ROSEStumped. I was stumped beyond words. I couldn’t feel a thing—I don’t know what to feel. Relief? Sadness? Resentment? ‘I can’t do this.’ Was all I could manage. It was barely audible, meant for myself, but the Alpha King caught it. With his super abilities. ‘What?’ He grabbed my wrist. ‘You can’t be serious. The ceremony is starting soon, blast it!’ I couldn’t shake his grip off. Yet I know very well that I don’t want to be here anymore. I can’t be here. I don’t belong here. I’m not… I’m not a werewolf. He deserves my sincerity. ‘I’m sorry, Keithen.’ Slowly, he straightened, his fingers still latched around me. ‘What happened to ‘Keithen’s mine’?’ This time his voice was hoarse with pain. ‘That was before I knew we were mates, right?’ I smiled. He watched me meaningfully. ‘So you’re saying you want to reject me.’ All of a sudden, he looked cold and menacing—just as when we first met. Reject? I blinked hard. Words of Perri flooded in. No. If I rejected Keithen, he’d be exil

KEITHENI couldn't believe my ears. ‘A villain’s role?!’ I slammed both hands on the CEO’s desk. ‘What happened to the male lead? I'm the Best Rookie of the year, Goddess blast it!’‘Best Rookie?’ Good ol' Dan stared back with aghast, steamed up like a volcano. A fat finger shot out like a gun aimed at my forehead. ‘You son of a bitch put my ass out there to dry!’ Saliva pewed like hot rocks. ‘Do you have any idea what you've caused me? All the endorsements. Not to mention all the loss that comes with it! If you weren’t the nephew of a king, you wouldn’t be standing here talking to me!’The lump of embarrassment in my throat thickened. But I need to suck this up and go, or I'll lose Rose to some wannabe asshole! Gritting my teeth, head hanging like a wilted flower, I said, ‘Okay, I'm sorry I left without notice.’‘Goddamn right you did.’ The old geezer slumped defeated in his bosschair, but his knuckles were hard and white against the edge of his desk like a deathly reminder to not

ROSE‘That’s who it was!’ Joy shrieked, jolting closer as the chocolate chip ice cream melted nicely across my tongue. ‘For a moment, I thought it was Ru—.’ Her smile froze like the first witness of a car crash and then she hastily said, ‘Rambo.’‘Rambo? As in Stallone?’ I laughed knowingly and knowingly added, ‘Doesn’t he look more like Rum?’ Joy scooped from her bucket of vanilla ice cream and put it in her mouth, refusing to meet my gaze. ‘Anyway the guy’s pretty nice for a celebrity, isn’t he? Virtus Talent’s definitely better than B.A.---. That darn company you worked for the last time.’ ‘You mean B.A.D? Rum’s company?’ Another scoop of ice cream went into her mouth, then a smile touched my own lips.‘You can say his name, you know.’ I licked my spoon. And she smiled with a weak chuckle. ‘That was dumb of me.’ ‘You were being considerate. I know. That’s why I love you very much, Joy.’ I beamed at her, to reassure her that I was truly alright. I am. The dreams have stopped.

ROSE So it's been four days since the start of the shoot for the TV series….And Richard's been a complete pain in the back of my neck, whining like a kid each time he was given a break. I get it.The entire production team is made up A-listers: the director, the writer, the female lead, the supporting casts. Even the second male lead is a super sexy and charming, multi-talented award-winning actor. But, like I've told him, a million times, and I truly believe it, Richard has his strengths and he will shine! Goddamn it. How the hell do I make him believe that? If his sour face persists, we can forget about hitting any headlines by the time the shooting ends! I must do something about it. But what can I do? Stick to your job. The deep silky voice barked from the back of my mind. Argh! That damn Rum. Did he come back to ruin me? It must be! Why else did he show up now? Now when I'm about the hit the jackpot!‘Damn you, Rum!’ Hmm? That was my curse. But it wasn't my voice. So

KEITHEN‘Shut up, R.’ I pushed myself off the door and stalked towards the kitchen. ‘How the fuck did you even get in here?’ Closing the fridge door with a bottle of cold water in hand, I caught a glimpse of the living room window—the curtains flirting carelessly with the cold night wind blowing through the gap and a hole in the glass. Below them, on the wooden floor, were shards from a broken glass. ‘Damn it!’ I shoved the bottle angrily at them. ‘You mutts broke my window! Do you have any idea how much it’ll cost to fix that?!’ Erasmos rolled his eyes as Rora exclaimed, ‘You told us that you’ll be back every night to catch up on things! Three nights, Kee! Not a sight or sound of you? What do you expect us to do—not panic? What if the dark whims—?’ I slammed the bottle on the counter and exhaled after a huge gulp of water. ‘The dark whims aren’t coming back—I thought I’d made it very clear when I explained my special ability.’ ‘Forgive us, Kee.’ The bodybuilder asshole stood an