Hey everyone, I know you all want rapid updates from me and trust me, I'm trying my best. I uploaded multiple chapters in the last few days because I have exams from tomorrow, so the updates might be less (but regular). Meanwhile, I would like to request you all to check out my other book. That one is already completed, so no waiting for chapters ;) Plus, readers lovedddd that storyline and I'm sure you'll too. Take care. Love you all <3 Author Hami
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:A shiver ran down my spine and my whole body shook with fear as the wolf dived his head. His canines were just about to dig into my flesh and shred me into pieces when, all of a sudden, something thudded into him so forcefully that his body flew in the opposite direction.Without waiting to process what just happened, my whole body jolted into action and I planted my elbows into the ground and shot up to my feet.A frightful sob escaped my throat and my hand flew to clutch my chest tightly. My heart was thundering in my ribcage maniacally as I panted heavily.I was out of my wits and was trying to process what had just happened when, suddenly, a painful screech pierced the air and my head whipped in its direction.There, a little distance away from me, I saw two wolves colliding with each other in a fierce fight.One of them was the one who had just nearly dragged me to my death while the other had dark gray fur and was slightly bigger than him. They roared and grunted wh
Ember’s POV:Darius's eyes widened as he enunciated firmly, “Neither look behind nor stop until you reach down the hill. Once there, no wolf will be able to harm you. Besides, I’ve sent a mindlink to Alpha. Help must be on its way. Meanwhile, I’ll fight these wolves and try to give you all the time I can.”“Darius, but…” I sniffled through tears, not ready to let him put his life in danger.Shaking his head, he wrapped his hands around me and gave me a quick hug while whispering in my ear, “All I want from you is to try to give Nicholus a chance. Forgive him for his wrongdoings and see him for what he truly is. Give this mate bond a chance. Trust me, you both deserve it.”With this, he broke the hug, immediately turned me around, and nudged to move forward and away from him.As soon as his touch on my back disappeared, I whirled around but he had already vanished in the thin air.I didn't like the fact he was willing to give up his life for me. But if he really was doing such a thing
Nicholus’s POV:I was cooped up in my office with a delegate from the East. Alpha Maddox had once again sent a proposal for a partnership.I was looking lazily at his Gamma as he tallied for the hundredth time about how giving them the rights to manufacture and distribute the BloodMoon Merlot was a good idea.And for the hundredth time, I answered the same as first, “The North respects its positive relations with the East but I won’t agree to any sort of partnership regarding the BloodMoon Merlot.”Gamma stayed quiet for a long minute. And then he leaned back in the chair and said slowly, “I’m afraid that doing so would really affect the relations between the East and the North.”I didn’t like the change in his tone and attitude. I was just a moment away from lunging across the desk and wrapping his crisp tie around his neck for talking to me like that when Ethan opened our mindlink, “Don’t lose your calm, Alpha.”Pretending to be unaffected by the Gamma, I shrugged boringly, “That’ll
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
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: 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
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
Ember's POV:After Nicholus left my room, I stayed rooted to my spot for a long minute. I was too stunned to process what he just said. He sounded so detached, so unbothered like killing his brother wasn't a big deal for him.After a few minutes, the door creaked open and Darius rushed inside. He came to a sudden halt as soon as he saw me pacing the floor."I've come to tell you about it but by the looks of your pale face, it seems like you already know," he stated.My hands flew in the air, "Tell me it's nothing but bullshit. I mean, there is no way he could be serious about killing Damon, right? He is his BROTHER. No matter how much hate, enmity, or misunderstandings they have between them, they are still brothers," I rushed out in one breath.He let out a tiring sigh, "You know how they are, Ember."I let out a loud groan, "How could either of them even think such a horrible thing is beyond my understanding."He remained silent for a few minutes to let my anger cool off before spea
Ember's POV:After Nicholus was gone, I slid down to the floor as the walls I had built around my heart cracked and the dam just broke apart. Uncontrollable tears rolled down my cheeks. My shoulders shook as my body rattled with ugly sobs.How could a mother be so cruel to her only child? What did I do so wrong to deserve that? All my life I craved for my parents' affection but what did I get in return? Their betrayal...?Father failed me miserably but I had my Mother's thoughts to keep me going. Even though I had no memories of her but I still thought that she must have loved me. I used to find comfort in the fact that the only reason she wasn't with me was because she just couldn't. It was better when I thought her to be dead. Because the thought that she had abandoned me was killing me bit by bit.Was I really that bad of a person? I've heard...heck, I've seen parents always loving their children no matter how bad of a monster their kids are. Was I even worse to be depraved of both
Nicholus’s POV:Watching her looking at me with nothing but hatred shattered my heart into so many pieces that I didn’t know how to pick them all and make it whole again.I don’t know how the hell Damon got his hands on the confidential inside information about military and state matters and I absolutely had no idea that he’d be twisting that information to sow a seed of doubt in Ember’s heart.But I couldn't really blame him. I should have been cautious. I should've foreseen it. I shouldn't have taken his long silence so lightly. I let my guard down and was witnessing the results now.But as far as the matter of the South was concerned, I had it under control. I had no bad intentions and I'd keep telling her even thousands of times if that would make her believe me.But the irreversible damage occurred when that fucker told Ember about her mother. He shouldn't have gone there. He had created a big mess which I had no idea how to come out of.I knew I’d lost all fight when Ember yelle
Ember’s POV:Despite the turmoil raging inside me, I waited patiently as Nicholus wiped his hands through his hair before starting, “First of all, I want you to know that the army has nothing to do with marrying you, okay?”My eyes widened horrifically, “So it means you ARE planning to take over the South…?”He shook his head, “What? No.” He walked closer to me but I lifted my palm, making him stay wherever he was. I need a little distance between us to think rationally.“Tell me about the army first,” I said in a sharp tone.Nodding slowly, he started speaking, “Do you remember when you were on bed rest, you heard Damon, Ethan, and I talking about the war looming over us?”I nodded curtly, thinking back to that night when they were all worried about Nicholus’s wolf weakening while the war was close.A slight frown appeared between my brows along with a relief. But I told myself not to grow any more hopes before going to the bottom of it.“So, the army is for that war?” I couldn’t kee
Ember’s POV:Grabbing my hand, Damon had just taken a step toward the door when an ear-piercing roar boomed in the air. “Enough!” Nicholus growled.My feet came to a sudden halt as I felt the sudden shift in the air. Damon pulled me forward, more urgently now. But before he could another step, the doors to my room flung open and dozens of warriors spilled into the room, blocking the exit.My head whipped around as I heard warriors jumping in through the balcony.In a few seconds, my room was brimming with warriors closing in on us, surrounding me and Damon. My gaze shifted from one to another as I blurted out in shock, “What’s happening?”Damon bared his teeth and pointed behind me, “It’s him, of course. He must have mindlinked his minions. That's why he was silent and still.”Damon shook his head and said amusingly, “Really, Nicholus? Are we really doing it?”Nicholus shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by everything happening around us, “Warned you time and time again to shut that fuc
Ember’s POV:I stole a glance at his fingers brushing over my necklace and heard his shocking whisper, "The Celestial Stone."My head whipped up to him and saw his pupils dilating as he looked at me, “You are…what the…”I felt Nicholus going rigid behind me. His voice sounded menacing as he warned his brother, “Damon, no, not this…not now.”A deep frown appeared between my brows. Closing my fingers around the necklace, I stepped aside and watched the brothers exchanging heated glares.An eerie feeling of unrest settled in the pit of my stomach. My throat felt constricted as I sobbed, “What…what is it about my mother?”Nicholus was slowly shaking his head in a threatening manner. At that, a wicked gleam twinkled in Damon's eyes as if he had stepped closer to his victory.My heart lurched to my throat as a devilish smirk tugged over Damon's lips before he chuckled coldly, “Dark, dark secrets between the mates are crazy.”It felt like my heart just dropped all the way to the floor. Fear
Ember's POV:With my pulse a ticking bomb waiting to explode, I stood there, waiting for him to deny all accusations, assuring me that whatever Damon was spewing out of his mouth was nothing but bullshit.But all hopes trembled to death as Nicholus stepped backward. All of a sudden, he seemed so tired as he rubbed the nape of his neck and sighed, “Ember, I…listen…”More tears streamed out of my eyes. Angrily wiping them away, I screamed at his face, “Is that true or not, Nicholus?”I already knew it was. But still, I waited pathetically for him to deny it all so that we can go back to our fairytale wedding we'd been so excited about.His gaze flickered to Damon standing behind me before shifting back to me. Slouching his shoulders, he breathed out, “Just a half truth.”A gut-wrenching sob escaped me as I took another step away from him only to walk closer to Damon.Nicholus took a quick step forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. His voice sounded urgent as he spoke, “And you need
Ember’s POV:I could feel the anger oozing out of Nicholus but on the outside, he appeared calm and composed as if he were almost expecting his arrival. Twitching his eyebrow higher, he asked in a blank voice, “What are you doing here?”Straightening his shoulders, Damon tightened his hold on my hand before uttering, “I’m here to take Ember with me.”Hearing that, I again tried to twist my hand out of his, wincing as a sharp shot through my arm as his grip tightened defiantly.That’s when Nicholus’s eyes flickered down to our joined hands. His gaze narrowed viciously and his fists coiled tightly at his sides. Baring his teeth, he snarled menacingly, “Leave her hand right now, Damon.”Damon paid no heed to the warning ringing in Nicholus’s voice and took a step toward the door.Before he could take another, Nicholus lunged forward. His voice was a loud roar as he growled, “Touch her again and I’ll fucking rip you to pieces.”His body thudded into Damon’s and they both stumbled backward
“Damon…?” I whispered into the darkness, gawking at him with wide eyes.As soon as he heard me saying his name, his shoulders slouched and he took a breath of relief. He seemed like a traveler who had finally reached his destination after an eternity of traveling nowhere.Suddenly, he lunged forward. Sliding one of his hands around my waist and the other around the back of my head, he pulled me into a tight hug.Sticking his nose to my neck, he inhaled deeply and I could feel his body relaxing against mine. His hot breath washed over my ear as he whispered with a raw emotion I couldn't decipher, “God, I missed you. I missed you so much, Ember.”My mind was a jumbled mess of chaos and confusion as I tried to process what exactly was happening. Breaking the hug, I stared at him with frantic eyes, “Damon, what are you doing here?”Placing his hands on my shoulders, he squeezed lightly and said with a hint of excitement, “I am here to take you with me. Away from here.”My heart was thuddi