ROSE It was then I felt the slight tremble of chill in Rum’s body. I knew what it was… I was trembling the same way as I followed my homeroom teacher to the headmaster’s office for the first time; I was caught in possession of a cigarette stick and a lighter, both of which I was muling for one of my bullies back in high school. Rum was right. A hug was all we needed to get through this. And I would gladly let him have it now. Without thinking, I rubbed his back in the same comforting way as dad did when I was frightened by a ferocious dog that tried to take my snack. “You did well, Rum,” I whispered and felt his arms tighten some more around me, nearly flattening my lungs. ****** “Yes, Rum had a migraine attack. So he rushed out to get some fresh air. We’ll be heading back in—.” I looked up and Rum was holding up five fingers. So I said, “In five. Yes, Peggy. I’ll tell him. Yes, he looks much better now. Alright, see you in a bit.” I ended the call and turned to the su
ROSE After the meeting to discuss the female lead for his new role in a TV show, Rum had another recording session before he called it a day. When we were finally back in the van returning to his penthouse, it was already two in the morning. He yawned and stretched the stiffness in his back muscles as he whispered, “If those bozos ever take you away like Magnus did today, you shout for me. Immediately.” “Because you can hear it!” “Yes. And it’s faster.” He slumped back into his seat and yawned once more. “Damn, I need to hit the gym tomorrow. My muscles are turning to flabs.” I stared at him, appalled. Yeah, right. When he hugged me, all I felt were strong, firm muscles. Anxiety hit me. He was lamenting as though he'd still be here tomorrow. But what if he won't be around tomorrow? What if this time he failed and Magnus took him home? He glanced at me and exhaled wearily, “What’s with that face?” Looking ahead, he solemnly said, “No one’s taking me away.” My nose gre
ROSE Rum caught himself before he turned away from the unwanted visitor to shoot a warning look at me. "Shut up, Rose," he reminded me in a low voice. "NO. I WON'T." I glared at the greyish white werewolf. Pushing myself forward to make my point, I continued chiding the wolf that was supposed to be the wiser one. "Like Rum said, you're not his father. So unless Rum's father personally told you so, you have no right to say what you said. Do you know how hurtful that is? You’re talking about Rum’s father!" Rum jumped onto the counter and barked at me, "Shut the hell up!" And he swivelled his focus back at the greyish-white wolf. I don’t care about Rum’s warning. I want this werewolf to apologise to Rum! Anyone can tell that Rum loves and respects his father a lot. I won't sit by and watch another person use that to hurt him. What’s wrong with choosing your own way of living? It’s your life, isn’t it? You have the right to make a choice, even if it’s not a popular one! "NO! I wo
ROSE “That’s fucking racist,” Rum breathed. “Of course, we go to school! Seriously. We are decent beings. We have our lives too, you know.” I felt his eyes roll heavenward at my ignorance. I tried to pull back, wanting to apologise to him, but he tightened his hold to keep me in his arms. So I whispered in his ear, “Sorry.” “Don’t do that.” “Do what?” “Talk into my ear.” “Why?” “Jesus Christ…,” he grumbled. “My ears are sensitive, that’s why! A-And… you’ll ruin my hearing!” Oh shit! I wouldn’t want to ruin his songs for the other fans! I hastily flipped my cheek, so I’m facing the elevator, and apologised profusely. “Anyway, yes, we do go to school. And we take classes. Not the subjects you humans take.” My interest was piqued again. I asked eagerly, “What kind of subjects?” “Hmm… there’s history, language, practical studies—.” “Practical studies?” “Here, you call them Math and Science. You learn them separately. Back home, we learn them together as one class.”
ROSE Pant! Pant! Pant! Why must I exercise too?! I stared at the scenery beyond the glass wall of the gym, located next to the kitchen—the side of the penthouse that I haven’t gone to, until now. Pant! Pant! Pant! Pant! Oh my god… I can’t feel my legs… No, no… Rose, hang in there. If you stop right now, Rum will extend the timing. HANG IN THERE. Focus on the view. Don’t think of the pain in my thighs… oh no! My calves are melting! The burn—! “Goddamn it, Rose! You only started two minutes ago! Why do you look even more dead than a fucking log?” I glared at the view that was glowing with morning light. Of course I look like a fucking log! I did fifty sit-ups and ten push-ups before those two minutes! Who wouldn’t feel dead after that much exercise? The Alpha of the Rude Sadist pack shouted, “Shall I get Niro to give you a chase so you’ll run properly?” “It’s alright!” I forced my back to straighten and trudged on the treadmill. “I can do this!” “If I don’t get to you
ROSE Rum looked ready to sink his fangs into the housekeeper. But I’m not about to let him act rashly—he can’t shift now, there are too many people around! So I was on a high alert—ready to jump into anything, just to protect Rum. The second Rum slammed a resentful hand on the table, I quickly stood, my chair shoved back in a sharp drag, as though I was the main character of this dramatic confrontation—not Rum. “GODMOTHER!” I shrieked in a defensive tone. “I’ve told you a million times, you got the wrong guy! This is RUM, MY BOSS. Not Keith!” The couple stared at me, dumbfounded. Looks like they were expecting Rum to make a scene, so when I was the one who caused the ruckus, it was like an ambush punch in their faces. I swung around and Rum was equally shocked by the twist of events. Not giving the couple a second of time to recover and come up with something to foil my own plan, I hastily apologised to make my story convincing. “I’m terribly sorry, Mr. Rum. Please don’t fi
ROSE Stay calm, Rose…. I pursed my lips tight to fight a scream of fear. “We’ve gotta find Keithen,” a woman’s voice sounded in front of me—the Ice Queen. “He’ll come,” the housekeeper prophesied. He removed his fingers—and the pain vanished, allowing me to catch up my missed breaths—and then said, “We’ve got her anyway. So he’ll come.” I was gasping fruitlessly for air. Rum won’t come. I won’t call out for him. It’s much too risky. We’re still in plain sight of the public. “Still, we need to stay alert—you know how crafty that cub is.” The woman now sounded frantic, as though afraid. “Let’s go.” And they started walking. “Where do we go now?” asked the man. "These humans are giving me strange looks for carrying this girl." “Keithen's quarters. I got the directions from Magnus,” decided the Ice Queen. “Let’s wait for him there.” “Goddess me, that means we'll have to take that metal case. Didn't Magnus say that it’s a migraine?” “My Deity, Ellis! You’re an Alpha, fo
ROSE I stared at Elena in awe as she checked my limbs like a doctor, pressing at significant points, feeling for any broken bones. “Nothing’s broken….” She glanced up at me and reassured me. “Don’t worry. I may not be a Healer, but a Luna has to be just as good with the pre-aids—.” Does she mean ‘First Aid’? “... Take a deep breath… Do you feel any pain?” She looked at me worriedly. Cautiously, I shook my head. “Lungs alright so far.” She pressed my stomach and a sharp ache shut my eyes. And she quickly concluded, “Darn. Abdomen Is bruised. Goddess blast it, you shouldn’t have jumped off like that—it’s dangerous for you!” “Well, you shouldn't have carried me off first!” I protested. “You didn't even ask for permission.” She blinked twice at me and then burst into chuckles. First, Magnus. Now, her. Boy, do they really like to laugh at the most untimely moments. As the chuckles weakened, Elena explained softly, “You remind me so much of a friend I used to know—a Healer."
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