ROSEAnd everything fell neatly into place. It was like I had finally caught up with time, mentally and emotionally. And I could feel Rum's presence as though he was standing next to me. Keithen Hook. Rum. The black wolf, the faceless sexy hunk in my dreams, making love to me—they were all him—every piece of him, vital or insignificant, calling out to me ever since my memories were suppressed. Rum. Keithen. I need to get to him. Fast. THAT'S WHY I NEED TO—.'Get through this stupid portal—argh!!!' I pushed against the forcefield that was pushing me back, preventing me from going through—just as Krissy said. And then I was hurled back in a huge crescent wave, landing harshly on my butt, and the grainy shore. 'Ow!' The gentle night waves swooshed rhythmically in the background. 'Told you it won't work.' Krissy helped me up. 'Keithen put it up especially for you.''And why in Goddess' name would he do that?!' I panted. This is infuriating. 'To protect you,' snapped the impatient
ROSE A strong green megawatt spotlight of Rum’s concert burst through, illuminating the wound like it was a solo artist on the stage. And the strangest thing happened: red yarns spurted out from the flesh of each end and joined hands, working together, pulling and sucking, to seal up and form a scar. My face shot up, eyes widened with shock at the two shouting ladies, but they couldn't seem to see what was happening. Not even Ellis, who was now screaming like a burning victim. I looked down at the wound: everything that should happen biologically in wound healing with humans is now happening at super speed; it was like watching a video fast forward. And then, it was over. The green light retracted, having done its deed, and Ellis had stopped tossing about screaming, fainted, fallen into a healing slumber. Both women, and myself, stared at the reattached arm in utter disbelief: it looked exactly as it was before. With shaking fingers, and more tears gushing down her face
ROSEDo I want to take the side of good and fight against Keithen?My thumbs twirled around each other under the moonlight like the two options entwining each other in mind.Take Ellis’ side and save the werewolf world from descending into darkness—and Keithen may be killed in the process. Take Keithen’s side and the world will plunge into darkness… and? Then what? The air in this pit is thin so I had to breathe in deeply once in a while—just as I remembered. That orange peel scent echoed from a distant but yet not so distant memory. You're such an idiot, Rose. That doesn't help anyone, does it? Why can't you remember the more important stuff—like the deal that Keithen made with the dark whims—that's one tiny detail to help with your decision. ‘So what's it going to be?'I looked up and that cold hard gaze was scrutinising me, judging at the same time. Gone was the fatherly tenderness. The mere mention of my name seemed too painful for him, and even though I didn't cause all the
ROSE He slammed in hard and strong, his blue electrifying eyes glaring with the same intense passion that shot from my belly to my dangling toes, ripping me apart. ‘Keithen!’ A whisper broke through as I clung onto him with my life, my nails digging into his shoulder—has he gotten bigger? A grunt of pleasure answered me. Then, his forehead pressed harder onto mine as his thick, hard shaft slid back a little, sending tingles through me, then rammed in again, hitting that sweet spot in full strength. An explosion of bliss tore through me, sinking my teeth into the pale skin between his neck and his shoulder. And a loud satisfying moan caressed my ear before he thrust in a few more times and tensed up in his own climax. He kissed the throbbing skin below my earlobe, sucking as hard as he came, sending me to another soaring euphoria. Amidst our hard panting and deep breathing, he took my lips once more and kissed me fervently. When he finally tore his lips away, my knees lifte
KEITHEN (RUM) Run. Run away. Run before he kills them—. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? Inhale—exhale—inhale…. I ASK YOU A QUESTION, MUCK. The rage in the voice sucked the running out of my legs, and I came to a screeching stop right before the ground ended. If it weren’t for the weight of his darkness, I would’ve tipped over and fallen to my death. YOU’RE DOING IT AGAIN. I straightened my back with a deep inhale and stared at the blue sky with cotton clouds. ‘What did I do now?’ A dark chuckle clouded my eyes, and everything was black and white—the only means of torment that worked on me; everything else had gone useless—perhaps due to my gift, the healing light within me. And he knows it. That blasted entity. YOU TRIED TO HIDE IT FROM ME, BUT I CAN TELL THAT YOU DID IT ON PURPOSE. I scoffed. ‘I did what on purpose now?’ THAT BLASTED HALF BREED—WE WERE GOING BREAK HER NECK BUT YOU LET GO. I scoffed again, mocking his silly theories. YOU LAUGHED? YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DO A
ROSE Realisation filled those evaluating eyes, and, knowingly, Erasmos whispered, ‘I know what you’re thinking. And I’m not.’ ‘Not what?’ I feigned ignorance. If Erasmos was really with the dark whims like Ambrose once was, then he mustn’t know that my suspicions. A sudden look of surprise and then the same eyes narrowed with earnesty. His voice lowered some more when he spoke. ‘I’m not with the dark whims. In fact, I’m building an army—.’ ‘An army?’ Krissy exclaimed. Shit! I’ve forgotten that the wolves can hear from miles away. After a quick exchange of the bewildered gaze of being caught red-handed, Erasmos quickly rearranged his expression to a neutral one before turning away. Nodding truthfully, he replied in a sure tone that would burn all suspicions, ‘Yes, Luna Kristen. Alpha Errick has left this at my disposal. He’s bent on defeating the dark slave.’ ‘Keithen?’ I blurted. Ignoring the glare from the Omega, I rushed forward to grab the Beta’s arm. ‘What exactly do
ROSE A bright light, the brightest one you've ever seen, burst from the starry eyes that were vacant and bleak a second ago. And then that dark, evil roar of anguish dissolved into the background. When I pulled down my arm that shielded me from the sudden unknown shine, my star, my mate was standing before me, his gaze intense at first, as those electrifying blue eyes scanned the length of me, then anxious. 'K-Keithen?' I stepped forward. But a huge shadow barricaded me. 'The dark slave!' Umberto growled in his scratched voice. 'Umberto, please let me talk to him!' I tried to shove him aside but he was like the rock of Gibraltar. Until someone lifted him to the black sky and that handsome face of worry and strain appeared once more. Umberto shifted back to his human form and continued struggling like a fish out of water high above the Alpha's head. 'Your punishment.' Those blue eyes deepened with the same rage heaving that broad chest. I swallowed my desire to fee
ROSE Ah! Terror struck my heart and burst my eyes open, and a bewildered look stared back at me. ‘I swear I only tapped your shoulder,’ explained Umberto, his face a hint of red. I scanned around frantically, as though dark Keithen was hiding and waiting for a good chance to pounce on me and kill me. ‘Luna Kristen is out to fetch us some water,’ updated the Omega. When I said nothing, he added in an awkward tone, ‘Beta Erasmos has set the date for the attack. In two days. After lunch, we’ll head back to inform Alpha Ellis.’ Two days? There isn’t time then! Oh why did Keithen send me away? I could’ve used that year to train and conjure Quinn’s abilities at will. Goddamn it! ‘Are you… are you alright, Miss Rose?’ I finally looked at him and saw the medicinal green patches around his neck, and instantly felt remorse once more. ‘How do you feel?’ ‘Much better.’ ‘God, you sound like the desert.’ I smiled at the bandage around his wrist. ‘How do you feel?’ he asked in a qui
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