayal."And what good did your empathy do for me? Did you really think I would settle for the life of a seamstress when I could live the life of a queen and enjoy all that you enjoy?" She let out another string of laughter. "That mate of yours was able to take you for a fool because of your naive approach to life. Just because you are good, it does not mean life would be nice to you too."The words struck her like lightning, the dart of an arrow, as painful as it was piercing. So, she too thought her to be a fool. And one deserving of manipulation and deceit because of her lenient nature.Tears clouded her vi
Candice was surprised at her reflexes.Adrenaline had kicked in and she felt a power and boldness like never before as she threw Everette behind and assumed a defensive posture in front.Her eyes moved from one male to another, taking in their features. One male had a scar that ran over his left eye, he was dressed in simple jeans and a black polo. The other three were dressed in like fashion with him. Looking quite simple, but intimidating with an undertone of trouble."What do you want? Why have you come after us?" She demanded, surprising herself yet again with her bold stance. Even though her heart raced with fear and her legs trembled."The human girl, here and in the flesh," the male with the scar mused wistfully to himself, unperturbed by her defensive posture. He went on "I had my doubts about you, but you managed to accomplish the mission."She frowned, what mission? Who was he even talking to?"Will you continue to hide like a mouse or will you finally show yourself?" He spo
Candice looked around as she walked.The place was teeming with trees.Tall, long trees with outstretched branches formed an umbrella covering above, obscuring the night sky and casting eerie shadows over the path.Blades of grass sliced across her legs as Everette hurried her along.She had no idea where they were, but Everette assured her that they were on Misty plane, the land of the phantoms.Though it did not have mists swirling around as it did during her last visit. However, Everette told her they were on the outskirts of the plane. Once they entered the city, the mists would be seen.Well, all she really cared about was getting to Sabine's place before Wayne noticed her absence and came after them. And come he will, for she was still his mate and was the medium for his kids to come into the world.Medium.The word made bile rise in her throat. To him, she was just an object, a means to an end. While her heart had skipped severally, just by looking at him, he had been secretly
If he was blind before, now he could see.And he knew had fucked up.She made his father's dreams come true."Did Candice attend the assembly alone in my absence?" he asked softly."Yes sire, she did. She besieged me non-stop to release some gold, which she used for the purchase of some strange chairs from another realm, and took them along with her to the assembly," Earnest replied.A chair?The council gave their approval because if a chair?He had no idea how she had been able to accomplish what his father tried to do during his reign and failed. Even himself, one of the most feared kings in history, had a hard time bending those elders to his will.Yet, an average human girl with no special abilities and no superpower was able to do it in a very diplomatic and seamless way, without violence or bloodshed.She was a special one.While he had been sulking in his room and feeling dejected, she had been thinking of how to ease his burden. To make his work lighter, to cover up his short
Wayne swayed on his feet, feeling dazed.Everette was the traitor all along and he had failed to recognize it.She was a two-faced pretender.Acting so harmless and weak, meanwhile, she was a cunning, evil mastermind.It was no surprise he had not liked her, something always felt off to him about her. Twice he had wanted to end her, but for Candice's sake, he spared her life.Because of her, he suspected his subjects and almost killed one of his loyal sentinels.Such a camouflaging, vicious mole.Now that he thought about it, she started her service to his house around the same time Candice was brought here. Carefully weaving her way into his home, to be next to her target."How is Everette able to work here? Who posted her here?" he demanded from Earnest."She came highly recommended my lord, with a referral letter from one of the royals," Earnest stated.She clearly must have bribed her way in here. Given the right price, any one of those spoilt young royal brats would write a perfe
It was 7 a.m. the next morning.Wayne sat on his bed.He was unable to get a wink of sleep throughout last night.Rojan had stayed with him until the wee hours of the morning before he had retired to one of the spare rooms to sleep. Today, he would return to his own home in the city, freshen up before reporting back.They had stayed together not sharing much, but taking comfort in each other's company.After a while, Rojan had wanted to see Candice to tell her about Bernice's detour at Sabine's, but at that moment they heard Candice announce to the entire house in a loud voice that she was going into the city for some relaxation.Jason had immediately opted to go with her, but she refused that it was girls night out and she wanted to enjoy only female company.He did not like that she was going unescorted, nevertheless, he did not interfere. After all, he had been hiding away from her like a spoiled teenager who was undergoing puberty and throwing tantrums.No matter how he looked at
After a solid hour of doing nothing but crying her eyes out.She drew back from Everette and wiped at her cheeks.The wheels of her thoughts had begun to spin in a different direction. Her mind seeking an escape from this harsh reality. A whirlwind of ideas blew through her brain like a hurricane.While she agreed that she was an easy target to be used and deceived, she would be a complete fool to stay put and watch as Wayne carried out his plans and trampled all over her."I need to leave, Everette," she whispered.Her maidservant's eyes widened "What?""I need to leave immediately, I cannot just sit around and wait for him to do these horrible things to me," she repeated."Are you trying to run away milady?" Everette whispered as her eyes darted toward the door, nervously."I am not running away, I am simply leaving," she stated, then she let out a bitter laugh "This…place was never home, to begin with. I was only a passing guest and now it's time to leave.""You would not be able to
Everette rushed to hold her."Are you okay milady? Did you confront him? What did he say?" she asked all at once with concern in her voice.She was unable to respond. Too shocked to speak, so she did what she could only do, which was to let the tears flow from deep within her soul.She felt an agony like no other.Her shoulders shook, her chest heaved and her stomach knotted. Snot ran down her nose all the way to her mouth, saliva drooled from the edges of her lips down to her chest. A vein jumped in her temple, throbbing like a migraine as she felt her world crash around her.Her whole body trembled and yet she could not utter a sound.Her eyes burned as though it was her blood that gushed from them instead of water.The emotion was so raw, so painful.He had deceived her, betrayed her trust, and broken her soul.He had everything planned out from the beginning, she was just a pawn in his game. A ragdoll he could use and dispose of, a cheap accessory that could be bought with money.
She could not believe Wayne had written this contract.Would not believe he had so cold-heartedly drawn up such a heartless, wicked, demeaning contract for her.No, not the Wayne she knew.How well do you know him? A small voice murmured in her head.For the four months she had stayed with him, she could attest to certain things he was capable of and this was too despicable to be true.Shook her head to clear it "Where did you get this from?""I found it lying in a corner in his office when Earnest instructed me to clean it this morning," Everette responded.Candice opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She swallowed and tried again "I can't believe this Everette, I just can't," she turned on her heel and started towards the door."Where are you going?" Everette called behind her."I am going to confront him with this," she threw over her shoulder.Before Everette could say anything else, she had opened her room door and was heading out. Her eyes had narrowed to slits and she saw re