On this, I am with Nicholas…😤
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:I heard the trembling voice from my left, "Lemme ask you again, are you really sure about it, Ember?"I jerked my head in Sophie's direction, not liking the doubt in her demeanor at the last minute, "Why else do you think I've crossed the Forbidden Border and entered the North territory?"Her eyes swept our gloomy surroundings, taking in the dark forest all around, and she shivered, "I am not liking any of it. We can still go back..."My eyes narrowed in annoyance, "The fear in your voice is now making me question Liam's training skills."Sophie rolled her eyes, "You are this much confident because you are an Alpha born."I gave her another look to which she responded with a groan, "Don't look at me like that. You know why I am this afraid. I mean, come on, we are in the NORTH."I shook my head and sighed in disappointment, "You knew what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to it, Sophie."Her voice lowered when she replied, "I couldn't really let you come here
Ember's POV:I stationed Sophie behind the bush outside the castle and made my way over to the guards. They got suspicious but before they could warn others through the mindlink, I was up to them and breathing down their necks. As soon as our eyes met, the game was over for them.Once my hypnotizing power kicked in, I inquired, "Where the prisoners from the South are kept?"Just as good little puppets they were, they responded in unison, "In the dungeons."Stashing that crucial piece of information, I then asked about the way toward the dungeons and how many more guards would I encounter on my sweet way to the said dungeons.Taking Sophie with me, I stepped inside the castle and took a quick sweep. Sticking to what the guard had told me, I started walking toward the left. Reaching the end of the corridor, I stopped at the edge of the staircase leading downward where everything was engulfed by the eerie darkness.I kept my mindlink open and tried to reach out to the prisoners that bel
Ember's POV:Staying close to each other, the four of us sprinted through the dark and gloomy forest. Even though the castle must have been a chaotic mess right now there was no doubt that a small army of North warriors must be out here by now, searching for us.None of us dared make any noise because if we got caught now, there would be no going back because I had already deprived my energy reservoir to hypnotise any more of them and it would be impractical to think that the four of us- I cast a gaze at Sophia and sighed. Well, the three of us stood a chance against the army of Alpha Nicholus.I quickened my pace and glanced over my shoulder. There was no one. And it was even more suspicious.The path was leading us to the edge of the forest which was actually the border of the North region. As we got closer to it, I opened the mindlink and informed Jake about our status, "There are four of us. We are hardly five minutes away, Jake. Be ready.""Roger that," came his reply, and a minu
Ember's POV:The ride back to the South was eerily silent. I had broken the hypnotizing spell on Sophie and she was now sleeping peacefully as if she had been hella tired after fighting the beasts of the North.The other two packmates that I rescued today were over the moon and chattering to each other about how high their alpha, my father, thought of them to send ME to rescue them.One deadly look from me and their mouths had been clamped shut since then.But yes, I had also pondered over that more than once. When exactly did these two nut heads become so important to Father? As far as I know they neither possessed any extraordinary wisdom nor otherwordly powers to be of utmost importance. They were just two packmates who were foolish enough to roam outside the territory and were abducted by the warriors of the North.And even if they somehow became so important to him, he could have sent an army of warriors to rescue them. Why would he go to the lengths and put my life in danger for
Nicholus's POV: The shock still lingered inside me long after she was gone. There had been a very few moments in my life that had rendered me speechless and it surely was one of those. Those eyes. Those big, round eyes, the shade of melted chocolate. The most mesmerizing and surely the most unforgettable. Today, my mom, the Luna of the pack had arranged The Mating Ball for the unmated wolves of our pack. Many renowned personalities of the North were invited. The preparations had been going on for more than a month. I had commanded the warriors to maintain strict security, patrol the area, and share the word if anything seemed wrong. Trouble tonight after that much security was the last thing I had expected. I was mingling with the guests when my Beta, Darius, opened our mindlink. His worry reached me way before his words did. I had already excused myself and stepped aside when he informed me, "There has been some trouble in the dungeons." I tried to keep a calm facade in front o
Nicholus's POV:Chasing a girl in the forest for any reason other than preying was the last thing I could have imagined, myself, the King of North, doing.What exactly was I doing there when I already had chaos to handle back in the castle was beyond my understanding. For now, all my mind was set on was to chase that faint scent I was rapidly growing addicted to.Of course, I maintained my distance and didn't let her know that I was lingering closer. When the four of them were at a little distance from the edge of the forest, the sound of a helicopter whirled in the air.A little later, I watched them climbing into it.I stayed glued to my spot. Anger was rolling off of me in waves. I was angry at the choice of Fate. I was enraged at the fact that the girl who was supposed to stand by me and rule the North was actually the one to betray it and run away.How could she just discard such a sacred bond just like that? Was it really so easy for her?Our eyes met once again and for some sic
Nicholus's POV: "I hope all is well, dear," came my mother's soft voice. Always sweet, always carrying a hint of warmth in it. To be precise, it was the only source of warmth in my otherwise icy cold and dark life. I had been trying my best to appear as normal in front of the guests as I could despite the lingering memory of those eyes carrying thousands of secrets and my constantly enraging wolf. Of course, Mom had suspected something was wrong. She asked me even though she knew that my answer would be the same as I said now, "Of course. Are you enjoying?"Looking at me, she shrugged as if to say you-know-how-much-I-can-enjoy. She didn't like parties or huge gatherings. According to her, there was too much politics or negative energy involved in such gatherings and I couldn't blame her. What she craved was a small get-together with her favorite people where she could discuss the affairs of North in the light of honesty.But hosting such mating balls for the unmated wolves of the pa
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
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