Odessa held nothing back as she bathed Baka the following morning, scrubbing her skin until they turned red with bruises.“You’re hurting me!” she cried and tried to pull away from her but she was weak from her illness and Odessa was twice her size. She shoved Baka’s head into the bath water and held it in place while Baka thrashed about struggling to breathe.It was a while before Odessa let her up again as she coughed up water, her eyes red and her entire body screaming. Still, Odessa rained a series of punches in her stomach.“You think you’re better than me, is that it?” Odessa sneered as she held Baka’s jaws roughly, digging her nails into the sensitive flesh. “You’re nothing,” Odessa continued, her eyes glinting coldly at Baka. “When the master has had his fun with you, he’ll cast you aside like the trash you are. And I’ll never have to see you again.”She shoved Baka by her jaws and Baka sank into the bath, hitting the cold metal surface with a loud thud.Laughing, Odessa grabb

“Massey the midwife is your mother?” the Alpha King asked with interest.Baka hadn't wanted to admit to anything, but she hadn't had a choice. He was a human lie detector. Plus, they only knew her as a midwife. Not as the wife of the infamous human rebel leader. “Yes, my lord.”Frankly, she was surprised he knew her mother’s name at all. It also surpised her that he chose to call her by her name when other werewolf masters and mistresses never even bothered to know it. They all chose to refer to her as “girl” or “slave” or—her personal favorite— “filth.”The door opened then as Emily walked in, carrying a tray of food. Her gaze fell on Baka and she quickly looked away. She was a petite black girl with a small oval face, thin eyebrows, and long, voluminous hair that she had braided into two pigtails. Her brown dress— modest and long like Baka’s had been— hugged her small frame. She was beautiful, more beautiful than Odessa whose face bore harsh, hard lines around the eyes and jawline

Long after the Alpha King had left the room, Baka had gone downstairs to the slave’s living quarters.It was a much bigger room than what she was used to at her former prison and unlike it, there was proper ventilation.They each had beds of their own too. Odessa’s bed was cleared out. Baka felt nothing over her departure. Aja and Emily seemed to avoid her gaze altogether. It wasn't from resentment, she realised. They were afraid. They were no doubt aware of why Odessa had been kicked out and were simply keeping their distance. Although she understood their reasoning, the aloofness towards her didn't hurt any less. After twenty minutes of unbearable silence, Baka left the room. She found her way back to the Alpha King’s room and laid down on the couch. She still felt weak from the illness but she was beginning to feel strength returning back into her bones, and her fever was breaking.Unfortunately, her body still ached from the bruises Odessa had left her.Baka’s thoughts unwitti

It was late noon when the Alpha King returned to his living quarters. He had been sorry his mother-in-law had decided to drive a wedge between them, but he had no regrets. Instead, he looked forward to seeing Baka and practically raced to his room. Not being around her made him feel unpleasant.It had barely been two weeks and she had started to have such an effect on him.As he pushed open his door, his gaze fell on the couch where she laid earlier this morning. It was empty. Maybe she had gone to see her mother. He had given her permission to, after all and she had wasted no time to act on it. But she was sick. Common sense would’ve told her to wait until she got better. She might be too sick to go wandering around. What if she collapsed under the blazing heat of the sun? Or became the unfortunate victim of one immoral guard?Tatum was aware that some of his guards could be barbaric.He cursed under his breath as he made his way to his cupboard, fishing out his dark cloak. He was

“Where have you been?” Tatum demanded, staring at her crossly.Baka wondered what he was mad about this time as she stood just before the door, her hands clasped in front of her. Had the meeting with Alpha Wally gone awry?“I asked a question,” he snapped.She lowered her head. “I was in the slave’s quarters, my lord.”She had met her mother and Bekon all within the same hour and her heart was glad of it. It was no surprise to have run into Bekon. They were bound to cross paths no matter who she served.The Alpha king eyed her for a minute, then let out a slow breath. “Look at me when you talk to me, Baka.”Why did she need to? Why did he always ask that of her? Most werewolf masters would slap her if she dared look them in the eye. But he wanted her to look straight at him.What was he hoping to find?“I said look at me,” the Alpha King growled. “ If I have to repeat myself every time, what use are you to me?”Her chest burned as she lifted her head up slowly and stared straight at hi