***Thank you for reading Hunji's story Without YOU, the readers, this wouldn't have been possible.
Please remember to leave me a review on the book details page, I hope you enjoyed this book.
For updates and chapter teasers, check my i*st*gr*m >>> authorjwgstout
Or my F_B group for readers >>> Author Jwgstout
Join me for Tawny's adventure in the fifth book: More plot twists, romance, and unanswered questions coming your way as the plot thickens, in this juicy and crazy edition to the series. I hope you enjoy this bonus chapter, a little taste of the upcoming book. As we learn about Tawny, who her mate is, and what her role is in the continuing series.***The Crimson Grimalkin - Coming Soon!**The Crimson Grimalkin
Chapter 1 – Strange
TAWNY
7 MONTHS AGO
I look at Mason, the warrior were-cat that my best friend and now Queen, Lamia sent to accompany me to the were-cat Kingdom. “Nervous?” He asked.
I smiled politely, “Have you ever been here?” I ask him, deflecting from answering the question. I was nervous as shit, but I refused to let anyone see how much. I had spent the better part of my life timid and weak. I was no longer that girl and refused to show any insecurities.
“Nope, but I have met many fellow were-cats from the Kingdom after Queen Lamia opened a trading route with them.” He said proudly.
I hum in response. I met Lamia a few years ago when my father and I came to live in the Royal Moon Pack, the capital of the werewolf Kingdom. She saved my ass from another kicking the day I met her, and we became the best of friends. Unfortunately, sad times were thrust against her and in a few short months, she lost her mate and the child she was carrying. All because of a Rogue King’s greed. She was kidnapped and tortured held for almost two months and subjected to the worst fate anyone could think of.
The day we rescued her was the day that would change me forever.
Luckily it all worked out, maybe not in the best way but she did kill the Rogue king, yet even that came at a huge cost. When she made MacTire her home, leaving her friends in the Moon Kingdom - I stayed, working as a tracker and advisor for the future King – Prince Kellen Moon. I would have gone with my best friend, but I couldn’t bring myself to leave my father. I hated to think of him alone.
I visited MacTire to see Lamia before I traveled to Cambiador, that’s how I ended up with a hand full of warriors and Mason as my personal bodyguard. Lamia had insisted that if I was coming here, she was sending me with a protection detail.
I didn’t visit her as often as I would have liked, I wasn’t highly comfortable in MacTire and I’m pretty sure that had something to do with her Delta Travis, his wolf wasn’t very fond of me.
Probably because I was one that killed his evil mate.
“Wow!” I exclaim as the lush green jungle opens, and the city comes into view. A beautiful palace sits in the middle of a city, so unlike the one in the Moon Kingdom. Not as grand but holds its own kind of beauty. A serene and tranquil vibe encompasses the surrounding atmosphere, and a feeling of comfort washes over me as the car trundles forward closer to the center of the city, to Cambiador’s palace.
The place where my mother grew up. I suddenly felt much closer to her even though she died when I was young and never told me about her childhood.
“Wow, is the right word.” Mason agrees with me. “Princess Tawny,”
I snap my head to Mason “Just Tawny, I am no princess.” I tell him.
“Tawny,” he corrects himself “I have been instructed to stay by your side at all times, I would appreciate it if you allowed me to do my job?”
“Of course, I actually feel better knowing Lamia sent one of her most trusted men with me. Thank you.” I tell him honestly. I was in a foreign land, one that I wasn’t welcomed in for twenty years. I was grateful for the company and knowing that someone had my back. Even if they were ordered to.
“No need to thank me, I actually requested this assignment,” He winks, flashing me a panty-melting smile. Mason was very easy on the eyes, with his longish brown hair that curled around his ears and those soft brown eyes. He was tall and muscular with a lean build.
I had noticed him the first time I visited my best friend at MacTire. But my eyes were always looking for a certain werewolf that I couldn’t get out of my head. Hunji.
The car comes to a stop, and I realize we had already arrived at the palace. Mason gets out and rushes around the car, opening my door and offering a hand to help me out. I graciously take it, stepping onto the graveled ground and looking around. My eyes take in the surroundings with pure admiration.
I hardly have time to look before a booming voice grabs my attention. “Welcome granddaughter!” I look to see an older man walking down marble steps that adorn the front of the palace. His arms open wide in a welcoming gesture. His smile was broad and sincere.
I study him as he makes his way to me, another tall were-cat, who holds himself with pride and power.
His eyes are the same yellow as mine, but his skin tone is lighter - a chocolate color. For his age, he was handsome, despite the wrinkles, and I imagined he was a looker in his prime. His hair was white and long, tied in a ponytail at the nape of his neck and he was wearing a pair of black slacks and a button-up white shirt.
The old man reaches me. Unexpectedly he pulls me into a bone-crushing hug. Keeping his hands on my upper arms he pushes me back, just so he could get a good look at me. “You look just like your mother, positively beautiful!” he gushes, squeezing my arms.
I pull out of his strong grip and look up at him, giving him the stink eye. I didn’t know this man. King or not, he wasn’t my favorite person and for him to greet me and hug me like he had every right in the realm made something snap inside of me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, your highness but I would appreciate it if you would keep your hands to yourself.” His eyes fly wide in shock, then a look of regret fills them as he considers me.
“My apologies Tawny, I have just been looking forward to this moment for a long time.” He says offering me an apologetic grin.
“Twenty years?” I goad him, crossing my arms over my chest. I wasn’t going to make this easy for him. If he thought I was going to gush over my grandfather the King, he had another thing coming.
“Please let us go inside, I will have the staff show you to your rooms, your warriors will be given accommodation in the army barracks…”
“Mason will be staying in the palace with me, as my personal bodyguard he needs to be near me, and I need to have immediate access to him at all times.”
‘Of course,” he nods and concedes. “I will have a room made up for him close to yours.”
“Princess Tawny,” A young woman whom I neglected to give any notice to, steps up beside my grandfather. “It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, my name is Gillian, future wife to the Beta, Kolby Crimson. Please allow me to show you where you will be staying.”
I shake hands with the woman. She seems pleasant and joyful, but I know looks can be deceiving. I take her in; Long blonde hair, blue eyes, and a wispy frame that looks like I could send her on her ass with one sharp blow of breath.
*****
The room I was given was beyond lavish. Almost gaudy. Gold trim decorated the entire room and accented every nook and cranny. It was way too extra.
I opened one of the doors opposite the bed. There were three. The first one opened up to a bathroom that was just as decked out as the bedroom, gold trimmed the shower stall, gold taps on the huge claw foot tub, and a double sink. Even the toilet seat was gold and even bordered the mirror.
I run a hand through my short hair tussling it and blowing out a harsh breath.
I leave the bathroom and open the second door, stepping into the biggest closet I had ever seen in my life. It was as big as Lamia's whole room back at MacTire.
The walls were lined with clothes of all colors and styles. The dressing table against the wall was piled with jewelry. I lifted a necklace; the heaviness of the weighted diamonds was felt in my hands. I dropped the extremely expensive piece back onto the dresser top, furrowing my brows.
This was just... Ridiculous.
"Let's see what's behind door number 3" I sigh, hardly daring to open the last door, afraid of what I would find.
I step into the room. Yes, a room, a huge room with a massive TV that fills one wall, with white couches, accented with good cushions and throw blankets, of course.
I stand there scratching the back of my neck, taking it all in. Unsure of how I should react. Whoever decorated this suite seriously needed to take it down a notch or two. Their taste was… I couldn’t even think of the words to describe it. It was just… wow. And not in a good way.
They gave me the wrong room. That's all can determine - Gillian definitely showed me to the wrong room.
With that decided, I leave the... Lounge room? Walk back through the bedroom and out into the hallway.
I look left and right not seeing anyone. I lean over the balcony that looks over the main foyer of this place. No one. It was so quiet. Too quiet.
"Hey," I startle and jump at the sudden voice. With my hand over my heart, I turn to see Mason wearing a complex frown.
"Shit, you scared the claws from me!" I scold him.
"Sorry." Mason apologizes, his expression not changing. "This place..."
"I'm calling it extra," I tell him.
He chuckles "That's one way of putting it."
"Come with me, come see this," I say grabbing his hand and dragging him to my room.
Mason lets out a low whistle "pretty fancy"
"Yep, hold that thought and go look behind the other doors" I encourage.
"Wow!" I hear him exclaim as he walks into the bathroom, he gives me a quirked eyebrow as he opens door number two "holy shit!" I hear him chuckle "you have your own jewelry store and boutique in there,” he says coming out. "Do I dare go in the last room,"
"I think it's the least offensive" I scoff.
"Damn, princess!" I hear him from in the lounge room. I sit back on the bed. Comfy. Eager to witness his reaction. Because it really is something else.
"Just saying, I'm sleeping in the lounge" I can tell he's jesting but I wouldn't mind if he did. "Definitely not even close to the room I got."
"Really?" I frowned, confused, is his even more overdone?
"Yeah, wanna see where they put me?"
I nod "For sure," this room and all its gold were giving me a headache. It was too much. I hadn't even opened the French doors that looked like they led out to a balcony.
"They put you in here?" I growl, anger bubbling up when I look into the room that was situated at the far end of the hall. It looked like a darn converted storage room. No bathroom, not even a window. "Nope, not happening. Move your bags to my room." I was fuming when I stomped down the hallway, gliding down the staircase to the ground level.
"Tawny..."
"Nope, he wanted me here, he doesn't get to treat you or the other warriors like this. I swear to Bastet if I find our men sleeping in a barn... Ughh!" I'm so mad, there's probably steam coming from my ears.
"Armand!" I use my grandfather's name, dropping any formalities. Why because, how dare he stick my personal bodyguard in a freaking storage room! I mean really! And seriously what is up with the over-the-top room he gave me? "Armand!" I yell out again, louder.
My pissed-off state grows the more I walk around looking for an office, or a member of staff, who can tell me where he is.
“Princess Tawny?” I see Gillian emerge from a doorway to my left, “Is everything okay?” Her perfect brows pull together and her sparkling blue eyes hold worry.
“No, not really. Where is Armand?” I demand.
Gillian flinches at my tone, her fingers fidgeting with nervousness “He went to see that your warriors are comfortable in the barracks.” She cocks her head.
“How many people live in this palace?” I question her.
“The King, my fiancé and I, and just a few staff who have rooms in the servant quarters.
“Hmm. Okay, so who can explain to me why my personal bodyguard and a highly decorated warrior of MacTire, has been given a room that’s smaller than a broom closet? Also, I’m pretty sure you showed me to the wrong room. Someone’s clothes and jewelry are already in there. There has obviously been some kind of mix-up.”
“Um, well no. No mix-up. That was the room assigned to you, your highness…”
“It’s Tawny.”
“Pardon?”
“My name is Tawny. I am no princess. And was the room Mason was assigned a mix-up?” The woman shakes her head at me.
“We didn’t have another room ready. We didn’t know who you would be coming with.” Her face started turning a bright red, either with embarrassment or anger. She looked more flustered, so I was guessing she was embarrassed. “The King told me to have your room decorated fit for the finest princess.”
Oooh, glad I didn’t say anything like how bad the décor was. I may be being forceful and confrontational right now, but I wasn’t a complete bitch, and I wouldn’t want to hurt her feelings. Gillian had done nothing wrong to me.
“Oh, well I wasn’t expecting a room that beautifully decorated,” I try to save myself. I hear Mason scoff behind me and shoot him a glare, daring him to do it again. “However, this mix-up with Mason’s room needs to be fixed. I expect him to be shown the same level of hospitality as you have shown me.” I pause, “Although, he doesn’t need all the clothes… or jewelry. Something bigger but more modest would suit him fine.” I feel the need to explain in simple terms, otherwise, he could end up with a room just as… crazy as mine.
I get the feeling Gillian is a ‘yes SIR’ kind of woman.
“I will make sure that is taken care of your high… I mean Tawny.” She corrects herself.
“Thank you, I appreciate that,” I give her a warm smile, not wanting to make an enemy of her. It’s my grandfather I hold a lot against. This woman hasn’t done anything to me and doesn’t deserve my animosity.
I have a feeling this will be one strange visit.
I still had yet to find out why my estranged Grandfather had requested that I come to visit after so many years.
HUNJI Day 3 of the quest I had been given by our Queen, Lamia: To find the witch Morgan, Finnegan’s sister, and bring her home. I was already a day behind, the truck I had been given by the now Alpha Jasper of Bhakhil, broke down yesterday morning. Causing me to run in wolf form, find a cave in the foothills of the Andora mountain range and rest for the night. At first light I shifted into my wolf, letting Ruda lead the way, once again. Some hours later, well into the late afternoon, we had made our way to the first city, only a couple of hundred miles outside the capital where the Megaron was situated in Bozgvol. I shifted back into my human form behind a house on the outskirts and threw on the loose pair of pants I had stuffed in my backpack, fastening the retractable vest that held my swords. It had been years since I had traveled through Andora, 9 to be exact. Andora was a beautiful and rich country, surrounded by a border of low-laying mountains rich with quartz. most structur
14 YEARS AGO – Hunji 18 years old HUNJI I woke up in bed alone. Disappointed that Divya’s side of the bed was cold yet again. Huffing out in annoyance at her absence, I threw back the covers getting out of bed. I had initially woken with a smile on my face. But that insanely happy feeling diminished once I discovered, and not for the first time my mate’s spot was empty. I met Divya six months ago, a few weeks after I had turned 18, and was visiting Ishmel, a city outside of the capital of the kingdom Eririat. She was the daughter of lord Bijan, the Alpha of that city, and my father had been invited to talk politics, among other things. He had insisted my older brother Rostam and I accompany him. ‘It is good rapport and when you become king you will need these connections and the backing of the noble packs’ is what he had said to us. An outsider would think he was a good father bringing his sons to important meetings and teaching them how to be good leaders so early on. If only they
HUNJI The next day I wake early and begin making my way to the capital. I managed to pay a man who was commuting to Bozgvol, who just so happened to be staying at the same inn I was. He was traveling there in hopes to trade his goods for a big payday to help his wife and soon-be-born child. So, I know the few gold coins I gave him would be welcomed. I throw my pack and swords in the back of the truck and climb in the front seat with him. “Where ya heading too young man?” He asks as he pulls out onto the dusty road. The old truck bounced and spewed out a dark cloud of fumes behind us. “To Bozgvol,” I reply, offering him little more. I wasn’t interested in making small talk. He wasn’t doing me a favor. Quite the opposite. I had done him a favor by paying him handsomely for a ride. I didn’t pay him for the conversation. I sigh at my own rudeness and offer him a smile even though his eyes are on the road. “I’m heading to the Megaron. I’m looking for someone.” I give him a little more t
14 YEARS AGO HUNJI A week ago, Divya told me she wanted to go home. That she needed a break. She hadn’t given me a date when she was leaving, nor had she specified how long she had planned on being away. The taste of ash sat heavily on my tongue and my wolf’s mood of disappointment mirrored my own, causing a deep and dark ache in my chest. The last three nights she was here, she had slept in a different room. I had woken in the middle of the night to a feeling of burning that spread across my skin from head to toe. It was short-lived and I put it down to anxiety and the impending departure of my mate. Still, the situation left me feeling… less. “Did she leave?” I looked up at Rostam and nodded then bowed my head back down. It had only been a few days since Divya had gone back to her parent’s home. My wolf and I missed her like crazy already. We were already feeling empty without her. The sense of loss; weighed heavily on our hearts and minds She kissed my cheek before climbing int
MORGAN "Gods be all mighty girl! We have to get you out of here!” "What! Margarita, what is going on?" I look at the older woman who has been serving me since I was 16, maybe even before that. "King Panja’s army has infiltrated our streets, they came two days ago," she says unlocking the door to my room that has been my cell for the past 8 years. A major upgrade from the stone room my mother and I were shoved into one night when I was a small child. A night I will never forget. it was the same night they discovered I was not a shifter. I was all Witch. I watched Margarita flit to my closet and dresser, a knapsack in her hands. Frantically, she opened my drawers and shoved clothing items into the bag she had in her hand. "Come on get up! Don't just sit there. Get your shoes on girl!" She pauses her actions to give me a stern look. The lines across her forehead begin to soften, and she takes a seat on the edge of the bed next to me - Taking my hands in hers, and giving me a weak smi
HUNJI “Tell me more about this quest your Queen sent you on. You said her brother lives. Will, Finnigan come to claim his father’s title?” It was early morning and as I remembered Tristan ScarClaw was ever the talker. I had never been much for idle conversation and gossip. At least when he knew me. “Here,” I said grabbing the diary from the bag I was gathering and tossing it to him. “You can read it in your carriage.” He looked it over, turning the leather-bound book and inspecting it. “It belonged to Orion’s woman, Shayna. The eldest daughter of the late Vargr. This is how we knew where Finn’s sister was last known to be.” I had already filled Tristan in on why I had come back to this continent and what happened in the kingdom of Bhakhil. He was completely intrigued by King Kellen and his mate’s story. I had told him of how Orion had fallen and talked in detail about Queen Lamia and her mate, King Mathias. My old friend had greedily absorbed all the details with interest and expres
MORGAN No sooner had the mysterious man rubbed his scent all over me and stepped away, the sound of gnashing teeth and menacing growls was upon us. I grabbed for his hand - scared to be left alone. What did these wolves want, where was Margarita? I didn't know if they had left her dead, lying injured or if - no, I couldn't think like that. This man would help me get out of here then I could find Margarita and Gregorio. Everything would be fine. "I won't leave you." He promised, removing my hand from his arm. The conviction in his voice and the promise of his words had me believing him. ‘Trust him,’ the familiar voice whispered to me - easing my questionable choice of whether I could or shouldn’t. And I did. For some unknown reason - I trusted this man. That was until I peeked around the alcove and watched him shift so fast - into a Wolf. Much bigger than the others with a shiny deep dark brown coat. His fur was the color of the purest chocolate Gregorio used to bring me. He made q
MORGAN I came to know the impeccably dressed slender man with blond hair and pale eyes – the one whose carriage we rode in and was in fact a werecat! As Tristan ScarClaw. I had never met a werecat before and was intrigued. I had only read about them. And really what a name! – Like, just wow. His name reminded me of a strong male character from a romance series I was reading. Rich, powerful, handsome, and saving the damsel in distress. I could tell he was wealthy by the way his home was lavishly decorated. Margarita always brought me magazines that showcased the latest trends in the city and on the market. From clothing to furniture and jewelry. I wasn’t allowed to read the local paper. My father didn’t want me to know what was going on in the outside world, but Margarita and Gregorio would always tell me the latest gossip or what was being said about King Orion. “So, what’s it like being a werecat?” I ask Tristan stupidly. He chuckles at my idiocy “What it’s like being a witch?”