RUMIs this a prank? Rose hadn’t contacted me since that day on the roof, and it had been five days. No calls. No text. As though she was a figment of my imagination. A part of a long forgotten dream. Then all of a sudden, I get this. Someone must’ve taken her phone and sent this as a scam. I stared at the shophouses reeling outside the van window. But why do I feel stuffy? ‘The AC’s low,’ I muttered. ‘Oh. Sure,’ David replied and a stronger breeze gushed in from the front. ‘Better?’ I couldn’t care less to reply and covered my lips with my knuckles. What if this wasn’t a prank or a scam and Rose is in danger? Ha! That would be the least of my problems, wouldn’t it? The girl had basically slapped my kindness in my face and told me to mind my own business. I can take care of myself very well, wasn’t it what she said? Even before I showed up in her life, huh? That arrogant girl. Just months ago, she was this stammering, weak human who looked like the ghost of a drowned vict
ROSE Why is he laughing now? Jesus Christ, where’s the friendly Ambrose I used to know—has that all been an act? But Rum enjoyed his presence. And they really acted like buddies. ‘He really tried his best, the Alpha.’ Ambrose chuckled some more, the sound of it was getting to my nerves. ‘He really told you nothing.’ That pricked my pride. I dare say that I know things about Rum more than anyone in this world. ‘I beg to differ,’ I rebutted. ‘You, on the other hand, is the one he keeps the most things from. So how the hell did you know so much?’ Stupid Rose. Of course, the dark whims must’ve told him. The grin he was wearing made me feel lower and frustration rose in my chest once more. ‘He told you nothing. The things that he shared with you… they’re nothing. And because he told you none of the important stuff, you think my plan will fail.’ I glared at his stupid face. ‘I think your plan will fail because you’re stupid.’ Great, Rose. Stooping down to the means of four-year-ol
RUM Rose. She looked frightened as hell, trembling. Yet, she faced the threat head on, not backing away. And that made me angry. How many times have I run away, just because I think it's unfair? It's unfair that I have to face such shit. Then again, who gets to choose the shit they want to face in life? Everyone faces all kinds of mess. Rose did. So why did I think I should get a free pass? 'Run, Rose!' Run, you stupid girl! But I could tell she was bound to the ground as much as I was. Hmm? The pressure on my feet vanished—I can move again? CLICK! The sound of instant death struck the air and my decision was as clear as glass. I leapt forward—knock Goldie out first, then get to Rose. My hand swung a crescent curve, then something struck me in the chest—pain exploded inside me, and a chill streamed in and fused with my blood, killing it. Fuck… I should've known why the binds around my feet were removed. I was meant to take that bullet. ***** ROSE The fog cleare
ROSE The superstar looked dumbfounded, which greatly puzzled me. Then, it slapped onto me. ‘A-Are they back?’ I whispered fearfully. ‘They’re behind me, aren’t they?’ He swallowed hard and said in a low whisper, ‘Rose…is that you?’ What kind of a question is that? Of course, I’m me. My eyes narrowed into a frustrated glare. ‘Are they back? Tell me, Rum!’ I hissed. ‘They’re gone.’ He gulped, his blue eyes continued staring. ‘But we’ve got a bigger problem.’ ‘What is it?’ Then, it slammed into me. I knew it! It isn’t over! That much silver, he can’t suddenly be alright! ‘You’re not alright, are you?’ I lunged forward, wanting to grab his shoulders and check his body, but instead of my hands, two white furry paws appeared at my will. And I halted. Dumbfounded. I raised my right hand closer and the white paw moved closer, greeting me like a newfound friend. My chest clenched. A fearful realisation seized my face as it shot up, and I looked at Rum, hoping he could give me s
RUMI laid her down on her bed and then waited to make sure she was really alright. For the hundredth time, I traced her face with my eyes, drowning myself in the contours and forms of her features, getting drunk in the happiness I felt from being familiar with them and being able to discover something new about them. My thumb brushed across her brows, trying to sooth them. ‘Don’t worry, Rose.’ I heard my whisper. ‘I’m here.’ Stop frowning, cub. And a sigh left her lips, those slim brows relaxed. My own lips spread into a genuine smile. ‘You’ll be fine.’ Without thinking, I leaned in and kissed the corner of those fine brows then pulled back to study her some more. Of those times we made love, she’d always fall asleep first, and I would draw her in and wrap her in my arms, and listen to her peaceful breathing until the moon sets and the sun rises. Strangely, the wait for that darn moon to set seemed much, much shorter than before. ‘When you wake up, Rose, I’m not going to push y
ROSE Flashes of lights from cameras are blinding me. Bustling murmurs of eager reporters are giving me a headache. But amidst them all, I felt a sense of achievement. 'Thank you. This is all put together by Cintilar,' said the woman with a tiny waist and long slender legs. The man holding a mic laughed proudly. 'Cintilar? It's hard to get her these days! Everyone's gonna be jealous. How did you manage?' 'I begged her for months! Then finally her assistant put me on the waiting list a year ago.' 'You gotta catch this, guys. An ensemble by the mother of styling herself, Cintilar,' cheered the host of the annual movie awards ceremony. Me? Are they talking about me? Cintilar? 'There she is!' An explosion of gasps and sounds of awe, then the brightest spotlight shone on me. I look down and I'm in the softest, whitest gown that flows like water from a waterfall. The black bulb of a mic shoved into me and the host asked in a loud, enthusiastic voice, 'So Cintilar, your inspira
ROSE He slid out slowly, caressing my insides like a light feather, and a delightful shiver shot to my toes. My face jerked to one side and a moan slipped from my pursed lips. ‘Rum….’ My voice has never been this high. ‘Why are you looking away, cub?’ asked a deep voice. Hands locked above my head, knees raised high, body pinned hard against the mattress, I couldn’t feel a thing except the intense pleasure Rum was filling up in me. How do I move my head? ‘R-Rum….’ I need something. Him. I need him inside. My desperation is soaring rapidly. ‘Rum!’ He kissed the throbbing skin below my earlobe and grunted, ‘How many times must I remind you, Rose?’ The scorching tip of his tongue travelled down my neck. ‘Ha!’ I shuddered. ‘K-Keithen!’ His mouth closed over the bulge of my collarbone and sucked hard. ‘That’s right.’ And he rammed in strong and hard, drove to the hilt. ‘Remember it, Rose.’ More pleasure bolted through me, arching my back, slipping out another cry of bliss. ‘O
RUMJoy folded her arms, displeasure crossed her face. ‘She won’t go.’ ‘She’ll be in good hands,’ I said, looking straight at her.‘She won’t go.’ ‘She must go.’ I arrived at the table. ‘YOU—.’ She glanced at Rose’s room door then spun back, fierce hurt crossed her face. She lowered her voice and hissed, ‘she wants to make a name for her father and you keep deterring her from it! She’s spent close to four years and she’s still an intern.’ ‘I can assure you,’ I interjected. ‘She will not remain an intern.’ Joy chuckled dryly. ‘I didn’t think you’d make empty promises too. We thought you were different.’ This bitch. How can I convince her that I meant to stick to Rose and help her in every way I can? I want to help her understand her shifting first, then support her in her next step. If that was to return to the human world and achieve her father’s ambition, so be it. ‘But you’re just going to make her your lover—a secret lover—to fulfil your own needs.’ What the hell…. ‘You’re
ROSECarefully, I picked up my iPad and the impatient phone and turned towards the exit of the office. I thought to answer the call once I’m outside, but it stopped buzzing. So I moved cautiously towards the elevator, when it arrived just as I halted to push the button for it. The doors opened and my handsome Alpha King appeared, worried as hell. ‘Why didn’t you answer my call?’ he demanded.I rolled my eyes. ‘Because I’m getting through a door with this.’ I pointed at my huge belly. He was about to carry me like a bride when I slapped his hands away. ‘Stop it!’ I hissed. ‘You want everyone to know?!’ ‘Wheelchair. If you ever missed my call again.’ He stepped aside for me to enter the metal carrier. ‘Alright, alright…’ I chuckled. ‘So how was it?’ He asked, glancing at my iPad. ‘Did she approve it?’ ‘No.’ I sighed. ‘It’s too extravagant. The actress specifically asked for more grounded styles. She wants people to relate more to acting than her beauty.’ And Keithen scoffed. ‘Goo
ROSEI rolled myself onto him, loving the way my skin rubbed against his, feeling his warmth and heartbeat against mine, as well as the vibrations of his chuckle. He swept the sticky damp strands off my face, hooking some around my ears, then combed the rest to the back of my head with his fingers, and all the time, I had my eyes closed, savouring the moment. And he chuckled some more. ‘You want another round?’ he whispered. My eyes burst open, and his arms squeezed my bare waist as he laughed. ‘I’m hurt, cub. You look like a car was about to hit you.’ I shifted closer to his face—my breasts scraping his hard chest, and he grunted a little—and kissed him on the mouth hard, delivering all my passion, all my apologies. Immediately, his mouth opened and he shifted to push me forward, so that his tongue could dive in a little more, consuming me breathless. Just as the familiar desires stirred inside me, I pulled back, tore my lips from his and captured his face with both hands, tryi
ROSEI’m a werewolf, aren’t I? Okay, not entirely. Just half wolf, half human. But that still counts, right? There’s still some wolf inside me to make this work! This has to work! Concentrate. Focus, Rose. Think of the gate. I could be at the beach, or the back alley. Does it relocate to the same place twice? Or does it choose a new place each time? ‘Rose, are you having a headache?’ asked Joy. I opened my eyes and evaluated my best friend for a while. Then, I made up my mind. ‘Joy.’ I grabbed her shoulders. ‘I’m about to tell you something that nothing in Science can ever explain.’ ‘O…kay?’ I could see the wheels of her mind churning to come up with the plausible reason for my sudden strange behaviour. ‘Is it Harry Potter kinda something?’ I nodded firmly. And she mouthed ‘O’, with a knowing gaze. But behind that gaze, I still caught her disbelief. ‘It’s alright to not believe me. Just promise me that you won’t tell a living soul.’ I was staring at her so hard, I could almost
RICHARDA video showing Richard in his midnight blue shirt with his arm stretched across the desk. The files shifted and a sketch of a female figurine in a puffed up flowy gown with petals in her hair and on her lashes and lips. Richard was flabbergasted. He turned back to the CEO, his mind churning furiously to come up with the best excuse to save his ass. ‘When Rose brought me that design, I thought to myself: this is something that ambitious Annie would use. It’s extravagant and flamboyant. Wouldn’t it be nice to distract her with this, so my precious gem can focus on levelling up her skills? She can’t be stuck in the B.A.D. crap all the time.’ Richard felt deflated. His world was crashing down into dust. ‘Y-You set me up.’ The CEO laughed heartily. ‘You flatter yourself too much, Richard. Set ups are for my equals. This is just a test. But you scored full marks.’ The young rising star slammed his palms on the desk and glared at the CEO—the woman who had previously doted on hi
ROSE‘... the winner of this styling face off is—.’ The emcee’s eyes rolled left to right repeatedly as he read the card. His brows knitted as a mutter of disbelief spilled from his mouth, ‘Annie from B.A.D.’ My insides sank to the deepest parts of my spirit. ‘YES!’ Annie shrieked out victoriously. With a smugful grin, she cast a look of condemnation in my way. ‘I told you she’s a fake! She can’t style at all! Extraordinary—ha!’ That was… … unexpected. I thought I had a good chance. I really did read Miss Jewel’s comments wrongly. ‘Oh! The main judge has something to say!’ The emcee shoved Annie aside to make way for the retired supermodel, Jinda Avengelistford, who gracefully took the centrestage at an astounding height of six feet. ‘Based on the styling standards, Miss Annie has met every single one.’ She turned to the head of B.A.D.’s styling team and flashed a warm smile. ‘It was exciting—your unexpected. There is still a difference between professional and personal styling.
KEITHEN ’CUT!’ The director’s frown was as clear as the blue sky outside. I could tell that he’s been trying to hold it in. But the shit’s about to explode. ‘Rum.’ He forced a smile. ‘Are you sure you’re not unwell?’ I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve said this: ‘I’m fine.’ ‘Then what’s the problem?!’ The older guy grabbed his hair, about to go crazy. I stared at the line of the script that was shoved into my view. Instantly, the clog in my throat grew real. As real as the reality I’m about to face in an hour’s time. ‘Maybe Rum’s upset that this is all going to end for him soon.’ I looked up and a pair of kind eyes smiled back at me. Sherry patted my shoulder as that sweet smile turned into a sympathetic one. ‘I bet he misses all this. Don’t you, boss?’ I chuckled dryly and looked down again. ‘I’m not your boss, Sher. I’ve said it many times.’ That’s it. No matter how hard you try. You can’t fight reality. You just can’t. You can stay hidden around her. It won’t ma
RICHARDA day before the styling competition… ‘Go right in. She’s wrapping up the conference call,’ said the lovely PA of Miss Jewel. The young man in his stylist’s midnight blue shirt and grey bubble pants grinned sweetly and nodded. ‘Thank you, Celia. You look lovely today.’ And the PA gave her usual polite smile. Richard entered the glasshouse of an office and settled himself in the same chair he’d always been in whenever he’s here. A minute turned to three… and then it felt like ten. Richard’s fingers began to tap with impatience. He thought of checking his phone for an update from the private investigator he’d sent to tail Rose. The thought of Rose brought a grin to his glossed lips. Miss Jewel must have called him in to talk about Rose’s resignation, and he was prepared to sacrifice his precious time and help the agency convince Rose to retract it. There is no way the CEO wouldn’t agree to his one and only condition: that Rose stays as his stylist for as long as he’s wi
ROSEBANG, BANG, BANG!I stared at the door, unable to breathe. Unable to stop the tears. Unable to shut him out. ‘OPEN THE DAMN DOOR, ROSE!’ thundered the Alpha King. ‘YOU BETTER GIVE ME AN EXPLANATION RIGHT NOW!’ Hands clamped my ears. My head kept shaking in disagreement. My chest screaming: go away! Please, go away! ‘I know you’re in there! Open the fucking door!’ The banging continued. The same hands now clamped my mouth. To stop me from telling him to stop. Stop the noise, or someone will report him to the police. You’re a fucking celebrity! Stop it, Keithen!‘I’m counting to three. No open door, and I’ll fucking shift right here! Hear that, Rose? Footsteps! People are coming out. They’ll see me—.’ The hands were back on my ears. Shutting out his voice. My feet shuffled back, away from that enraged door. Hide. Go and hide, my mind told me. And I did. I scampered back to my room and slammed the door shut. Locked it. Then backed away, towards my bed. The second my calves bum
RICHARD‘I told you it’s not going to happen!’ the young man hissed into his phone. The female voice at the other end of the line screamed curses. ‘Everyone’s been talking about your peach silver outfit—more than mine! What happened to the black jacket! You said you’d wear it.’ Richard Black rolled his eyes at his reflection in his bedroom mirror. ‘She wanted to change it. What else can I do? Say no? Has your precious Rum ever said no to you regarding his outfit?’ ‘I can’t let her win that competition,’ chanted Annie. ‘Dan’ll have my head!’ ‘I’ll get you a chopping board then.’ ‘You lying son of a bitch! You didn’t keep your end of the deal—have you any idea the sacrifice I made for that article?’‘Sleeping with a reporter instead of some big shot? You call that a sacrifice?’ Richard scoffed. ‘You’re a whore, Annie. Everyone who knows you knows that. The models—they talk. A hell lot.’‘And you think your Rose is a virgin?’ ‘SHUT UP!’ Richard shouted back, and the ugly chuckle r