ROSEOh, what a jerk! My feet stomped forward, ignoring the cries behind me. 'Hey! You're going the wrong way, goddamn it!' Rum came after me. 'Rose!' Why can't he tell me? The name of his first love, the one who dumped him to marry his best friend. Just tell me if she was Rola or Roseb, is it that tough?! 'ROSE!' A fierce grip came over my wrist and a strong force twirled me around. Two angry blue sapphires bored into my face. 'Have you forgotten about the rogues? Stay close to me, damn it, what the fuck is wrong with you?' I tried to pry my hand out. 'Nothing's wrong! There! That's what you wanted to hear. Nothing's wrong with me! I'm perfectly fine!' His grip tightened. I could tell from the look on his face, he was trying to fight the agitation. 'I was being honest when I said I don't want to talk about it.' His voice was calm and serious. Which made me feel childish—and hence even more infuriating. 'Because it's all in the past.' I stared at the ground. 'Fuck… that look.
ROSEHe made me rest on top of him, all stretched out from head to toes, so it would feel like I’m lying on a mattress. The giggles couldn’t stop. His arms circled my waist, half-hugging me, half keeping me from rolling off him. ‘Seatbelts,’ he said and I giggled harder. ‘You like that, huh?’ I nuzzled my nose against his shirt and then lay my left cheek on his chest and followed his heart beating softly against my ear. ‘Yeah, you like it.’ His body tensed up and I felt a kiss on the top of my head and it relaxed again. ‘Let’s rest a bit before we find that irresponsible feline.’ I giggled lightly. A long silence washed over us and then, very quietly, he said, ‘I’m with you now. And you said you like me. So don’t go back to the past, eh?’ I opened my eyes and lifted myself to hover my face over his. Those blue sparkles caught the hint of sunlight that managed to sneak through the canopy above us and were dancing to their own music. Suddenly, I saw daddy’s smile when he looked
ROSE I stared at the swell in the throat of the one who had just made love to me in the most passionate way. His calm breathing has become a lullaby necessary to numb my senses and put me to sleep. Since that day on the roof, I couldn’t sleep like normal. Maybe the sudden switch to a normal life—one without bullies, without someone constantly berating me, without the stress and adrenaline grip to keep my body in a perpetual alert and flight or fight mode—is the cause of this. I have so much energy stored at the end of the day that I lay awake throughout the night. Or maybe it was that dream of me turning into a monster that gnaws on my nerves, keeping it awake and alert. I reached out to stroke that angled jaw, rubbing my skin along the stubble, and his breathing skipped a beat. The arms around my waist tightened and I was pushed deeper into his embrace, my breasts flattened against his muscular chest, its black curls tickling me. I felt a smile on my lips and leaned in to k
ROSEI walked up to the handsome guy standing by the river, pondering.Hands listless at his side, his eyes at some place distant where I can’t see, he looked lost…and frightened. I slid my fingers through his and snuggled to his side, and he blinked, awoke from his thoughts, and glanced down at our hands entwined before turning to me. He lifted our hands and kissed the back of mine before pressing it to our chest. ‘You look like shit,’ I muttered, resting my cheek against his shoulder. A chuckle vibrated through his skin to my cheek. ‘I feel like shit.’ I wanted to check his face, out of concern, but I knew that would make him feel worse, so I shrugged and said in the most casual tone I could muster, ‘that makes two of us.’ He laughed a little and fell into another long silence. Then, very quietly, he said, ‘My uncle’s consumed by the dark whims.’ I tensed up but forced myself not to look at him. Instead, I stared at the flowing waters before us, trying to distract myself wit
ROSE ‘But there was nothing here when we first came. And there’s nothing here now.’ I scanned the familiar vast sea of green grass swaying gently in the fresh mountain breeze. Rum looked around. ‘It’s hidden. That’s why we can’t see it.’ He tugged my hand and moved closer to the pond. ‘It’s here alright. I’m sure of it.’ ‘Rum….’ He looked at me with a warm smile that seemed to remind me of what I had agreed to earlier. I need you to trust me, Rose. I squeezed his hand to tell him I’m fine and shifted closer to him to let him know that I trust him. I guess I was scared to leave Mrs. Hook’s cave because that place felt safe; it was high enough to disappear from plain sight and Mrs. Hook has lived there all her life—well most of it—so with her skills, she’s a strong fighter. As we circled the pond, I observed that strong jaw I’ve held and kissed many times and chided myself for being a scaredy cat. The dark whims are contained within a single werewolf so there’d be none floa
ROSE Because Alpha Erick hardly leaves his room, it was safe for Rum and I to move around the halls of the castle—I mean the manor—without announcing our arrival. Erasmo gave us a map to help us navigate around the manor, reminded us for the fifth time not to go anywhere near the main hall, and that our quarters would be outside the manor—his stone hut—and then left us at the library. ‘What if someone sees us?’ I asked in a low whisper when the door closed behind us. ‘Erasmo will take care of it.’ Rum moved into the library and I followed closely. ‘He’s going to tell the others that we’re his VIPs and we’re not to be disturbed.’ ‘And they’ll listen?’ ‘Gosh.’ He halted and turned around with a frown. ‘I really need to do something about those bullies when we go back there.’ Chilling fear gripped my back, straightening it. ‘Are we going back?’ The human world now felt like a nightmare to me. It shouldn’t because Joy’s still there. But it is. And I can’t seem to help it.
ROSE Rum quickly searched the second scroll he’d picked up earlier while he explained, ‘I remember reading it. The dark whims must’ve struck a deal with my uncle.’ A deal? I arrived beside him, watching his finger scroll across the page. ‘Like a contract?’ ‘Yes!’ Rum unrolled some more and scanned the paragraphs. ‘I remember reading it… it must be here somewhere….’ ‘Kinda like the Ghostrider.’ I still feel surreal about the idea. ‘Or Doctor what’s his name, who made a pact with the devil and sold their souls for something—that kind of deal?’ Rum frowned at me. ‘Goddamn it, the Ghostrider didn’t sell his soul—his father did.’ Irritation narrowed my eyes. ‘Who’s the human here?’ Those blue eyes widened with the recognition of his signature response and rolled skyward. ‘Fine. Five points to Cintilar.’ He returned his focus to the scroll and added, ‘but no–it’s not like that.’ I was grinning from ear to ear when he exclaimed, ‘here it is!’ And I shifted closer to read the p
ROSEThe entire scroll reads like an instruction manual in Latin; I could pick out a few words and guess a few symbols, but I’m missing the whole picture. After a few more unrolling, my brain felt like an engine that’s completed a million miles without break. It was then the scroll that I fetched earlier caught my eye. It was lying beside the first scroll that Rum had brought to the table so I stood to get it. Rum was immersed in his reading, which was a good thing, so I decided to continue minding my own business. Let’s see… this is the same scroll that Elena picked out for me back at the White Crown castle—manor—whatever. The scroll unrolled to reveal the same passages that I saw a few days ago and this time, they were being captured properly—earlier, the sentences felt like what I would see in an F1 racing car. It says that the born healer possesses both the abilities earned by the made healer and the ones gifted by the deity’s light; the former guides the essence of the deity
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