21 Wolven Street, 4th Avenue, Nashville Tennessee, USA.
Candice took a deep breath, pulling her hair to the side on her left shoulder, she adjusted the helm of her short skirt and smoothed away any wrinkles.
Popping a mint-flavored gum into her mouth, she opened the bar door and strolled in. A hefty cloud of cigarette smoke wafted through the air, rushing into her nostrils. She barely kept herself from sneezing. Pinching the bridge of her nose, she scanned the dark room.
She scanned the place looking for….
“Trust me, Candice, when you see him, you will know. He always stands out in a crowd,” Bernice had said.
Shrugging away her thoughts, she squinted through all the smoke, peering at the tables, looking for anyone who might stand out….
There!!!
At the far end of the wall, there was a huge man, immaculately dressed in an expensive suit that looked to be customized, and perfectly fitted to his body. His looks screamed wealth, taste and class.
Even though he was seated, she guessed he would be about six feet five inches tall. A great height difference over her petite frame of five feet four inches.
His shoulders were broad and finely built with muscles bulging the fabric of his black suit jacket, matching pants snuggled around strong legs, and tapered down into black leather shoes. His face was a sculptor’s dream. Broad chin with high cheekbones, a flawless straight nose, full lips, and eyes the color of gold coins. A very gorgeous appearance, what was even more distinct was the long mane of black locks that fanned down his shoulders.
He was clean-shaven, neatly composed with an aura of confidence, unlike the hollow-eyed, haggard-looking men littered around this bar. While most of them looked average, he looked like he owned the damn place.
He was sitting alone with a tall glass of untouched beer in front of him.
Taking a wild guess, she walked straight to him. As she walked, she kept adjusting the length of her skirt. Bernice was the one who had picked out this outfit for her, it was feeling very uncomfortable.
She took the opposite seat in front of him and held out her hand “Sorry for keeping you waiting, I had some delay.”
The man didn’t take the handshake, he just stared at her.
Candice withdrew her hand feeling awkward “You are Mr. Wayne Wyatt? Correct?” she inquired, trying to be certain.
An emotionless face stared back at her “Yes, who’s asking?”
“Nice to meet you. Have you been waiting long?” She asked, unsure of his cold reception towards her.
He looked away from her, ignoring her presence completely.
Candice felt taken aback “It’s me Candice, your date for tonight.”
His head snapped back to her and a flash of surprise crossed his face as he gave her an ounce-over look, then slowly asked, “You are Candice?”
His eyes traveled the length of her body, from the low-cut V of her top, showing off her boobs, all the way down to the high slit that revealed her pale thighs.
“Yes,” she answered as her confidence began to fade.
She was uncomfortable under his piercing gaze, he seemed to be looking at her from head to toe, searching her, disapproving of what he saw. His eyebrows creased together with a frown.
What had he been expecting?
Candice felt her face redden with embarrassment. She was beginning to wonder if she had made a mistake dressing this provocatively.
The ladies at the office who always got huge contracts, told her that men easily complied with women who were alluring, sexually attractive and fun-loving.
One boldly said, “If you continue to play by the book girl, you will never sit at the table.”
Another had whispered in her ear “Nobody is asking you to sleep with the clients, just play along with them and get what you want. That's how we do it.”
Well, she didn't believe she needed to roll over on her back to strike deals. However, it had already been two years working at the real estate firm and she had always fallen short of her monthly target.
Her Boss, George, had begun to lose patience with her. He outrightly told her to prepare her resignation letter by month's end if she didn't land a major contract.
So, when an anonymous offer had come in from a huge investor, Bernice, her best friend and colleague had jumped at it, rapidly securing a date for her, before anyone else at the office got a hold of it.
She desperately needed this deal if she was to meet her target this month. If she lost her job, her life was practically over. Right now, she was barely managing to pay her rent from her paltry commission. She would be sleeping on the streets, if this deal fell through.
Pride and self-preservation were a fleeting notion when it came to survival. She was willing to give it a try and go out of her comfort zone to achieve her goal.
She needed to make him interested, to catch his fancy so he would give in to her demands.
Crossing her legs in front of her, she watched her skirt ride up her thighs, exposing more of her supple flesh to him.
She would tease him, seduce him, show him what he liked, get on his good side, and then attack him with her documents.
With that solid resolve in mind, she leaned on the table and grabbed his beer. Letting her cleavage linger on the tabletop, ensuring he got a good view of it, before straightening up to gulp down the entire glass of beer. She wiped the sides of her mouth with the back of her hand, then looked at him seductively, batting her eyelashes at him.
Powerful grey eyes stared back at her in astonishment “Why did you drink that? All at once!” he exclaimed.
She had never been a fan of alcohol, but right now she needed all the confidence in the world to pull this off. This was her first time trying to use her feminine appeal to get what she wanted.
“Are you okay?” he asked, a hint of concern in his voice.
“Why wouldn’t I be? I feel great. So, tell me, do you like the atmosphere in this bar? The place seems rather noisy and too dark to have a serious conversation. I have better choices in mind,” she suggested, as a low throb started in her head. Her speech had begun to slur with a wave of dizziness washing over her.
A nice restaurant would've been an ideal location.
The man before her gave her a long silent look, his intense stare seemed to be calculating, as if he was trying to make a decision, and then a cynical smile turned up the corner of his mouth.
“Indeed, what do you propose?” he asked. A dubious glint entered his eyes as a grin spread across his lips.
This bar didn’t seem like the best place to discuss official matters and she wondered who had picked the location. Bernice had told her that he wanted their meeting to be kept under the radar for personal reasons.
“Just anywhere private for us to discuss more personally,” she explained as a second wave of dizziness washed over her.
She was already drunk, on just one glass of beer. Even though she rarely drank alcohol, surely only one glass couldn’t get her to this point quickly.
The man before her was quiet and was watching her intently. Candice clutched her handbag close to her, she needed to stay focused if she was to succeed.
“Are you sure you won’t regret this?” he finally asked.
“What’s there to regret about?” she shrugged.
“Good,” he said, rising to his feet.
She stood up also, then wobbled on her feet “Whoa, that was one serious beer.”
“Do you need some assistance walking?” he asked, coming over to put a supporting hand on her back, cradling her close.
At his contact, the atmosphere cackled around them with an invisible force. Time seemed to stop, as his stunning grey eyes bore into her hazel eyes.
Her body trembled from the energy that sipped into her from the feel of his warm fingers, spreading along the expanse of her back.
Up close, more of his features shone brightly, like the tiny white cowries that were interwoven with his dreadlocks, the natural glow of his skin that looked like it was sun-kissed and lathered in alabaster oil. Overall, he had the features of someone from the Caribbeans.
Beautiful islands, clear coastal seas, blossoming flowers, and a lovely horizon.
Candice thought wistfully to herself as she felt her eyelids grow heavy with darkness clouding her vision into oblivion.
Drip drop, drip drop.A persistent sound echoed in her ears.Candice hissed and turned over in her sleep. Who or what was making that sound?She turned on her side, reaching for her pillow, a strong unmovable object obscured her view.Her eyelids fluttered open for a minute, then she jolted up from the bed.The sight before her alarmed her, who was this half-naked man, covered in white bedsheets, lying casually on her bed beside her?She looked at the mountain of a man, how did he get here? In her bed!Wait!This wasn’t her apartment. She looked around her strange surroundings, nothing here looked like they belonged to her.Where was she and how did she get here?“You’re finally awake,” a deep rich voice rumbled.She looked up at him, he looked familiar…"I was waiting for you to wake up," he said, propping himself up on one elbow.She gasped, she remembered!“What are you doing here?” she asked, raising the sheets to her chin.He looked like he was barely managing to suppress a chuck
How disappointing.There was no better word to express how he was feeling.After all these years of searching, of all the beings he could have paired with, the universe had to give him a human mate.Not just a feeble human, but a prostitute woman.The lowest of the low.He had always imagined his Luna to be a proud wolf with strength to dominate and command respect. Someone who would rule beside him and both of them would be a formidable force. Conquering all his enemies and exerting order in Plane Woede and all its hinter lands.He could have gladly accepted other worldly beings like a shapeshifter, a siren, a fey, a phantom or even a nymph if it meant that their life span was long and amortal. Their strength was well matched to that of a werewolf and they all had their individual strengths. He would have still managed an Omega, the lowest of the ranks, the weakest in the pack. Provided she was a wolf, he would accept his fate.But what was he to do with a mere human? They could easi
Wayne rose from the water and walked into the sea bank.Waves crashed around his legs as his feet sank into the wet sand.Water dripped down his body, his wet cloths clung to his body.He looked at his house on the cliff, just overseeing this seashore and stilled himself to listen.Everything quieted around him, as his hearing strained toward the house. He could hear voices from the staff within the house, footsteps walking up and down, smell of flavors from the kitchen, water dripping from a leaking pipe, werewolf scents carried in the wind. Nothing seemed strange or out of place.Except for one thing, there was no human scent.Wayne felt a stir of unease in his chest as he strolled toward the house. It was possible her scent had been deemed by all the wolves around, after all she was the only human in the house. Possibly on this plane, from what information he received daily from the epsilons (guardians) at the gates to this realm.Apart from the official portal which was located at
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 st
"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
"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