Ember’s POV:Turning her blazing gaze toward his son, Luna said curtly, “Capturing women in the name of war trophies?”Disgust was written all over her face as she scoffed, “Couldn’t resist walking in your father’s footsteps for long, huh?”His death-like grip around my arm loosened instantly before he blurted out, “No, it’s not…”Luna cut him off mid-sentence, “I’ve never seen you do that before.” She shook her head in disappointment, “The son I’ve raised would never do such a hideous thing to any woman," she said in distress.Alpha’s body went rigid behind me at his mother’s words. He released an exasperated breath and said agitatedly, “You challenged my authority when it came to Darius, mom. But as the Luna of this pack, I let that go and gave in to your demand because I respect you.”His voice turned harsher as he bit out, “But she…she is not a member of our pack. So, you do not need to protect her.”He looked straight into Luna's eyes and uttered with finality, “Let me handle thi
Nicholus’s POV:Exiting the dungeons, I started walking toward my private chambers. The night was so fucking mind-exhausting that I wanted to spend the rest of it alone before I caused any more destruction.Passing through the Luna’s quarter, I spotted her guards standing outside. Coming to a halt, I inquired, “What are you two doing here? Didn't Luna order you to take Darius to the castle clinic?”One of them nodded before answering, “We were on our way, Alpha. But then Beta asked us to take him to his chamber instead.”Turning on my heels. I started walking in the opposite direction. The castle had various chambers, quarters, and wings. The biggest of them was known as the Great Chamber which had always been reserved for the King. It was located above all the other chambers. It was so huge that I could see half of my empire from its terrace. After that was the Luna’s Quarters. Then, there were smaller chambers for Beta and Gamma.With quick strides, I crossed the hallways until I re
Nicholus’s POV:Darius had downed over two bottles of BloodMoon Merlot and was completely drunk now whereas I stopped drinking after three shots because I didn’t want to get drunk and lose control.He popped open yet another bottle of sparkling liquid when I couldn't resist asking him, “Will you tell me?”He looked at me with hooded eyes, “Tell you what?”Pressing my lips into a thin line, I mumbled under my breath, “About what you two have been discussing in the cell?”A foolish grin split on his stupid face which made me roll my eyes. I reprimanded myself for inquiring about such a thing even after telling myself repeatedly that I didn’t care about anything related to her.He wiggled his eyebrows and drawled, “Someone is desperate to know about his mate, huh?”I huffed out, “Not at all. I’m just a little bit curious, that’s all.”He dismissed me with a wave of his hand, “Yeah, yeah, no need to tell me that you’re dying to talk about her.”“Darius,” I exerted warning in my voice.It w
Ember’s POV:A soft, feather-like touch on my face pulled me out of a deep slumber. It was warm and gentle and I wanted to lean further into it and relish it when, all of a sudden, recent events flashed in my mind and I remembered the doctor giving me a strange drug instead of Xanadium before I blacked out.My eyes snapped open, and the first thing I saw was a pair of pitch-black eyes hovering over me. My heart lurched up my throat at the nearness, and a loud gasp escaped my lips as I felt his hand brushing against my ear.With a frenzy, I jerked up in the bed and pushed him away, “What the hell are you doing?”My sudden outburst took him by surprise and he stumbled a step back.My eyes widened as I glanced at the IV drip attached to my arm. Clutching it tightly, I jerked it out of my vein and blurted out, “What did the doctor give me? That was not fucking Xanadium.”Lifting my head, I looked at my mate for answers. But my gut coiled as I saw him staring hard at me with that intense g
Ember's POV:For the next two days, I was kept in the clinic ward. The guards were stationed outside, keeping me under strict watch as if I'd try to run away again now that I had neither my wolf nor my magical necklace to wield my witch powers.Dr. Alina visited me every day to inject Velene into me to suppress my witch side but she had reduced the dose now.There were only two things in the ward that didn't make it suffocating for me. First, it had a heating system that kept the place warm because the sick werewolves couldn't cope with the harsh temperature of the North. Second, my mate's absence, who didn't return after his first and last visit.On the third day, Luna Nina arrived to visit me. She inquired about my health and made a small talk with me. True to Damon's description, she was such a down-to-earth lady. So generous and kind-hearted. So opposite of his son. The best thing about her was the radiating and warm smile that was always present on her face.For a long time, I co
Ember's POV:That night, Dr. Alina entered the ward with a Velene injection in her hand. By now, I knew very well that fighting it was all in vain. So, with a heavy heart, I simply pulled up my sleeve and turned my head to the side as she plunged the needle into my vein.With every drop entering my veins, my hatred for my mate increased tenfold.All my life, I had craved my Father's affection and love even though I knew what a cruel man he was. I despised him for being such a wicked and brutal leader, but still never stopped loving him as a father figure.But the moment my feelings for him flipped was when I discovered the truth about my mother. The hatred for my Father flared in my heart the moment I read in those journals about what he did to my mother and what suffering he inflicted on her.He stole my mother's true identity from her and forced her to live as a creature she never was. He had kept her under Velene for years and that's what drove my hatred for him beyond limits.And
Ember's POV:Exhaling a heavy breath, I hesitantly stepped inside the room as Abi chirped, "It'll be your room."I turned around in a full circle and scanned my surroundings with careful eyes.It was a spacious room. A single bed was pushed against one wall. Clean linen sheets were draped over it along with a pillow. A small LED was mounted on the wall in front of the bed. An almirah was perched against the other wall. Other than that, a chair and a small study table were also placed in the corner.A window was also there for ventilation. While scanning the room, I saw another door leading to an attached washroom.My eyes were literally about to pop out of their sockets as I asked in disbelief, "Do all Omegas get to have their separate rooms? Like, for real?"Abi stared at me boringly before deciding to answer, "Yes. According to Alpha Nicholus, all the Omegas deserve to have their own private space where they can take rest in peace after doing all the hectic work."I was screaming in
Ember's POV:To be honest, the room was beyond my expectations. As I opened the almirah, I was surprised to find a new tracksuit, a bunch of T-shirts, trousers, shoes, slippers, and a long white frock with black sleeves. I've seen the workers wearing that dress around the castle which indicated that it must be an Omega uniform.When I entered the washroom to freshen up, my eyes widened as they traveled from a towel hanging from the hook to a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, conditioner, and even a face wash.I wondered how much of a lavish lifestyle royalties must have in the North when their lowest rank was treated this nicely.The only thing that was lacking in the room was a warm comforter. Even though many of the omegas were late to shift or had weak wolves they still had their wolf with them to withstand the extreme cold of the North.But in my case, my wolf was on the edge of dying. My body wasn't capable of enduring the bone-chilling cold.Even though the window was close
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