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