So do you guys really want a bland claiming ceremony? With no turns and twists? Oh, that would be boringggggg.
Ember's POV: Taking a deep breath, I looked straight ahead and whispered softly, “What I want is to bury the past and move on with you. I want to be with you, Nicholus. Forever. I want us to go ahead with the claiming ritual, claim each other as our mates, and be bound together for eternity.” Leaning down, he kissed the sensitive skin on my neck, setting my whole body on fire, before whispering roughly, “Uh-huh, what more do you want?” My breathing hitched and my brain melted as he continued kissing my neck, sucking and leaving a trail of love bites as his mouth roamed down. Grabbing my chin, he tilted it upward, giving himself more access to my skin. Grazing his teeth on the spot where his mate mark would soon be, he licked the spot after biting it softly, “Tell me, huh? Tell me what you want, little princess.” I stammered as I tried to think of a response, “I…I want…to be…a good wife.” Palming my boobs from over my robe, he gave them a tight squeeze before growling in my ear, “
Ember’s POV:That night, I slept like a corpse and when I finally returned to the land of consciousness, the first thing I felt was a throbbing pain between my legs. My pussy ached from soreness and as I tried to move, my muscles screamed with fatigue.Rubbing my eyes, I slowly opened them only to find the King of the North staring down at me with adorable eyes. He was inclined upward on his elbow, gawking at me, for God knows how long.Giving me a sweet smile, he chirped up, “Good Morning. How are you feeling today?”I rolled my eyes. Yeah, as if he didn’t fuck me like a beast last night.I stretched my arms and said groggily, “A bit tired and a lot sore.”He let out a deep chuckle and I looked at him in awe as the rich voice of his laughter made my heart do a quick flip-flop.Dipping down, he pecked my lips softly before trailing his nose down my neck, taking a deep sniff.I grazed my fingers through his hair and asked him, “So, what are the plans for today?”He groaned at being int
Ember’s POV:The next day in the afternoon, I was cooped up in front of the window with a romcom in my hands and a platter of fruits on the table beside me.I was so engrossed in the story that I jerked as a sudden knock sounded on the door. Grabbing a bookmark, I inserted it between the pages before flipping the book close.As I got up from the couch, the knock became louder and urgent. With quick footsteps, I jogged toward the door and flung it open.As soon as it opened, Darius blurted out hurriedly, “What took you so long? I’ve been knocking for an hour!”I rolled my eyes, “Don’t be overdramatic. It was literally the second knock.”As he stepped into the room, I turned around and inquired, “By the way, what’s so urgent?”He looked around my room, his eyes scanning the messy bed, a night robe placed on the chair, books scattered on the coffee table, and Nicholus’s clothes sprawled on the mattress.“Umm…the room is a little messy,” I said sheepishly.He turned around to face me and
Ember's POV:I couldn't believe my life had taken the most beautiful turns to bring me to the people who truly loved and valued me. In Luna, I found a motherly love I always craved, and in Darius, I found a brother I never had. And with Nicholus...I found the love I'd always believed only existed in fairytales.It was hard to believe how they had accepted me as a part of their family so quickly. I was indeed the daughter of their worst enemy, the person who had brought them so much loss and mourning.Sometimes I'd get so overwhelmed with a rush of emotions that I'd get scared whether it was even reality. Or if it was, for how long would it last?But then I'd remind myself that I was living the most blissful days of my life. Everyone around me was busy spoiling me with the best of everything.Luna Nina was on her heels, planning the best wedding reception for me. She was looking into everything. Well, everything except my dress. For that, I'd appointed Nicholus to choose something he w
Ember’s POV:The days were going faster than I’d expected but I never had a dull moment with all the beautiful souls surrounding me, spoiling me, making me feel the happiest. The days were spent giggling and the nights in moaning. What more a girl could for?Today, Luna sent me a message to meet her in the main hall. After taking a shower, I got ready for the day and head down to where I was summoned by my mother-in-law. Using that term for Luna felt like an honor. Not because of her rank but because of her kind and down-to-earth personality.I was really fond of the bonding that had formed between us in such a short time. It was like a dream come true to finally have the motherly warmth. To be honest, she was really trying her best to step in as my mother and friend I had lost and nothing could be more beautiful than watching her do that.Reaching the main hall, I lingered at the doorway and stared at the dozens of male mannequins lining up in the hall. Formal royal men's outfits for
Ember's POV: Waking up, I rolled over to the other side of the bed and stretched my body. As I slowly opened my eyes, I spotted something on the bedside table through my blurry vision. Rubbing the sleep off my eyes, I blinked several times to focus. A big, goofy grin instantly split over my lips as I saw a large bouquet. I stared at the beautiful bouquet and a rush of emotions and memories flooded my mind. But unlike the black and white roses I used to wake up to in the past, all the roses in this bouquet were gray.While grazing my fingers over the soft petals, I spotted a little note tucked beneath the bouquet. Sliding it out, I unfolded the piece of paper and read a note scrawled in my mate’s handwriting:“Good Morning, gorgeous, I wish I could be there to kiss your morning face but I had some last-minute work to wind up before our reception.Get up, freshen up, and meet me in my bed chambers. I have something I wanted to show you but was waiting for the right moment. But today,
“Damon…?” I whispered into the darkness, gawking at him with wide eyes.As soon as he heard me saying his name, his shoulders slouched and he took a breath of relief. He seemed like a traveler who had finally reached his destination after an eternity of traveling nowhere.Suddenly, he lunged forward. Sliding one of his hands around my waist and the other around the back of my head, he pulled me into a tight hug.Sticking his nose to my neck, he inhaled deeply and I could feel his body relaxing against mine. His hot breath washed over my ear as he whispered with a raw emotion I couldn't decipher, “God, I missed you. I missed you so much, Ember.”My mind was a jumbled mess of chaos and confusion as I tried to process what exactly was happening. Breaking the hug, I stared at him with frantic eyes, “Damon, what are you doing here?”Placing his hands on my shoulders, he squeezed lightly and said with a hint of excitement, “I am here to take you with me. Away from here.”My heart was thuddi
Ember’s POV:I could feel the anger oozing out of Nicholus but on the outside, he appeared calm and composed as if he were almost expecting his arrival. Twitching his eyebrow higher, he asked in a blank voice, “What are you doing here?”Straightening his shoulders, Damon tightened his hold on my hand before uttering, “I’m here to take Ember with me.”Hearing that, I again tried to twist my hand out of his, wincing as a sharp shot through my arm as his grip tightened defiantly.That’s when Nicholus’s eyes flickered down to our joined hands. His gaze narrowed viciously and his fists coiled tightly at his sides. Baring his teeth, he snarled menacingly, “Leave her hand right now, Damon.”Damon paid no heed to the warning ringing in Nicholus’s voice and took a step toward the door.Before he could take another, Nicholus lunged forward. His voice was a loud roar as he growled, “Touch her again and I’ll fucking rip you to pieces.”His body thudded into Damon’s and they both stumbled backward
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
Ember's POV:Knowing that I had a long day ahead, I hit the bed earlier than usual. I just wanted to restore my energy to appear fresh and energetic while making my first public appearance.But despite everything from lighting the candles with soothing aromas to drinking the herbal tea, I was unable to find sleep. Hours passed and I still found myself tossing and turning on the bed as restlessness zinged inside me.There was a ball of nervousness inflating inside my belly as I thought about tomorrow. Even though after careful consideration, we've shortlisted the smallest and most welcoming pack for our first visit I just couldn't help thinking about the worst outcome.I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door creaking open. I glanced over my shoulder to find Nicholus closing the door behind him.As he turned around, a slight frown appeared between his brows, "Why are you still up? Is everything okay?" I caught a hint of worry in his voice as his eyes roamed over all over
Ember's POV:The next day after breakfast, we all gathered in the conference room to discuss the plan and schedule of coming days.I was sitting on a chair next to Nicholus's head chair with a file of pack names and descriptions opened in front of me.Darius, who was sitting accross from me, inquired curiously, "So, what pack are we going to visit first?"My eyes scanned the contents of the file while my mind was busy making a strategy.Just when I opened my mouth to answer him, a breath got stuck in my lungs. I felt electricity rushing through my veins as Nicholus sprawled his hand over my thigh.Slowly, I clamped my mouth shut and swallowed hard as his thumb stroked my thigh. Why a mere movement felt so damn sensual was beyond my understanding.Darius who was still waiting for an answer raised his eyebrow, "Well?"I swallowed again and huffed out a huge breath, "First, we'll..."Once again, my mouth clamped shut as Nicholus's hand started moving up my thigh, letting tingles break al