ROSE Raw fear gripped my heart. So this is why Rum avoided a fight with Erasmo but not Belle; the Beta of Blue Rock pack is as agile as Rum but twice as strong. Though Rum is able to read every attack and retaliates strongly, he’s still only a fraction of a second faster. And each time they got to each other’s neck, I forgot to breathe. ‘Your little holiday in the human world didn’t soften you as I thought,’ grunted Erasmo with a confident smirk. ‘Shut up, you fucking boulder—.’ The Alpha was gritting his teeth as he tried to keep the Beta’s hand from gripping his throat. The smirk turned into a serious frown and Erasmo swung his elbow at Rum’s head—. I shot to a stand. And Rum ordered, ‘SIT DOWN!’ My hands grabbed into angry, frightened fists as I watched silently the Alpha, who had avoided the elbow from earlier, now crouching near the ground like a lion waiting for the right moment to take down his enemy. Erasmo had lowered his upper body too, in a defense stance,
QUINN It’s gathering. She can feel it. The dark whims. Strengthening in power. It can’t wait. It must be dispersed now or she won’t be able to do it alone—the more wolves involved, the greater the chance of it latching onto a warm body. Disperse it first then. Quinn halted before the door, her knuckles just an inch from the wooden surface. As fickle as her mind, she turned around and marched right back to the stairs. And the door swung open. ‘Quinn?’ Kristen’s sweet voice rang the cool air of the landing. ‘What is it?’ Can’t talk. Quinn spun back to face one of her two best friends. ‘Important. Something. Need to tell you.’ Kristen was smiling when she heard the serious tone and gave an even nod. ‘After dinner, your room?’ And a thumbs up was the born healer’s response. ***** ROSE I’m yours…. That deep, silky voice echoed in my ears as the face of it remained in a deep, peaceful slumber. Did he mean that? Or did he just say it cause it felt right at the moment? Or
RUMAre we mates?My knuckles brushed the soft skin of her rosy cheeks. Fuck, is there anything on her that isn’t rosy or looks like a fucking cherry? Are we mates? We are. The fact that we met—the second we did—we've become mates, bound by the blessings of the Moon Goddess. Destined to be together. Made for each other. So are we mates, you asked. There's only one answer: yes. But do you want to be my mate? That's what I wanted to know. After knowing that all we have between us is because of Her, because She orchestrated our meeting, She made us feel this way, would those sparks still be magical? Do you still think that you like me?Would you still want us to be mates? How is it that her skin gets softer each time? Fuck…. I want to feel it. One more time. On my lips. The way it streams across my rough lips like silk… and then it quivers with its own heartbeat…. I could no longer resist the temptation. I'm going with the flow. Why can't I resist her? Is it because she's my mate o
ROSEThe bed is shaking—Earthquake?! My eyes flew open. Shit! Rum! My mouth opened to call for him as I turned to him—-the Alpha was squirming violently, grunting in pain, as though something was choking him. ‘Rum?’ I tapped his chest. But he didn’t hear me. ‘Ugh…,’ he groaned, his brows revealing the discomfort he was experiencing. ‘Mmph….’ I seemed to feel his pain and I didn’t like it. I don’t want this for him. ‘Rum!’ I grabbed his shoulders and mustered all my strength to shake harder than the tremors in his body. ‘Wake up!’ ‘Uh!’ He tossed over, his face in excruciating pain, and then his eyelids flew open, their eyeballs bulging from their sockets. Then, he jolted to a sitting position and started coughing hard, his hand gripping mine tightly. ‘FUCK!’ He roared, slamming his fists into the sheets like a crazed animal. ‘Fuck, fuck, fuck!’ Veins of fury appeared like green lightning across those thick, trembling muscles. ‘Goddamn it! FUCK!’ Immediately, I hugged him and
RUMDamn it, she knows! The lonely figure of soft-flowing hair and long, fluttering white dress moved further and further away from me, out of my sight, and my feet remained where they were. What the fuck are you doing, Keithen Hook? Go after her! I took a step forward—and stopped. And then what? Admit that I’m running away. Like a fucking coward. That I had a change of mind about us being together…as a couple. That she’s not my girlfriend and I’m not her… boyfriend. ‘Argh! Fuck this!’ I grabbed the bandana around my head in frustration, then let my feet carry me to where they wanted to go. I want her. I want Rose. Is this me admitting it or is it the Goddess’s will, I don’t know. Should I care? I should. But I want Rose. I want her to be mine. And I want to be hers. I want to spend every second of my fucked up life with her. I don’t care if I’m worthy, I don’t give a fuck about that. I just want her. My feet hurried forward, going after the figure that had already vanished.
ROSE It’s strange. How heavy a chest filled with yearning would be; my feet had not feel this heavy before. Or maybe I feel like I’m dragging along a boulder because I’m going up the steepest and most uneven slope of the werewolf world. ‘What’s this world even called?’ I huffed, glaring at my fifth consecutive hour of grey, boring, vexed crags. ‘Human world… werewolf world… Howling Five….’ My feet halted. Rum…. I straightened my back to take a good look around me. Nope. Still no sign of any life form. Not even a weed in sight. Just the night sky, the moon, the rocks and me. Keithen Hook…. My face lifted to the wispy clouds passing by, waving at me, encouraging me to move on. Save him, Rose…. The voice continued whispering in my mind. ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah…. Save him. Save him….’ I wiped my cold, damp forehead with the back of my hand, resisted the urge to turn back or crumbled to the ground in tears like a four year old demanding for a candy, I pulled my right foot forward a
ROSE ‘No kisses?’ The Alpha stalked after me. My feet stamped on. I need to get as far away from him as possible. Out of sight, out of mind. ‘At least a thank you?’ He continued coaxing. ‘GO AWAY,’ I snapped. Move on, Rose. Get to the first village you see—. And he was beside me. —-then… then settle down first—. ‘OK.’ He followed closely, not missing a step. —settle down for a few days… see what I can do for a living….. ‘I admit. I’ve been avoiding you. But it was because I was thinking.’ A scoff slipped through. ‘THINKING?’ I glared at him. ‘Lemme guess. You were thinking about me.’ I hope I sound as sarcastic as I could get. ‘Thinking about us. Our future.’ My voice was dripping with sour disappointment, but I wasn’t giving a fuck. I’m tired and angry, and feeling exceptionally useless. And those blue eyes fell into frustration. ‘Rose….’ The deep voice seemed to caution me to tread carefully from now on. But I’m done with being careful of others’ feelings. It’s
ROSE It was a werewoman. From her clothes, I could tell that she had been hunting. The fact that I found her here, in the middle of nowhere, not with a pack, means she’s a rogue. The angry red swell in her ankle told me she had slipped, and her being a werewolf told me that she was waiting for her ankle to heal. Those were all my analysis until I came closer and saw a twig jutting from the swell. The frightened look on her face further revealed that this wasn't her first time out alone, and it sure wasn't her first time chancing upon someone while being out here. And those meetings weren't pleasant. 'I-I….' My hand stretched out to her. What's wrong with you, Rose? The woman's more afraid of you than you are of her. I inhaled to calm my nerves and tried on a kind smile. 'I'm a healer.' I knelt before her and observed her wound. 'I don't need a healer,' she snapped. 'Then you need to pull this thing out.' I looked up at her, my brows gathered with concern. 'You're losing
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