Busted!"Rojan you're back," Wayne acknowledged.Rojan was standing a few meters away from him, carrying Bernice on his back. The once vibrant young lady looked passed out and was sleeping soundly on his shoulders."Yes, I am," Rojan replied casting him a mug stare."I was not expecting you guys so soon," he said, feeling a little embarrassed. This was the second time in one evening that Rojan had caught him in compromising positions. Luckily for him, he had donned a robe despite his haste to come to her. What logical explanation could he give if he was caught naked in front of Candice's door? It would have been worse if Bernice was awake, gratefully she was fast asleep."I actually came to talk to her, but changed my mind," he explained as his left ear twitched.Rojan looked at him, his eyes roaming over his physique. Then he nodded, his eyes disbelieving "Okay, if you say so.""What happened, why are you back so soon?" He inquired."This one is wild, immediately we got to a pub. She
"My heart?" he let out a bitter laugh "Far from it, I would not let myself get carried away. I have an end goal; nothing can thwart my plans.""As your beta, I would agree with you to do what's best for your plane and pack. As a friend, I would tell you not to make a mistake you may regret later on," Rojan advised."Regret? What's there to regret about?" he harrumphed."You're clearly falling for her, why do you fight it?" Rojan pointed out."I am not," he countered, then scoffed "What is there to fall for? She acts with no dignity whatsoever. Is it dancing half-naked with a total stranger and allowing him the pleasure of kissing her or striking my face with her fist?""Wait, what?" Rojan did a double take, "She slapped you?"Wayne paused, that had come out involuntarily.Rojan threw his head back and laughed, his booming laughter bouncing off the walls.Wayne put a hand to his temple, why had he let that slip off his tongue? It only showed that he was still clearly pissed at the kiss
Sited upon his stone throne was Waylon.Standing before him were his subjects; Zipporah, Drac, and Smeden."You assured me," Waylon murmured as his eyes moved from one body frame to another.He was dressed in royal blue apparel with a red cape attached at the shoulders. Upon his head sat a golden crown embellished with rubies, emerald green and blue sapphire stones. In his hand was a long staff made of bronze with glyph carvings, each knuckle of his finger was adorned with gold rings. He was lounging in his seat with an air of royalty while addressing the trio gathered before his mini-assembly."The sorceress was the one who recommended her," Drac said casting a side glance at Zipporah.Waylon's gaze shifted to Zipporah "Yes, it was you who brought her. You assured me of her outstanding abilities and skill set."Zipporah shrugged "She was indeed a clever, slippery, and resourceful hireling. It's a shame she could not complete her mission.""But Lamias are said to be formidable and fea
Zipporah smirked to herself as she descended the stone steps.The assembly had come to a close and they were all free to go. As she walked down the steps that wound around the walls and led to the lower part of the fortress, to the base level of the dungeons. Her lips curved into a wry smile.For a moment there, she thought she had been caught.Thanks to her quick response, she had shifted the blame to the nymphs. Removing herself from close scrutiny. It would have been a catastrophe if he found out she was the supposed thief.A blow to her ego.Howls echoed through this level from different creatures she had captured with the help of Waylon's men and locked up in these dungeons, to use their blood for her dark magic."Silence!" she snapped at them, her voice dripping with malice.The cries immediately ceased.She began to walk from one cell to another, the creatures scurried into the depth of the cell when they saw her glower at them. One cell held a griffin, another held a chimera, a
"I heard a voice," Candice said as she stared at herself in the mirror."You did?" Bernice asked from her position on a couch."What kind of voice?" Everette mused as she put some pins around the dress Candice was wearing.They were having a casual conversation as Candice tried on different dresses. Early that morning, Everette had arrived at her bedroom with over a dozen dresses from the seamstress.Two weeks had already passed by since Bernice and Rojan had returned from the earth plane.The head of staff, at the house had casually informed her that a date for a banquet had been scheduled, and on that day, she would be introduced to society.Yes, you heard that right.She had been informed, notified, and made aware without any consultation from her, that her very own debut to society had been set up.The only prior information she had gotten was when Wayne had taken her to the red chamber in the city center, where she had eavesdropped on their conversation. He had not bothered to di
Candice felt awash with satisfaction.It felt good to put smiles on the face of someone.She wished she could gift her more, but the Head of staff would not let it slide. He was in charge of the domestic funds and ran the house on a strict budget, only making adjustments if and when directly instructed by his Lord Alpha. She would definitely gift Everette, Jason, Jordan, and Sally a little token before she said goodbye to them forever."What are you intently thinking about?" Bernice asked."Nothing interesting," Candice murmured as she walked over to join her on the couch. She had donned a simple green dress, dotted with white polka dots."You have been frequently spacing out these days, tell me what's on your mind?""I-I just wish that my life wasn't so complicated. Like this was some sort of dream, I was not in a parallel universe. I would just wake up and everything would be back to normal," her voice was strained, with all the pent-up emotions raging within her."Why would you wan
Two days later.5:30 pm.The Great Arena, Central City.Plane Woede.Candice peeped through the crack of the door.She had opened it just a tiny fraction, so she could see into the vast corridor. This place was the size of a standard Olympic stadium. It could seat a total of a hundred thousand people.She was the item for the great gathering, yet she was confined to a tiny change room, in the enclave of the small outpost that marked the stadium's back office. A small provision of rooms was where all the operations were carried out backstage, before showing it to the public.Where was Wayne?She gritted her teeth in anxiety as she felt the pressure settle in. It was nerve-wracking, pulse palpitating, and teeth clattering.Her stomach was knotted tight while her heart was racing. She was about to make a big entrance into the world of the werewolves and it was taking a toll on her self-confidence.She wondered why Wayne had been aloft, all through the number of days that led to this very
"I am busy, what is it?" Wayne drawled, going to take a sit in the corner of the room."I have been trying to talk to you for over a week now, but you keep rebuffing me with the same response "I am busy, let's talk later," she mimicked.He let out an exasperated sigh "Okay, I do not have a lot of time right now. I am here, you may speak."You may speak.How annoying, like she needed his permission to speak or express herself. She was not here to beg his permission; she was here to cut a deal. A smooth negotiation at best, and a rough haggle at worst."I wanted to speak to you about something," she began.When he saw her pause, he waved her on impatiently."You actually owe me a wish and I am here to collect on it," she stated.She saw his eyes narrow in a suspicious appraisal, then he linked his fingers on his lap and cocked his head to the side "Go on."Unsure of what his body gesture signified, she went on "I want you to allow Everette to go into fabrics and designs, to go to fashio
She had eaten almost all the food on her plate when she could finally relax and take a sip of the water in her cup.Wine was available and served as well, but she could not trust him enough, or anyone here for that matter, to take a taste of the wine.Who knew if the wine was spiked with wolfsbane?"Was the palette of the food to your liking?" Waylon questioned as he noticed she was done with her plate."Yes, it was…edible," she murmured.The meals in Wayne's house tasted way better. In short, Sally cooked better than whoever made this horrible dish.Perhaps, it was neither the fault of the dish nor the chef. It was just nostalgia; she was homesick. Never had she expected to miss Wayne's home and plane Woede so much.The thought had just crossed her mind, when a realization dawned on her.She has referred to Plane Woede as her home. When had she considered Wayne's house as her home? Everette was right after all, she had run away from home.A decision she made in the heat of the moment
She had just finished getting dressed when the man from before returned back for her.The natural lights within the walls had dimmed and darkness crept in at every corner.Oil lamps hung high up the walls, at different angles, providing illumination.She saw some serving males, whom she would like to think were servants because they made themselves scarce but were functional in the background.The nymphs were ushered somewhere else in this gigantic building, while she was currently being guided along the corridors to another area of the house.They turned a bend and came into a large room, the same size as the bathhouse, but with long windows that ran from floor to ceiling. Bars of iron were used as burglary protectors, so one would not fall out through the large openings by mistake.Smeden spun on his heel and left, leaving her here alone.Through the windows, she should see something like sand domes in the distance. Like they were in the middle of a desert with only this structure s
"You mean King Wayne of Plane Woede?" Daisy asked full of interest.Peaches nodded.Anyway, Wayne was not technically hers anymore.Still, she did not like that these ladies were discussing him."Gosh I have only heard rumors of him, I hear he is extremely attractive and full of male allure. Have you seen him in person?" Lucy queried."I saw him once and I can never forget the type of aura he carried," Peaches said and moistened her lips.Candice felt her skin heat up. She didn't know if it was the warmth of the water or the blood simmering in her veins, but suddenly she felt uncomfortable."Pray tell us, when or where did you meet him?" Daisy demanded impatiently."I was visiting a friend on the plane of the Cyclops. I had no idea two vampire males had spotted me, so after drinking to stupor I staggered in the dark alleys, trying to find my way home. Only for these two males to come out from the shadows and try to sink their fangs in my neck," she pointed to the vein that jumped in h
"Enter," the man behind her, shoved her into a bathroom chamber.After Waylon's orders to prepare her for the evening. Drac had barked out orders to a man called Smeden, who immediately ushered her out of the hall.They came down a flight of stone steps into this large room that looked like a public bathhouse.There was a large square pool dug into the ground and it was filled with water with a hint of steam wafting from it.Lots of female dresses hung from wooden rails on the wall's rear and occupying the pool were about six very beautiful women.Smeden thrust a sky-blue gown into her hand, that he had picked up from a room on their way here."Bath and change," his words were clipped and short.She looked from the dress to the small pool that looked like a hot spring. Did he really expect her to bathe in this open space in front of everyone present?She looked at him and he gave her a pointed look that said "Undress right now".So she turned around and reached for the zipper of her d
It was no surprise they were family.One wanted to use her as a baby factory, while another wanted her for sex. How had she been caught up with such a dysfunctional family?"If I say no, will you force me?" She cautiously asked."Force you? It is beneath me to force a female to lie with me. I am Waylon Wyatt, a prince of my ancestry. King of my fortress and soon to be king of plane Woede. Apart from my noble blood and wealth, any woman or man would beg to bed me because of my handsome features," he informed her.Her jaw slackened in wonder.Was it just her, or did he sound exactly like Wayne?Arrogant, proud, and conceited. Except for where Wayne was more leadership driven, he on the other hand was narcissistic.She let out a pent-up breath "If you're going to kill me anyway, why not skip the bedmatics and just get it over with?""I don't intend to kill you," he said and paused, then added "At least not yet, I have another use for you first. Imagine if my nephew comes to the knowledge
One step after another.She followed the stern-looking man.He was leading her through a huge building made of black rock. It towered high above ground level and was full of twists and turns like a maze.After Everette's betrayal, these men led her back with them to a portal that they breached with ease. Next thing she knew, she was in front of a tall building that looked old and dated, but was still standing strong. Just like the buildings one would see in old classical movies.At this point, she knew her fate was already decided. She was done for, there was no point in resisting. That was why she followed them quietly as he led her through the never-ending corridors of this complex structure.They turned a bend and finally entered into a large space. Though it was daylight in this strange place, the lack of windows made it gloomy. The only source of light was from the open-ended roof above.A caricature of a throne was elevated on a small podium. Other than that, the room did not ha
"Candice, as much as I hate to do this to you, but I must remind you this is real life. Not everyone is lucky to be mated to a king. As an omega wolf, I must find my own path and create a future for myself," Everette's voice was cold as it floated to her ears."But you were my friend, I took you as my sister. You meant so much to me," her bottom lip shook from the sting of her betrayal."And what good did your empathy do for me? Did you really think I would settle for the life of a seamstress when I could live the life of a queen and enjoy all that you enjoy?" She let out another string of laughter. "That mate of yours was able to take you for a fool because of your naive approach to life. Just because you are good, it does not mean life would be nice to you too."The words struck her like lightning, the dart of an arrow, as painful as it was piercing. So, she too thought her to be a fool. And one deserving of manipulation and deceit because of her lenient nature.Tears clouded her vi
Candice was surprised at her reflexes.Adrenaline had kicked in and she felt a power and boldness like never before as she threw Everette behind and assumed a defensive posture in front.Her eyes moved from one male to another, taking in their features. One male had a scar that ran over his left eye, he was dressed in simple jeans and a black polo. The other three were dressed in like fashion with him. Looking quite simple, but intimidating with an undertone of trouble."What do you want? Why have you come after us?" She demanded, surprising herself yet again with her bold stance. Even though her heart raced with fear and her legs trembled."The human girl, here and in the flesh," the male with the scar mused wistfully to himself, unperturbed by her defensive posture. He went on "I had my doubts about you, but you managed to accomplish the mission."She frowned, what mission? Who was he even talking to?"Will you continue to hide like a mouse or will you finally show yourself?" He spo
Candice looked around as she walked.The place was teeming with trees.Tall, long trees with outstretched branches formed an umbrella covering above, obscuring the night sky and casting eerie shadows over the path.Blades of grass sliced across her legs as Everette hurried her along.She had no idea where they were, but Everette assured her that they were on Misty plane, the land of the phantoms.Though it did not have mists swirling around as it did during her last visit. However, Everette told her they were on the outskirts of the plane. Once they entered the city, the mists would be seen.Well, all she really cared about was getting to Sabine's place before Wayne noticed her absence and came after them. And come he will, for she was still his mate and was the medium for his kids to come into the world.Medium.The word made bile rise in her throat. To him, she was just an object, a means to an end. While her heart had skipped severally, just by looking at him, he had been secretly