Ember's POV:The next morning, I woke up to the sound of an alarm clock. I didn't want to be the target of Abi's anger again, that's why I put an alarm on the clock I found in the drawer of the study table.My body felt heavy and sore as I tried to heave myself up. A severe wave of headache split through my skull. My vision blurred and the room spun around me.I blinked several times to focus on my surroundings. My legs felt feeble as I tried to get out of the bed.My throat felt constricted and parched and as I tried to grab myself a glass of water, I started having a fit of dry cough.After days of fighting off the cold, my body was slowly surrendering to it now.Composing myself, I dragged myself into the washroom and freshened up.Returning to the room, I quickly slipped into the tracksuit and joggers before sauntering out of the room.The Omegas Quarter was brimming with people as everyone made their way toward the exit. I felt Abi's watchful eyes on me as I walked out of the Qua
Ember's POV:After the training session, I returned to my room, gulped down a glass of water, and jogged straight into the washroom.Slipping out of the tracksuit, I turned the tap and watched in dread as a cold stream of freezing water flowed out.My body started shivering just at the thought of another cold shower. It was only Darla's scowling face that made me jump under the shower.After taking a quick shower, I donned my uniform and made my way toward the castle kitchen to serve breakfast to the royalties, including my brooding mate with whom I had a really sexy encounter just last night.After yesternight, I wanted to stay as far away from him as possible. My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as I remembered how we were just seconds away from jumping over each other. My body heated up as I thought about how much I enjoyed every second of it, how badly I wanted his hands to roam all over my body.And then I remembered my crying session he must have very much enjoyed outside my ro
Ember’s POV:My head whipped to the side and I saw my mate standing in the doorway. His dark eyes were fixated on Abi who stammered, “Alpha, I…”Before she could say another word, Alpha Nicholus growled angrily, “Let go of her hand right now.”Abi released my hand abruptly as if the touch was electrocuting her. I noticed a red mark around my wrist where she was grabbing it a moment ago.“Now tell me why are you creating a fuss here?” he directed his anger toward Abi.She rushed out frighteningly, “She dropped your breakfast tray, Alpha. I was just calling her out for her clumsiness.”“No,” Alpha shot back, “you were insulting her.” I watched his hands coiling into tight fists at his sides.Abi squirmed under his heated glare and spoke in a shivering voice, “Alpha, I…”But he didn’t let her finish her sentence as he gaveled viciously, “I know Luna made you the Head of Omegas but I’m the King and mine are the rules that are followed here.”Abi took a trembling breath, “Yes, yes, Alpha.”
Ember's POV:That day, Alpha Nicholus didn't join others for lunch. I heard from someone in the kitchen that he had gone out for a business meeting and would have lunch there. I took a breath of relief and went out to serve the table with Ava.In the evening, I was working in the kitchen when, all of a sudden, all the chatter around me came to an abrupt halt.The pin-drop silence I'd never witnessed in the kitchen before made me lift my head.All the heads were turned toward the door. Frowning slightly, I followed their lines of vision and found Darius's tall and heavy frame filling up the doorframe.Unbothered by everyone's attention, he stepped inside and walked straight to where Ava was standing. His voice was polite as he said, "Luna is calling you to her chambers with her soup."Ava nodded and turned toward the counter, "Sure, Beta. The soup is ready."It only took her a few minutes to set up the tray and saunter out of the kitchen.Everyone else slowly turned back to their work.
Ember's POV:Jolting back to the present, my hand shot up and I dabbed at my mouth absent-mindedly. A deep chuckle erupted in the air and I halted. As understanding settled inside me, I narrowed my eyes at him but quickly averted them away as I remembered the way I had been eating him with my eyes just a few moments ago. Feeling embarrassed, I lifted the tray higher, “Darius asked me to bring this to you.” As a ridiculous way to defend myself, I said as an afterthought, “But I didn’t know that you would be in here, in the gym.” A moment later, it hit me. My gaze shot to his and the way he was staring at me made it clear that he too was thinking the same thing. Nodding his head slowly, he hummed, “But Darius knew…” I squinted my eyes, “That you would be here, in the gym, working out, shirtless…” His eyebrow twitched higher as he drawled amusingly, “And that you would be affected by that…” “That’s not true,” I almost screamed. A devilish smirk tugged at his lips, “Well, your eyes
Ember's POV:The next day, I woke up to a fit of cough that rattled me to my bones. It was so severe that I was panting heavily when I reached a glass of water. My chest constricted with pain with every breath I took.And headache too was more intense than yesterday and weakness was already wearing me down.I made a mental note to ask Dr. Alina for a dose of Xanadium as I dragged myself through the morning routine.I didn't have the energy to move a muscle at the training grounds, so I felt grateful that Omegas weren't expected to undergo some harsh training.After training hour, I returned to my room and stood under the coldest stream of shower and shivered all the time frigid cold water made contact with my skin.Immediately drying myself, I donned my uniform and made my way to the kitchen.Yesterday, I was about to ask Abi to change my duty to somewhere else but then I changed my plan as I realized that I could, at least, steal some warmth in the kitchen heat.When it was time to s
Ember's POV: The next day, after the lunch hour, Darla announced that it was the day to feed the maddening, starving wolves roaming on the backgrounds of dungeons. Heavy and thick silence prevailed in the kitchen. Even though commanders would be at the forefront of carrying out such a dangerous task they still needed a little bit of the kitchen staff to accompany them with food and everything. Of course, no one was willing to volunteer for such a deadly task. To tackle the situation, Darla decided to send everyone on rotation. She even printed a list and pasted it on the kitchen's notice board. When no one moved, Darla grumbled, "Group 14th was the one to perform the duty last time." There were a total of 15 groups. I didn't need to consult the notice board to know that I was in the 15th group because I was the last to join the kitchen as a staff member. But still, as a confirmation, I glanced at the list and saw my name written among the other members of Group 15. The fact that
Ember’s POV:Loading the meat on the trollies, warriors started pushing them toward the backside of the castle where the dungeon grounds were present. Darius stayed closer to me as I followed them.Before entering the grounds, Darius scanned our surroundings with careful eyes and mumbled under his breath, “Keep your eyes open. I don’t want to lose my sister-in-law right after finding her.”Rolling my eyes, I repeated for the hundredth time, “How many times do I need to tell you not to say that?”He frowned, feigning confusion, “Say what? To keep your eyes open?” and then screeched dramatically, “But I literally said that for the first time ever.”Right after crossing the threshold to the grounds, we all split into teams. Two warriors were accompanied by one Omega.Of course, Darius decided to go with me. Another warrior named Luke, who was dragging the trolley ahead of us, also accompanied us.Exhaling loudly, I asked, “So, how exactly is it done? How do we find the werewolves to feed
Ember's POV:The next day, I was expecting Nicholus to visit me and discuss the ticking bomb looming over our heads, a.k.a. the mate bond.A ball of anxiety rolled around in my belly for the whole day. To be honest, I wasn't ready for that conversation. For some reason, I still wanted to be free of this mate bond and return to the South.Deep down, I knew there was no point in going back now. My people would never accept me. It didn't go unnoticed by me how no one from the South ever attempted to rescue me. I was sure it was my Father's doing. He must have brainwashed them against me.He must have revealed that I was a witch. Me being a hybrid was enough to turn them against me. I wouldn't be surprised after knowing that my cunning father had painted me as a liar and wicked witch who was betraying everyone to get her hands on the throne and rule the South.On top of that, he must have used this mate bond against me. I could imagine the hatred he must have planted in those people after
Ember’s POV:I was sound asleep when my sleep was interrupted by a parched throat. I peeked my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was the glowing numbers on the digital clock. It was past midnight.Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t alone in the room. Someone was there. I could feel the movement beside my bed. As I took a deep breath, the earthy scent that had driven me crazy more than once, told me that it was my mate.Very slowly, I tilted my head to the side and saw his tall figure standing beside my bed. My breathing slowed down as I studied his features radiating under the warm hues of the bulb.Although I never wanted to admit it my mate, indeed, was a very handsome man. My heart picked a beat as I took in his wide shoulders. With thick muscles and a broad frame, he was the epitome of masculinity.He was wearing a black button-down shirt and black pants, indicating that he came here straight from his office. In that attire, he was looking even hotter. His sleeves were rolled u
Ember’s POV:For the rest of the day, I took a rest which was quite boring. I never thought I’d admit it but I was kind of missing my mate’s presence beside me. Every time the door opened, my ears perked up to hear his deep voice but it was never him.The nurses visited frequently to ensure I was fine and gave me medicines. Soup was served at lunch and it was a struggle to swallow it down my throat. Dr. Alina informed me that the bad taste in the mouth was a common side effect of certain medicines. That’s why everything tasted bitter and rotten.It was in the evening when I finally heard his footsteps outside the ward. Instead of coming inside, he lingered there for a minute before the door finally creaked open. As soon as he stepped inside, an inevitable smile split over my lips at finally being able to see him after a long wait.Closing the door, he turned around to face me and suddenly went still with his gaze fixated on the stupid grin on my face. He seemed to be taken aback by my
Ember’s POV:For the first time since stepping foot into the North region, I woke up all warm and cozy, snuggling in the soft comforter. I opened my eyes to the bright orange glow of the heater radiating heat at full speed.I yawned softly and was about to rub my groggy eyes when I felt something peculiar that instantly increased my heartbeat.Slowly tilting my head to the other side, I took in a big, bulky hand covering my smaller one. He didn't leave, after all. A hint of a smile grazed my lips as my eyes remained fixated on our connected hands. Mine seemed so tiny in front of his large, meaty hand.I was still relishing the warmth of his touch when his body squirmed slightly. That’s when my eyes traveled to his face and a loud gasp escaped my lips.Hearing that, he jolted awake and started looking here and there while saying frantically, “What happened? Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?”My eyes widened at his reaction and something hot dropped in the pit of my stomach as I hea
Ember's POV: We had been talking for about 15 minutes when the doors to the room flung open, and a 6'3" tall grumpy man appeared at the doorway. I didn't fail to notice how his broad shoulders and tall figure filled the whole doorframe. His eyes landed on Darius and he grumbled warningly, "Time up, little buddy." Darius rose to his feet and screeched dramatically, "But we were just about to start gossiping about you." My eyes widened as I protested, "No, we weren't." Darius smiled down at me wickedly, "Oh yeah, because we've already done that," he ended with a wink. I opened my mind to reprimand him when we heard my mate grumbling again at the poor soul, "Enough of this childish behavior." In a flash, he appeared before Darius. He thought I couldn't hear him but my ears picked up his exact words as he hissed in a low whisper, "You had your time with her. Now I want you out." Darius opened his mouth to say something but it suddenly clamped shut as his posture straightened and hi
Ember’s POV:My head felt heavy and dizzy as I stepped back into consciousness. Every inch of my body ached brutally and it was an effort to open my eyes.A white ceiling came into view and when I tried to move my body to sit up, an excruciating pain rippled through my abdomen and traveled to every part of my body.That made me moan in agony and just a moment later, my mate’s face appeared over me. His forehead was creased with worry as he looked down at me. When he spoke, there was a hint of relief in his voice, “Finally, you’re up.”His eyes roamed all over my face as he inquired with caution, “How are you feeling now?”I stared at his face looming over me and willed my fingers to move and touch him but, for some unknown reason, I felt stuck in my body. I kept staring into his eyes filled with worry and my own eyebrows furrowed as I took in the horror lingering in those pitch-black orbs and then finally, the strings started connecting in my head.All of a sudden, the flashbacks of t
Nicholus's POV: As soon as I was done with the shower, I made my way back to the clinic and found Darius outside the ward. Walking up to him, I suggested, "Now you should go and take a shower yourself." He squinted at me, "After your continuous nagging, I think I can really use one." As he walked away, I settled on the bench outside the ward and went to the waiting. I was getting restless, waiting for the doors to burst open at any moment and doctor coming out with a news, a good one actually. After about three minutes, Darius opened our mindlink, "Hey there, any update?" Annoyed at the interruption, I huffed out, "I'll let you know if there's any." He snickered, "Already getting frustrated? Remember I did that for over a dozen times." I retorted mockingly, "It's sad that you don't have the power to keep our mindlink shut...unlike me." He was about to say something when I snapped the mindlink shut. I could feel him trying to push it open but of course, that wasn't possible for
Nicholus's POV:Once again, I spiraled back into the state of unknowing and every fucking second of it was full of agony. I was continuously pacing the floor while the doctors examined my mate inside.It was an effort to control myself from bursting through the doors. After the night's horror, I didn't want to leave my mate alone even for a second. My mind was still stuck in the moment when I found her in the woods, wounded and unconscious. The image of her lifeless, pale, and limp body kept flashing in my mind.My jaw clenched and I gritted in agitation, "What the hell is taking so long?"Darius, sitting on the bench outside the ward, sighed aloud, "Calm down, Nicholus. Your fretting isn't doing anyone any good."I whipped my head toward him and screeched, "No, Darius. I can't fucking calm down when my mate is in there and I have no idea what's going on."I watched as the worry in his eyes turned into something similar to amusement and he drawled, "Worried enough? About your mate? Wh
Nicholus’s POV: Suddenly, out of nowhere, Darius appeared beside me and yelled over the howling wind, “What are you doing here?” I continued scanning the area wildly while screeching, “Looking for her. What else do you think?” Stepping in front of me, he frowned with confusion, “What…I mean…you really can’t catch her scent, Nicholus?” My eyes widened and my heart picked a beat as I whispered hopefully, “Can you?” Darius eyed me with concern. I knew what was going on in his head but I didn’t have the time for that conversation when my mate was still out there somewhere, lost and in God knows what condition. Good thing that Darius realized that too and turned around, “Come with me. I can catch her scent.” I took a shivering breath and rasped out, “That means we’re close.” He nodded tightly, “We’ll find her, Nicholus.” Like a lost puppy, I followed him as he sprinted through the rough patch in the woods. He took a few sharp turns before coming to an abrupt halt. I scanned the are