Ash
He was still pissed when he stalked out of the castle; knowing that the king preached protecting his newly found niece and yet would not take the chance to save her. There was no way he could ever trust him saying those words again. Clearly it was nothing more than lip service, which he should have expected of the king who always tried diplomacy first.
If – no – when he got Ember back he would personally see to her protection and would never trust her safety at the hands of her uncle again. Thankfully the message he had received from the informant was actually the coordinates to where the compound was and a time they needed to attack to save her.
He sent it to Oliver, who was obviously instantly using satellite images to scope out the sight for their mutiny meeting where they would discuss their plans. At least they had his car here, so they could use it without question; they would just have to make a big show about storm
Alpha AnsonHe’d been worried about Ember since she’d been taken; the only person keeping him even vaguely sane was his newly found mate. Actually, she was his long-time lover who turned out to have hidden her true worth from him in a bid to protect his sanity while he had been married to Bernadette.Of course, it also helped to keep his mind off things when he had to take care of her after she had exhausted herself using every effort and spell she knew in an attempt to find Ember. But somehow there seemed to be some kind of spell protecting Ember from being found by magic.He was terrified for Ember, but he had his newly marked mate to focus some of his attention on, who also helped endlessly to soothe him. Something the young alpha from Bane pack did not have the luxury of.Everyone knew that Ember had newly marked him directly after the moon dance, just like he had marked Grizelda after she showed her true worth to him aft
LeoHe knew he was playing both sides of the game when he agreed to help Alpha Anson by sharing info, but he wanted to protect both his alpha and his baby sister and to do that they needed more players in this game.They were a good team, but with nothing really being clear about the compound they would be charging into, he would feel better if they had more players in the battle. No matter how good they were they would be unsuccessful if they were severely outnumbered. If Charlotte’s weapons were as good as Oliver believed they were, then they had the slightest advantage despite their numbers. But it was not a big enough advantage for him to feel comfortable with charging the compound with a fifteen-strong team.Balor had not come this far with his plans and machinations without having wolves in his team and the fact that the witches were unable to scry for Ember proved that he might have some assistance from witches or warlocks, too.&nb
Alpha DenzelHe was grateful that his mate was not present in this meeting, but he was sure he was going to get an earful when she finds out what was happening. Cindy was not a she-wolf that was quietly going to stand by and not raise hell when she found out what they were playing at.When they finally left the war room, they were all ambushed by their mates and he knew his time of peace was up, and judging by the looks on their mates’ faces, he was not the only one about to be raked over the coals.Queen Cordelia instantly dismissed the servants when they came into the dining room for lunch. According to King Richard, she had insisted that they be present for lunch and he knew it had been an ambush the moment the servants fled from the room like the hounds of hell were after them, especially when they realized that lunch was a buffet.“What are the plans you’ve come up with and where do we fit into it?” Queen Cor
EmberNova informed her that they were the only two females at the table and their meals were also the only meals that were that small. It seemed Balor intended to keep her weak and underweight with the meals he gave her after his attempt at starving her.Was this his plan to keep her complacent and grateful for the little she would receive? Was this his plan for her whole life? Not that she intended to stay long enough to find that out with personal experience. She just hoped Nova kept her word about ending her life if he marked her.But she would do everything in her power to stop him from marking her. She just wished he would have administered the antidote before the ceremony. Perhaps it was just another power play or another method to keep her in line until he had his claws into her. The guy was a real piece of work.Once the ‘feast’ was over, he announced that they would now start the mating cerem
AshThey had parked their cars and hid them in the woods close enough to the compound that they could escape quickly if they had to, but not close enough to give away their approach. Dousing themselves in the scent neutralizers the genius Charlotte had invented, they quietly ran towards the coordinates they had for the compound, spreading out in a wide arc as they did.They would surround the compound and attack from all sides, so they knew no one would escape; he just wished he had more warriors to make this attack easier. Their team was split up into three parts so they could attempt to contain whoever tried to escape. Most would invade with their dart guns and pop off as many as they could into every enemy they spotted to even out the numbers until they ran out of ammo, before they would shift into wolves and take the rest down.Two from each team would stay outside the compound to assure that no one escaped if they could help it. But
Ash*TW: Battle with gunfire, wolves, wounds and everything that goes with it*They were all still staring in complete disbelief at the sight on the stage. Ember was slightly bent over, still attached to the nearly melted body of Balor. It was confusing that the male was burnt beyond recognition but their clothes and even the twine holding them together was still intact.“Reinforcements incoming!” Sebastian linked a moment before he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder.What the fuck?Turning around he found his father standing beside him, his eyes taking in everything within the compound. Why was his father here? He had been against retrieving Ember from the start.“Sitrep?” He linked him as if he had not shown up unexpectedly. He might have scented him if it wasn’t for the cloying scent of burnt skin and hair burning his nostrils,
Ember*TW: detailed description of dead body and the attack in the background*When Balor fell silent and she felt no more movement coming from him, she hesitated. Is he dead? She listened closely in the complete silence that surrounded her and there was no breathing or pulse coming from him. Alright, she expected Nova to help her die; she did not expect to kill someone.She was torn between freaking out because she killed someone and feeling an overwhelming feeling of relief that she had escaped his tyranny over her life. She had ended the darkness that had threatened to consume her whole life. But she was still tied to him and she was still blind, which meant she was still very much helpless.Ember startled when she suddenly heard a gunshot ringing out, followed by a cacophony of even more shots. She was tied to a dead man and she needed to get out of the line of fire, but for that she needed to see.&
Nova*TW: Description of a person burning alive and, you know the battle*The smell wafting out from Balor was sickening and it was disturbing to watch. It was like he was burning alive, but there were no visible flames. There was the flicker of air around him like the heat around a burning fire and the heat coming off them was uncomfortable.Bile was rising up in her throat and she was forced to step away and empty her stomach from the little food she’d just had at the end of the stage. No one even seemed to notice her stepping away from the couple and throwing up her food.What a waste of a good half-assed meal!She’d given Princess Ember her last remaining survival snacks to give her a fighting chance, since Balor never bought a lot of food if he wasn’t living in the house. And since he’d shown up unexpectedly and decided to starve Princess Ember as punishment, there wasn’t a
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