ROSEThe plan was simple. All they had to do was to distract the dark whims as I tried to get close to Keithen. Once I’m close enough, I will disperse that dark shit inside him once and for all. The cold wind grazed the tips of my white fur as I speared through the forest, towards the place where it would all come to the end. The line between good and… evil. With Keithen, did the line exist at all? ‘We’re here!’ Umberto cried and we both came to a halt, just like everyone else, who’d been sprinting along with us. An army of werewolves—human and wolf forms together—from all four packs of the last Howling Five. Through the gap between the two Alphas standing strongly in front of me, I saw an ocean of grass—various intensities of brown and grey—swaying with the sweeping wings. More werewolves. Millions of them. ‘W-What are they?’ I breathed in awe. Umberto kept his snout ahead. ‘Wolves from the other packs. The Howling Five are the largest five packs—but we aren’t the only ones
THE DARK WHIMS You wanted to see me… your wish is finally granted…. He knew who it was without looking. His sweetest. The mother of all those vile creatures borne from his essence. And her betrayal. A low chuckle of bitterness vibrated from him—he, banished to the depths of blackness, can’t be seen or heard but only felt. He should be satisfied. Fulfilled. Yet, the emptiness within him deepened another depth. Anymore and he’d be swallowed whole, vanished, worse than death. At the thought, cold sweat of fear glided down his heart. He stared at the bleakness that held his ground as tears of the unknown bit the back of his eyes. ‘Yes, finally. I get to see you again….’ A drop of his pain splattered on what seemed to be his knuckles and evaporated to steam. ‘I tried and tried… centuries and centuries… if I had known that this was all I needed to do, I would have done it sooner.’ What remained of a broken heart clenched his jaw to keep more tears from spilling. ‘Your ans
ROSE‘I used fresh tomatoes and minced beef—just the way you like it, sweetie.’ Daddy’s voice rang above me as a huge plate of bolognese spaghetti slid into my view. ‘Bon appetit, my little one!’ Oh God. Tears damped my fleeting lashes. ‘Sweetie, what’s wrong?’ Immediately, he sat down beside me. ‘Why are you crying? C’mere.’ The warm arms of protection and love enveloped me once more. ‘Hush, hush….’ The same hands rubbed my back. Somehow, they felt like feathers. Through my blurred view, I faced him with seriousness across my face. ‘I’m dead, aren’t I?’ And he froze. His eyes blinked thrice. Then, he glanced at his wife—my mother—who’d been watching me, elbow propped on the dining table and chin resting on her hand, and smiling gleefully. ‘Should we tell her?’ he asked. And she widened her smile. ‘Of course. She didn’t say we have to hide it from her.’ ‘She?’ I pouted as worried thumbs brushed below my eyes, wiping gently. ‘She who?’ ‘The Moon Goddess.’ My eyes bounced be
ROSE‘I told you, her fingers moved!’ ‘Goddess blast it. Just some fucking fingers and you rushed me back here? Am I a fucking joke to you?! Do you know what it fucking feels like to get a billion dollar deal only to know that it’s a fucking scam! STOP SCAMMING ME!’ Jesus Christ, that’s loud. ‘Please stop throwing human words at me—I don’t understand! Stop it, Ellis! I’m not doing anything—he’s the one with the killing stare!’ Oh my Lord, my ears are bleeding. What are they shouting about?‘Maybe I should put your mate in a coma, huh? Then tell you that his fucking eyelashes moved! He’s waking up! Come quick!’ Oh fuck, this weight is sinking me down. ‘Urgh….’ I need to—I want to get up—something tells me that I need to move this weight. ‘—touch him and I’ll bite your ear off. Then I’ll sew it back with twigs!’ ‘Mmm…’ Shit. My chest isn’t moving. My toes are wiggling but my thighs are stuck. ‘Urgh….’ Head won’t lift too. ‘Rose!’ A deep voice. ‘Can you hear me?’ I know that v
ROSE He pulled back, very slowly, sliding out, rubbing my slippery walls, pulling more wildness through my veins to my belly, boiling passion inside me, while his blue eyes fixed on mine, fiercely chaining me to him, demanding my stay, as though he knew of my secret. I love you. They seemed to say. I closed my eyes and jerked his face down to crush his lips on mine, telling him to take me as he would want. And he slammed in, his own passion roaring through me, clenching me around him, wrapping us together like the damp sheets beneath us. He sucked my tongue over and over as he pulled back and rammed in, over and over, driving more and more of his raging passion into my bloodstream, pushing me higher and higher until I tipped off with earth-shaking ecstasy. Burying his face into my hair, he growled, ‘You’re mine, Rose.’ Moulding my body along his, he drove in deeper, sending me swiftly up another peak. ‘MINE.’ ‘YES!’ I sank my teeth into that slick, hot skin along his thick
KEITHEN I stomped through the streets of the market, Where the fuck is she?! (‘Shall we let Alpha Kee hold our cub?’ muttered a fruit seller to his mate) I started jogging, my head bobbing to get my blind spots, my eyes searching like a hawk. Goddess blast it! ‘Keithen!’ She suddenly appeared before me, her mouth moving, munching, her black eyes squinting in puzzlement. Then, she broke into a huge grin; a bag of something shot up, blocking half her face. ‘Want some?’ WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU GO? DID I NOT TELL YOU TO STAY THE FUCK CLOSE TO ME?! I stared at her. In the past, back there, I would scream at her. Even now, my mind was screaming, wanting to scream some sense into her. My hands itched with a strong urge to grab her by her shoulders and shake the stupidity out of her, to wake her the fuck up. What was she thinking scaring the shit out of me like that? But something in her smile punched my chest with relief. And all I wanted was to hug her. The bag moved aside
ROSE‘Mmph!’ My eyes squeezed tight—my insides filled to the brim with the bliss from his wild pounding. Slap, slap, slap, slap! Our damp skins clapped along with the sighing of the bed, as the warm air cocooning us got heavier with the heat from our lustful bodies. His tongue dwelled deeper and deeper each time he rammed into me, rubbing and stroking wildly, caressing me in places I never knew I had inside my mouth, coaxing, enticing, unwilling to let go until I give in. The Alpha was trying to get me drunk in his passion so, in a muddled state, I would give him the answer he wanted. And honestly, I was drowning… drowning in his deep kisses…. The second his lips tore away, I was sober again. Sober but numb everywhere, threatening to spill of euphoria and explode with ecstasy. ‘What’s it gonna be, Rose?’ he grunted, his raspy voice betraying his own delight. My lips parted wide, spilling moans of pleasure in his name, but I couldn’t say the words he wanted to hear. Something wa
ROSENow, she looked incredulous at my question. ‘I chose Ellis,’ the White Crown Luna said firmly. ‘When we met, I felt a connection. With him. And that’s how I know. It’s hard to explain. But I can’t imagine being with someone other than Ellis.’ ‘And she wouldn’t dare.’ A new voice spoke. We both turned to it and the White Crown Alpha, as charming as ever, was standing before us, with a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Immediately, Elena broke into the smile of a sixteen year old. ‘As you wouldn’t. What’s that?’ The Alpha strode forward calmly and placed the flowers on his wife’s lap. ‘I picked them up on my way here from the manor. I heard they would make a woman’s heart skip a beat.’ Elena was already admiring the vibrant yellow and purple petals, taking a good whiff of the sweet scent. Fruity? I’ve never seen those flowers before. ‘They’re lovely,’ she whispered as Ellis kissed the side of her forehead. I coughed inside. They’re lovely on their own, but not together. Is
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