Ash
After they had had a tour of the palace and grounds, they were shown to their rooms, since they would change for dinner before they would turn in for the night. He had thoroughly enjoyed the tour, mostly because he had known most of what was expected and he’d been here before, but also because he could see Ember’s thoughts displayed clearly on her face.
He was both amused and grateful when the queen showed them their room, as in his and Ember’s room. Ember was just shocked and flustered. It was adorable how she had absolutely no poker face. Her jaw had dropped and she’d blushed a deep pink all over her face, unable to look at him when the queen pointed out that it would be cruel to keep them apart when their wolves had already accepted each other.
The king had not seemed too happy either, but at least his poker face was better than Ember’s. But the king also knew that the queen was right; it did hur
King RichardHe had been holding his tongue, despite Cordelia putting Ember and young Ash in the same room. She had told him that she would explain later. He had nothing against the Bane youngster, but was he good enough for his niece? He promised to be a fine alpha, but would he be a good mate and husband?He had grown up with his father and he knew he had instilled the best morals in the young wolf, but sometimes your best intentions are still lost before the choices of a young wolf. Yes, Ash was protective of her and she seemed to have a little more trust in the three youngsters than she seemed to have in anyone else.It hurt him that Ember was keeping him at arms’ length, when all he wanted was to catch up on lost time. She was so much like his sister that it hurt deep in his chest. He missed Adela and he wished she hadn’t fled from him, but her lack of trust was so clear now that he saw that exact expression o
EmberThe next morning, when she woke, she was still very shy about sharing the bed and the room with Ash, but she felt rested. They had gone for an early morning run and training, like the three guys did every morning apparently and she didn’t feel quite so exhausted at the end.After that, he gave her the chance to shower first, before he showered soon after. Once they’d both cleaned off the sweat from their training, they headed down for breakfast. She was surprised that he seemed to know when and where everything would happen and he seemed to sense her confusion.“I’ve been here many times before. The king and my father often meet up together and are still good friends.” He confessed with a crooked smile.Why was he so handsome when he wasn’t even trying?“Oh…” Was all she managed after staring at him for a moment. She was sure Lume was drooli
Alpha AnsonHe had had his hands full with his grieving son. It was difficult to see the pain he was going through and not be able to take it away from him. He would’ve gladly carried his grief for him, but he was the only one who experienced the loss.Ember would have been able to help him grieve, since she had personal experience of losing a parent. But they were not currently on speaking terms because of Ilene being his mate and her not trusting any of them anymore. And he couldn’t even blame her for her distrust.No one seemed to grieve Bernadette’s death; she had not been a good she-wolf. He had requested an autopsy and investigation despite the obvious clues, since he couldn’t think that she’d been on the new drug that was making the rounds. Her addictions had been shopping and sex, not Purple Bliss, which made her death suspicious to him.Currently he was sitting in his office, allow
EmberWhen they all met for lunch, there was another woman with the queen. She was the perfect picture of the eccentric aunt. She seemed to have forgotten to brush her hair that morning, since it was all piled on top of her head in a messy style reminiscent of a bird’s nest, she wore big and garish earrings and the type of multicolored dress you would expect to buy in a one size fits all holiday trinket store at the beach.Ember was sure she couldn’t judge, since she was still in her usual clothes and Leo had been demanding she show him what a pussycat bra looked like, while Ash growled at him every time he brought it up. There were some obvious problems with privacy when you were surrounded by wolves with excellent hearing. The queen introduced her as Grizelda and Ember greeted her politely, while the woman smiled at her like a proud aunt. She had no idea who this woman was, but judging by her reaction, she knew who
CalumHe was lying numbly with his head on his sweet Ilene’s lap, while she played with his hair. Her touch as her nails gently ran over his scalp helped to soothe the constant numbness he was experiencing when he had no more tears to cry.He knew there were people who cared for him, more than his own mother seemed to have ever done. But despite him having the most amazing father in the world, he still felt the loss of the only mother he’d ever known. He had loved her unconditionally, even if she hadn’t returned the sentiment. But he was alone in his grief; it seemed no one else were even vaguely emotional at his mother’s death.Was his grief for her wrong? Was he betraying his pack by grieving the she-wolf that had cared for no one but herself?“I know you feel alone, baby. But I promise you that you aren’t alone. You’re loved more than you think. You’re the f
AshHe could see that she’d been overwhelmed that day, so he’d pulled the queen aside the first chance he had, while they were sitting down for lunch and mentioned that Ember was having a hard time coping with all the changes in her world and the queen agreed to keeping things to one big change per day.When they all sat down to lunch and Grizelda told her story, he would occasionally remind Ember to take a bite of food, since she was so immersed in the story that she forgot to eat. Leo and Oliver were also lapping up all the information they could, although nothing would stop them from eating. Ember was still learning that she had to eat more to sustain her and Lume healthily, so she would occasionally slow down before she’d had enough food.Ember was deep in thought the rest of the afternoon, which they spent just being teenagers, watching movies and playing board games, while he slipped in high protein and energy snacks for her w
UnknownHe was keeping an eye on the devices he’d planted in her room whenever he got the chance. He’d been hoping to catch a glimpse of her. But his frustration mounted as days went by and she hadn’t returned to her dorm room. Weren’t the students in the academy held to the highest standards? Surely, that included timely and regular attendance.And he knew for a fact she couldn’t be staying somewhere else while going to school, since the school insisted that they stay on their premises for the sake of security. He didn’t think much of their security, to be honest, since he’d managed to get in and out without even breaking a sweat. They must keep the security to simply keep the males and females apart to avoid scandals. Of course, they did have co-ed dorms for seniors when they found their mates, but the rest were kept strictly male and female.He leaned back in his chair and sta
OliverThe morning after they had met Grizelda, who he had spent the afternoon researching, Ember and Ash came out of their room a little later than usual. Ember seemed shy and embarrassed and Ash looked decidedly happy with himself. Leo didn’t even notice the change in them; he was just being his usual happy self, more so now that he was happy with adopting his own personal baby sister.So when they started their morning run for warm-ups, Oliver simply needed to know. “Care to share why you look like the cat that got the cream?” He asked in mind link.“What does that even mean?” Ash asked in confusion. Alright, maybe he’d taken the human research a little far, but the cat idioms were so cool when they couldn’t come near cats without them fleeing in terror.“It means you look decidedly pleased with yourself and Ember seems very shy this morning.&rdquo
AshWalking hand in hand into the school the first morning back at the academy, he was amused to see the clear change in the students around them. Ember was still her happy self, chatting away on ideas with Nova and Charlotte. Apparently the three of them had decided to have their own corner in the lab and computer rooms.They had grand plans and he was sure no one was ready for it. Ember had picked up doing her repair videos, since her fan base had requested it. But now Nova and Charlotte would have their own videos on things as well. They took it in shifts now and it seemed like it had become their own side business.It hadn’t taken them long to start doing their videos after they had done an introduction of Charlotte and Nova. The living room in their pack suite now had a recording corner with a green screen behind it, but they kept it to everyday things like toasters, tricks to clean things faster and more effectively and even making your own products.It seemed very popular
LeoHis life was awesome! First he found his baby sis that he always wanted and she was so adorable he could just pinch her cheeks all the time. Alright, there was the horrible part in the middle where she got kidnapped and beaten – he still thought that bastard Balor came off much too easy for everything he’d done – but then when they found her, she had his mate with her!He’s beautiful, amazing, strong and smart mate that was officially his moon and stars! But then his baby sis and best friend go off to complete their mating by getting laid and his baby sis actually bounced him to the ground! Like Tigger!She was all giddy and giggling and happy and…man, his friend had to have some good dick! Saying that to his friend earned him a slap behind the head. But only a half-hearted one, because who could be annoyed when Ember was home and so happy that her smile lit up the room and everyone fell that
AshHe would have never guessed the complete change in his mate during the weekend they spent at the cabin. If he hadn’t experienced it himself, he might not have believed it was possible. But then it could be the heat. Where before she had always been reserved and unsure about her role in his life, she now would just crawl into his lap when she needed affection.And she needed it a lot. He wasn’t complaining at all. It soothed him to know that she now felt safe enough with him that she would at random moments just crawl into his lap, where before she had always tried to keep some distance.He wasn’t sure if it was because of her heat or because she could now sense his emotions. Maybe it was because she was sure of his feelings for the first time. But she wasn’t as reserved as she had been and she was much less prone to shut herself down and focus on something she could do alone.Even the s
Ember*TW: Fun Times ahead, if you’re not interested, you can skip it without missing out on the story line*Everything seemed to happen at once and before she knew it, they were in his car speeding along a road with the airconditioning at full blast on her face. “We’re nearly there, Ember. I know your first heat is the worst, but I’m here with you and you just have to tell me what you want.” He soothed her, while he rested his hand on her thigh.Her skin seemed to sizzle and cool at the same time where he touched her and she craved more of his touch. It felt so good! “He’s ours, girl. Claim him!” Lume insisted when the car suddenly came to a stop.His hand left her thigh and she whined in complaint, but it seemed a moment and a lifetime later, he was reaching for her from the passenger side door. Ember leaned into his arms
AshWhen she’d opened her eyes that morning and just stared into space, he’d thought for sure that she still couldn’t see, because her eyes had a purple tinge to the gray irises he had adored, turning her eyes almost violet.But then she met his gaze and his excitement had caused their room to be crowded with those who loved her. It was during all that celebration that his adorable mate finally understood that she did have a family; she wasn’t an orphan.The day would only get better, since they had a celebratory breakfast and the doctor finally cleared her for light training as long as she continued eating healthily. Thankfully they decided to do pamper treatments without taking her away from him again. In fact, Ember had insisted that she would not be separated from him that day.So she got a fresh manicure and pedicure while they were watching movies; in fact all the females spent the day with them and he would
EmberThe day she is meant to do the marking ceremony with Ash, she wakes to find him leaning over her expectantly like he did every morning since her return, waiting to see if she could see him properly.This morning she could see him clearly; his deep expressive hazel eyes, his unruly hair toppling over onto his brow and that handsome face that she had drooled over the first time her eyes had fallen on him. She was so relieved that she could finally see and so happy to have him back that she started sobbing.“Em-Baby, I’ve got you; it’ll get better…” He soothed, clutching her to his chest like he’d done every morning. She was sure with all her mixed emotions it was difficult for him to sense which one had brought her to tears.Honestly, she was nervous and scared about the marking ceremony, since her last one was still so fresh in her mind. Happy that she was blessed with such a supportive mat
AshDespite the fact that she couldn’t see well yet, she mentioned being able to make out shadows of people in the purple mist by the second day safe and sound in the palace, his amazing mate was helping to search for any information they could use in the trials for the males that currently filled all the cells in the palace dungeons.Ember had written a short program with his assistance of reading the information for her. What he found fascinating was that she knew exactly where the keys were on the keyboard. She pointed out that the F and the J both had a small mark on that one could feel with their fingertips, but it didn’t make it any less amazing that she knew all the keys by heart simply by finding those two keys.Calum and Ilene had also joined the others scouring through paperwork and arranging them according to the information that could be gleaned from them. Cassie was also impressed with the small program she had written that searched for certain key phrases that made the
CharlotteShe was still a little star struck being around so many important wolves. She was from a small pack that worked hard all the time to be seen; not that she was trying half as hard as her father was. Her brother would be taking over from their father when the time came, so she had been informed by her stepmother that they would try to find a good match for her, never once considering that she would want to be with her mate. Her stepmother was working so hard with her father to accomplish his dream to make the pack be seen that they didn’t care about her dreams. And that was why her father hadn’t even known about her creations and personal pass-times. She was amazed to meet the princess who was entirely down to earth if somewhat shy. The way her stepmother had read her demands when she had forced her to get dressed in that horrid pink gown, she would have thought that the royals would be condescending and aloof, but they were acting like normal wolves with normal lives.He
Alpha AnsonWatching his little girl grieving for yet another thing that was taken from her, broke his heart and he wished he could shield her from the pain she was currently feeling. It broke him, knowing that he had been unable to protect her from it all.Calum laid his hand on his shoulder with a look of understanding. “You can’t protect us against everything, Dad.”“I should’ve protected her from this.”“None of us knew who to protect her from, but she’s safe now.” Calum insisted and he nodded, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that he should’ve been able to protect her. And what about the future; did they have any guarantees that someone else would not try to take her for her rank in the wolf kingdom and the Bane pack?After a short silence during which no one seemed willing to talk, the king finally cleared his throat. &l