RUM I reacted. Right arm out, claws, gripped that ex-sentinel neck and lifted her off high up, her strained look of shock and fear blocking the half-eaten moon. ‘Alpha Keithen! Please!’ Her companion shouted from behind her. He appeared right in front of me, the ex-grower, and dropped to his knees, hands clasped together, begging for mercy. My claws punched through flesh, warm disgusting blood of betrayal trickled down my hand, and a scream of pain exploded from that vile mouth. ‘Aaaaah!!!!!’ Kurt hugged my feet. ‘NO! PLEASE! Take me instead!’ he pleaded desperately, wailing hard. And tears of regret streamed down. Perri grunted in pain but said nothing. ‘You?’ I glared down at him and caught a glimpse of Rose lying unconscious beside him. ‘Good idea.’ My voice was low, threatening and dangerous. And the ex-sentinel sensed it. ‘NOooooo!’ She finally shrieked. ‘Do it! Kill me! I was the one who wanted to do it—he tried to talk me out of it but I wouldn’t listen! KILL ME INS
RUM‘Elena may be a trained healer but she’s good,’ Ellis reassured me. ‘Rose is in good hands.’ Every second ticked like a time bomb on Rose’s life. I frowned at the older Alpha. ‘Then why do I feel like her life’s slipping away?’ I grabbed Ellis’ arm with a new terror. ‘She’s a fucking hybrid! That means her healing abilities are weaker than mine!’ ‘Keithen—.’ Ellis tried to stop me when I jumped to a stand and dashed over to Rose’s, but my worry was stronger. I arrived before the three women and Elena was still hovering her hand above Rose’s abdomen—there was an ugly slit in her flawless skin. The blood had dried around it but she still looked paler than usual. ‘Kee, you can’t be here,’ whispered my mother. ‘I want to be here when she dies.’ ‘Goddess blast it, she won’t die!’ Elena snapped in clear agitation and shot a motherly gaze at Rose. ‘I won’t let her,’ she said, gritting her teeth. My mother patted the healer’s shoulder and dabbed Rose’s forehead with a cloth torn fr
ROSEI woke up to a familiar room setting and the even more familiar soft snoring of my lovely beast/superstar and his handsome, peaceful sleeping face. Immediately, I started tracing the lines and contours of his face, going through the same old curves and strokes like someone who’s going blind soon, as the recent events came crawling back and aligning themselves into the calendar of my biological clock. Then, the same face was staring back with the look of horror and shock and extreme guilt—and it was my recollection of Rum’s expression when he saw Perri stabbing me. And shame and guilt of my own swarmed to my throat. Damn…. So much for trying to live on my own. If it weren’t for me, Perri wouldn’t have a chance to hurt Rum. Thank God, I managed to save… him. Jesus Christ, I’m sounding like the voice in my head. ‘Rose?’ Those blue eyes were looking at me with concern. ‘Do you need the bathroom?’ I had been in and out of a recovery slumber for the past four days, with only the
ROSE One second, I was looking at Magnus and Ellis being thrown into the sky like stones—and the next thing I knew, I was covered with a warm body. A nice feeling of warmth passed through me, and then I felt more recharged than I had been in the past few days. I was wondering if this was the effect of the golden light when Elena’s concerned voice pierced my thoughts. ‘Are you alright?’ She looked flustered. I quickly nodded. ‘Never better, actually.’ The Luna paused and relaxed. ‘Me too. I think that light really has a soothing energy to it,’ she remarked as she turned around to watch the men again. Rum was checking his body while the other two elders were on the ground, fighting to come around. Ellis was the first to get up, and, immediately, rushed forward to renew an attack on the young Alpha—. ‘No,’ Elena whispered in fear. She shot from her seat and cried out, ‘NO!’ I was out of my seat too, staring at Rum as the usually golden light—now orange and fiery—was thre
THE DARK WHIMS‘Rola, I think you don’t grasp the situation here.’ The darkness glowered at the pathetic she-wolf standing before him in a warrior suit, his wrath brewing in the Beta’s voice. ‘Being my son’s mate doesn’t make you a more of a Beta or a Gamma.’ He watched the Beta’s fingers tipped the sharp chin of that pretty face that now looked strained, desperately fighting to surpress the tears of anguish and fear, and felt the Beta’s lips spread into a grin of satisfaction. ‘You don’t get to choose. Your voice doesn’t get to be heard. You fetch for your Beta, and that’s it. And your Beta wants the Alpha here, alive, so he could personally put a silver knife right through his selfish, arrogant heart—and you’re going to fetch what your Beta wants.’ Her feistiness somehow managed to break through the chains he had put on her and were shining like a burst of sunshine from her raven black eyes. ‘And if I don’t?’ He got angry. And anger makes him do crazy things—like sending a w
ROSERum told Ellis that he and I are mates—soulmates, in the human world. Since Elena referred to Ellis as her mate, and I thought they’re married, maybe mates carry the essence of a married couple. Together for eternity that sort of thing. But Rum didn’t refer to mates like that. Is he really ashamed of me? But all those things he said, the sweet stuff he whispered in my ear while holding me, making love to me, they all told me that he cares for me—that he loves me—that he wants me to be his other half. Or has it all been in my head? Maybe Rum has never meant for us to have a relationship like that. Maybe he just feels bad and has taken pity on me—or maybe he feels responsible for me, since I saved him and, in the process of doing so, got turned into a monster—no way near human nor wolf. Shit. This shit sucks. Maybe the truth has been staring at me the whole time but I was too much of a fangirl to notice: that Rum never liked me romantically. It was all in my head—. A shadow
ROSE‘It’ would be the date that Rum and I are moving out to the Silver Ring pack and confront the Beta. ‘Does it really help to keep the truth from him? From Hector?’ ‘It’ll break him, Rose. And I don’t want to see that happen. Not to him. It’s bad enough to lose an eye. Now he has to lose his father—I can’t—.’ His voice turned hoarse with desperation and guilt. ‘I won’t let it happen.’ I pushed his black mane back from his forehead then cradled his face with both hands. ‘That song… are you trying to tell me that you’ve found your old self?’ His jaw clenched and a glimmer covered his eyes, making them more blue and twice as mesmerising. ‘Is that a bad thing?’ There was anger in his voice. ‘I love the present Rum—but I also want to know the Rum from the past.’ I pressed my forehead on his lips and sighed, silently adding, And I want even more to be with Rum in the future. Mates. The name resonated with my utmost desire. ‘It’s Keithen.’ His lips moved against my skin. ‘Call me
ROSE My chin perked up and I was ready to defend myself. But then as soon as my mouth opened, something inside me seized my voice. And then I swallowed my resentment and looked away. 'I'm sorry, Alpha Keithen.' I didn't know why I said that; I guessed I was mimicking Rola, his first love. The woman he respects. He sighed in surrender but it was too late. I have no wish to stay in the same space as him. But I still want to be around to keep him safe. So I said—no, sought his permission like the nobody I was, back in the human world, and over here in the werewolf world—'May I come along then? I promise I won't interfere with your business.' 'Goddess blast it,' he groaned. 'Are you being sarcastic now? Of course, you're coming with me.' And I flashed him my brightest smile. 'Since we're leaving in three days, I'll be training harder starting today.' 'We'll leave at dawn,' he added in his irksome rebuttal tone. 'I'll talk to Ellis and the rest. They can stay here and be our b
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