Ember’s POV:Nicholus stepped forward and draped aside the curtain of vines hanging between the trees, making a narrow passage for us to pass through.His broad shoulders obscured my view as we stepped through the passage and it wasn’t until I was inside that I came to face the most picturesque view my eyes had ever beheld.My footsteps halted and so did my breathing. My eyes slowly widened as they swept around and took in the heavenly scenery unfolding in front of them.“What the…where are we…what..?” I stuttered in shock, utterly bewitched by the exquisite beauty all around me.Leaving my hand, Nicholus stepped in front of me and waved his arms in the air, “In between the stars, Belle Ame.”I turned around in a full circle. My hands flew to my mouth. He remembered. No, not only he remembered but he also somehow made my impossible wish come true. Happiness bloomed inside me at what he'd done for me.Feeling way above cloud nine, I screamed giddily and sprinted forward on the wooden b
Ember’s POV: As soon as our lips connected, something awakened deep inside me. The type of desire I'd never felt before. So raw, so unrefined that it shook me to the core. Electricity zinged through my veins and tingles flared all over my skin. I was so shocked by the sensations I was feeling.Heat pooled between my legs as I deepened the kiss but then, all of a sudden, I realized that Nicholus was standing still.Panic swelled inside me. Was it one-sided? Did I misread his eyes? Was I moving too fast? Feeling like he wasn't really into it, I broke the kiss and pulled my head away. Nibbling my bottom lip nervously, I was just about to step away from him to compose myself when a sudden gasp escaped my throat. Before I could take any step away from him, his hand on my cheek swiftly slid to the back of my head. His touch was no longer gentle as he grabbed the back of my head tightly and held me firmly in place. Everything happened so fast that I didn't dare move as his other gripped
Ember's POV: The next morning, I had just finished breakfast when I heard a light knock on the door. After a moment, it slid open and Nicholus walked inside. My heartbeat instantly turned erratic as soon as my eyes landed on him. He looked exquisitely handsome in a crisp white dress shirt and black coat on top of it. I held my breath while he took quick strides in my direction and stopped in front of me, "Hi, good morning," he greeted gently. The moments of last night flashed in my mind, making me go all giddy on the inside. My cheeks tinted at the memory of our passionate kiss. I had expected to be shy in front of him but I was only getting bolder as his eyes roamed all over my body, drinking me, taking me in. "Good Morning," I smiled at him. He took a step closer to me and rushed out nervously, "Ok, so last night..." "Hmm-mmm, what happened last night?" my smile turned flirtatious. All of a sudden, a shocking gasp escaped my throat as he lunged forward, snaked his hand aroun
Ember’s POV:Nicholus stayed in the closet room, breathing down my neck, urging me to hurry up. He didn’t even tell me where we were going or what I should pack accordingly.Standing over the small suitcase, I tossed in sweatshirts, a cardigan, and jeans. Making a quick detour to the washroom, I grabbed a handful of toiletries, dumped them in the bag, and zipped it.As soon as I was done, Nicholus grabbed the bag and announced that it was time to get going.Jogging out of the castle, he handed the bag to the driver waiting outside the car. As the driver placed the bag in the trunk, Nicholus asked him to give him the keys.Settling inside the car, I asked him out of curiosity, “Why didn’t you let the driver drive?”Revving up the engine, he stated firmly, “Because, from this moment, I don’t want any third person with us for the next two days.”As he raced the car out of the gates, I watched the castle receding in the side mirror. My stomach was knotted with anticipation for the next two
Ember’s POV:I was stunned into silence after hearing those words from him. What was happening to me?My body should have jerked into motion, jumped with excitement, do a happy little dance but what was happening to me was beyond my understanding.My body felt numb, my eyes were opened widely, my stomach was coiled into a tight knot, blood whooshed in my ears, my mind was processing a million thoughts all at once, and my heart…my heart was pulsating so thunderously that I feared it might burst out of my chest any moment now.Nicholus kept staring at me with nervous eyes for a few moments, waiting for my reaction. When a few minutes passed and I kept standing there cluelessly, I saw hurt flashing in his for a brief moment.A sad smile appeared on his lips and he moved his hand to the back of my head. Nudging my head forward, he pressed my forehead against his chest.Rubbing the back of my head gently, he whispered in my ear, “It’s okay. You don’t have to say anything if you don’t feel
Ember's POV:His eyes glazed over with hunger as they roamed down my neck. The very next moment, my grip on the counter tightened as he dipped his head and his lips attacked my jaw.I sucked in a sharp breath as his tongue, warm and slippery, wiped over my skin, licking off the chocolate batter.My breathing grew heavier and my heartbeat turned erratic as his tongue trailed down to my neck. Heat pooled between my legs as he nibbled and sucked the sensitive skin there.His movements were nothing sweet and gentle as he ate me up like his favorite candy. Today, my mate was all about rough and passionate. And weirdly, I was all in it to see that side of his.I was panting heavily as he moved to the spot where his mate mark was supposed to be. A shiver ran down my spine and I clamped my eyes shut. I let him be because I knew I'd accept the bond if he were to mark me right then and there.He stayed there for a while and grazed the spot with his teeth. A low growl reverberated deep in his ch
Nicholus's POV: My eyes snapped open sharp at 5 am. After decades of this routine, I no longer needed an alarm to wake me up. My hand moved to my neck to scratch it. Even though I was shirtless I was still feeling hot and itchy due to the heater producing blazing heat at full speed. I rolled over with a heavy groan and suddenly went still as soon as my eyes landed on the most beautiful woman lying beside me on the bed. And just like that, I no longer complained about the heat and sweat beads lining my forehead as I watched her sleeping soundly. She was warm and content, I couldn't ask for more. She was lying on her stomach with her face on the other side. The comforter was down to her waist, exposing the milky white back to me. Brown locks of her hair were draped around her body and some were on her back too. The memory of my fingers tangled around those thick hair flooded my mind. I loved tugging them backward to have more access to her irresistible body while making love to her.
Ember's POV:Feeling bold and brazen, I kneeled in front of him but the moment his beast of a cock came into my view, my heart galloped.My stomach twisted in a tight coil as I took in his long and fully-erected cock bobbing in front of me. My tongue grazed over my bottom lip as I saw the pink, round tip with a purplish tint, indicating how badly he needed a release. His balls were equally loaded and heavy with his cum, craving for my attention.I ran my gaze down his extended length. It was thick with veins lining around it, making it even hotter and irresistable.Nicholus remained still, giving me time to process everything. I lifted my slightly trembling hand and heard him sucking in a deep, sharp breath as my palm closed around his impressive girth, barely contained in my fingers.When I pressed it slightly, I found it hard as a rock and long as a rod.Instead of plunging it straight into my mouth, I decided to make the experience more sensual and explicit to enhance his pleasure.
Ember's POV:After Nicholus left so abruptly, I didn't have any appetite left to indulge in breakfast so after only a few bites, I grabbed my cup of coffee, stood up, and excused myself."You didn't each much today," Luna noticed.I scrunched up my nose, "I feel full. But don't worry, I'll have a snack later," I added before she got worried.With my fingers around the cup handle, I strode out of the castle and made my way into the lush green lawn to soak up a bit of the sun.Tilting my head toward the sky, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. I relished the feel of fresh air rushing into my lungs but it did nothing to ease up the restlessness that was zinging inside me.Ever since yesterday, I have been feeling so restless. There was one thing, one particular moment during the attack yesterday, that was still stuck in my mind. No matter how hard I tried to nudge it to the back it was still there, replaying again and again."You felt it too, right?" even Aria couldn't ignore it any
Ember's POV: When my mind processed everything and I came back to my senses, the first instinct was to comfort him but I resisted the urge to go after him. He was very angry and I didn't want to add fuel to his rage. Deciding to give him some time to cool off, I took off the bathrobe and changed into PJs. With slouched shoulders and a foul mood, I walked into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. After such a hectic day, sleep kicked in the moment my body touched the mattress. The spot beside me was cold and empty. I missed his presence. I missed how he'd either spoon me or hug me. I missed sleeping to the sound of his heartbeat beside me. I forced my eyes open and decided to wait for him. I kept glancing at the clock. It struck 12, then 1, and then 2 before my already tired body couldn't take it anymore. With the thought of waking up in his arms, I finally drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of birds chirping outside the window. As soon as my eyes open
Ember's POV: After showering, I tied the bathrobe around myself and tiptoed toward the closet room. I was going through my PJs when the hair on the back of my neck stood taller. That always happened when he was nearby. Would my body ever get used to his proximity? He was lingering at the doorway, waiting for me to acknowledge his presence and when I didn't, he let out a deep sigh, "For how long are you going to keep ignoring me?" Not making any attempt to answer him, I kept sifting through the clothes in the almirah, pretending to be busy deciding what to wear. All of a sudden, a chill ran down my spine as he came up beside me, too near that I could feel his hot breath on my cold skin as he said tightly, "I am talking to you, Ember." Yanking the random PJ set out, I snapped sharply, "And can't you see I'm not interested in talking to you?" Slamming the almirah door shut, I jerked around. Without bothering to cast him a glance, I just walked around him. But I had just taken a ste
Ember's POV: During the entire ride, I kept my face toward the window, staring at the night lights as the car sped on the road. I could feel his unwavering stare boring holes in my back but I did nothing to acknowledge his presence. Apparently, the silent treatment was just not sitting right with him because he finally ended up opening our mindlink, "Are you okay?" I kept my face fixated on the window, too angry to answer him. How dare he behave like that? Carrying me over his shoulder as if I was some stubborn kid? And that too in front of everyone? Ridiculous! He waited for a few minutes and when I still didn't answer, he tried again, this some more gently, "Will you let me see your wounds? I need to make sure they're healing properly. I don't want them to catch any infection." Again, he was met with only silence. Was he not going to talk about how inappropriately he behaved or how rudely he talked to me? Maybe I was exaggerating but considering I'd never imagined him talking t
Ember's POV: The world seemed to slow down around me but at the same time, everything felt to be happening in the fast motion, way too quick to process properly. In my peripheral vision, I saw a guard lunging forward but before he could even reach us, another rebel gripped him by the throat and yanked him away. I choked as the blood gushed out of my throat. With trembling hands, I managed to grip his wrist and tried to wriggle myself out of his death-like grip. But all my efforts were in vain. He was strong. Way too strong for me to take down. I tried to use my hypnotizing power on him but because of my weakening strength and loss of consciousness, I was unable to muster up the magic. Blood rushed to my ears and soon, all I could hear was a loud ringing and nothing else. Tears welled up in my eyes and my vision blurred. My eyes were fixated on the demonic, creepy smile stretched over his face as he relished in my misery. But the very next moment, I frowned slightly as I saw his
Ember's POV:My mind was too shocked to register the sudden turn of events. I and Darius jerked our heads toward each other at the same moment and the next thing I heard was his ear-piercing scream, "Protect the Queen!"All of a sudden, someone gripped my wrist in a death-like grip. My gaze shot down to see fingers clasping around my wrist. I was just about to lift my gaze when my head whirled toward the door as the loud banging erupted in the air before someone yelled from the other side, "Open the damn door, Samuel." Someone else screamed, "How dare you invite the daughter of the enemy into your pack house? Are you declaring a war against us?"Samuel turned to his wife. He was no longer looking like a sweet old man I had a great time chatting with earlier. Instead, he looked every bit of a deadly warrior as he commanded Luna, "Take Queen and the girls to the safety bunkers. You must protect her at every cost, Carolina."The hold around my wrist instantly tightened before suddenly ya
Ember's POV:Darius stayed by my side as we took a quick tour of the packhouse before settling in the living room. After a few minutes of talking about random things, a maid strolled inside with a rolling tray laden with a kettle, cups, and all sorts of desserts.“Aw, Carolina, you didn’t have to do so much. Only tea would have been enough,” I said with awe.She shook her head, “You requested us not to arrange for the lunch. Even though we wanted to but we decided to respect your request. So, please enjoy the tea.”Pouring the tea in the cup, the maid placed it on the table in front of me before picking a plate, “What desserts you want me to serve you, Your Highness?”Sliding forward, I grabbed the plate from her hand and smiled up at her, “It’s okay, dear. I’ll serve myself.”She went still for a moment before finally straightening up, “Sure, Your Highness.”My mouth watered as I greedily eyed all the pastries, donuts, custard pies, and fruit tarts. I was about to pick the chocolate
Ember’s POV:As soon as I stepped out of the castle, I came to a sudden halt while gasping aloud.With wide eyes and a shocking voice, I screeched, “What the hell is happening here?” while pointing at dozens of black SUVs parked outside with almost half of the North army standing guard beside them, ready to hop in at their Alpha’s command.Nicholus raised his eyebrow as if there was nothing ridiculous going on, “I only agreed to this plan of yours because you agreed to go with high security, remember?”I sucked in a sharp breath, “I definitely didn’t think you were talking about this ‘high security,’” I groaned while waving my hand toward the guards.Nicholus took a deep breath and twisted his neck, “You refused to take me along with you. If I’m not going, then they’d all go instead.”I rubbed the back of my neck, already tired of discussing the matter for infinite times, and gritted out through clenched teeth, “In case you forgot, let me remind you again of the purpose of my visit. I
Ember's POV: The next morning, I woke up with Nicholus's arm wrapped around me. As I tried to wriggle out of his hold, he squirmed in his sleep and tightened his hold, "Mmhmm, where are you going?" I glanced over my shoulder at his adorable, groggy eyes he was squinting at me with. "I have to go," I replied. He groaned, unhappy with the answer, "No, don't go anywhere. Just stay here and give me morning cuddles."At that, I burst out laughing loudly, "People would call me crazy if I'd ever tell them that the ruthless alpha of the North just said those cheesy words to me."Moving his hand to my bottom, he spanked my ass playfully, "You naughty, little princess, why would you tell anyone about what happens in our bedroom?"I giggled under my breath, "Good thing that the room is soundproof or otherwise I wouldn't need to 'tell' them about what exactly happens in our bedroom."Snuggling closer, he licked my earlobe and whispered roughly, "Yeah, because your loud screams and hot moans wou