Ember’s POV: “You still up?” he asked me in a deep, sleepy voice. My eyes shifted to our intertwined hands. Something told me I should free my hand from his hold for the conversation we were about to have but for some weird reason, I didn’t want to. I wanted to relish his warmth a bit longer. He followed my line of vision and stared at our joined hands but made no attempt to unclasp them. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed hard, “I was here…” “…for the last five nights,” I said in a blank voice. His eyes widened a little as he rasped out, “You knew?” It was my time to swallow, “Yes, I knew every time you entered the room after the lights were off, checked my fever, held my hand, and slept by my side only to vanish early the next morning before I could wake up.” I shifted my gaze to the ceiling and asked aloud, “Why have you been doing that, Nicholus?” He seemed to be at a loss for words as his eyes widened a bit more. He opened his mouth to say something but quickly clamp
Ember's POV:My heart instantly picked a beat as soon as my eyes landed on a black rose and a folded piece of paper. There was no doubt who left them there. It was his answer. To everything I'd said last night. Remembering his expressions before he left the room, I dreaded reading whatever was written in there.Last night, he went away without saying a word, leaving me with thousands of questions and chaotic thoughts that kept me awake till dawn.Slowly, I lifted my trembling fingers and moved them toward the bedside table. But it wasn't in me to read what mysteries were waiting for me.Not willing to admit that I actually dreaded reading his words, I told myself that I just needed some time to compose myself before indulging in that.Right on cue, the door flung open and the nurse tiptoed into the room. Contrary to the storm raging inside me, there was a bright smile on her face when she greeted cheerfully, "Good Morning, how are you feeling today?"How was I feeling? Like a wreck af
Ember's POV: My eyes were stuck to the last words, boring holes in the page. I stared for so long and so hard that my vision became blurry, and I lost my focus. As I tried to process the words I had just read, my mind denied their existence because coming that from Alpha Nicholus was impossible—absolutely impossible. Snapping out of the confusing haze, I read the letter again. This time, more slowly and assessed each and every word in detail. The picture played in my mind, and for the first time, I viewed our story from his perspective, and I was shocked to see how different it was from mine. I didn't fail to notice how concisely he had summarized all that and still included all the important details while relaying his feelings. I exhaled heavily and placed the letter on my lap beside the black rose. Lifting my gaze, I started staring at the wall in front of me and could literally see the words painted on it, that’s how much they were embedded in me. I still found it hard to bel
Ember's POV: For the rest of the day, I kept waiting for Nicholus. Every time the door creaked open, my heart picked a beat, anticipating his appearance. And every time, a nurse or maid popped their heads through the door, my shoulders slouched. With every passing hour, I was getting more and more restless. How much time did he exactly mean when he said he wanted to give me time to decide? The night came. I had my dinner, medicines, and physiotherapy but my mate was still nowhere to be found. After 9 pm, the nurse bid me farewell for the day and moved toward the door. Her fingers were on the switchboard to turn off the lights and I was about to close my eyes when the door flung open. My head whipped in its direction and my breath got stuck in my lungs as I saw a 6-foot tall, broad, and bulky frame filling the doorway. His gaze was fixated on me for a whole minute before he finally stepped inside and closed the door behind him. While he was conversing with the nurse, I let my eyes
Ember’s POV:As his words embedded into my brain, another question popped into my mind. A question whose answer I wanted from his perspective.Still staring down at the bloomed petals of the black rose in my hand, I asked with a slight frown between my brows, “And which rose do you think depicts me the best?”He didn’t take any time to think. Instead, he answered instantly as if the words were already waiting on the tip of his tongue, “White rose, for sure.”My frown deepened as I turned my gaze to him, “White rose? Why? What does that signify?” Now I was really curious to know.His gaze softened and the smallest of a smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he opened his mouth, “A white rose symbolizes purity and innocence and you are absolutely free of any wickedness or darkness. It is also a symbol of love, reverence, and admiration and is used to express deep feelings of respect and devotion, all the things that you deserve in your life.”He paused, his mouth hung open for a momen
Ember's POV:The next morning, I blinked my eyes open and was surprised to see a pair of black and white roses on my bedside table. A smile crept over my lips at the sight of fresh roses.I was amazed at how Nicholus put detail into everything. Even now, the combination of black and white roses, each portraying our different personalities.Rubbing the sleep off my eyes, I pressed the button to slide the upper half of my bed upward. Reaching over to the table, I was about to grab the roses when I noticed a small note placed under them.Sliding it out, I unfolded a piece of paper. A smile instantly bloomed on my lips as I read the words scribbled in my mate's wavy handwriting:"Good Morning, beautiful."I never thought such a day would come when I'd be smiling at a little note left by him. What was even more unbelievable was the fact that the King of the North was even capable of writing it. I mean, what were we? Teenagers?Well, the wide grin plastered on my face was the living proof o
Ember’s POV:The next morning, I again woke up to an empty chair and a pair of black and white roses in the vase with a little note of good morning that brought a wide smile to my sleepy face.After breakfast, the nurse and the maid bid their farewell and I groaned heavily. It was the most boring time of the day when I was left alone to rest. How could they expect me to stay still for weeks?My foot was all healed now but due to the broken ribs, I couldn’t get up or walk around or do any activity. After all, I was on a fucking bedrest which only gave me more time to overthink everything and that's exactly what I'd been doing lately.Right then, I heard a knock on the door. I had no idea who it was because no one had ever come at this hour of the day.As I said to come in, the door slid open and I watched in confusion as a servant strolled a cart inside the room. Padding straight in my direction, he set the cart beside my bed.As I looked closely, I frowned. It was actually a book cart
Ember's POV: For the better part of the day, Nicholus stayed on the couch, went through the files, and signed a few. And me? Well, I had nothing better to do than stare at the hotness lingering before my eyes.To save myself from the embarrassment of getting caught red-handed while gawking at him, I fetched a book from the cart and opened it before me. Trust me, I'm not all pervert. I did try to read the book but even after reading the first sentence ten times, my mind couldn't register what the author was saying when every ounce of my attention was fixated on him.It was later in the day that he got up, stretched his body, and informed me, "It's time for me to hit the gym." What? No! I didn't want him to go just yet. But of course, I'd kill myself before saying that aloud. So, to appear nonchalant, I flipped the page and drawled, "Bring those machines here and create a mini gym like you did with the office." His lips tugged into a devilish smirk and I knew a witty remark was on its
Ember's POV:With my heart stuck in my throat and gaze on the floor, I stepped inside the Guest Hall where she awaited me.She? Who? Even in my mind, I couldn’t bring myself to give her any title. And that got me wondering what was I actually supposed to call her. Mom? Mummy? That would sound so weird. It wasn't like we had some deep bond of love between us. Alas, it would have been if she hadn't left me.Mother, maybe? Like Father. I never called him dad or daddy because I never felt like that. Pain shot through me as I suddenly realized this lady standing in front of me was even more of a stranger than I considered my Father to be.At least, he stayed with me despite everything. Even though deep in his heart, there was hatred for me but still, he never left me. I don’t care whether that was because I was his only heir or what, he did remain with me, and brought me up. Even though he couldn’t give me his love, he did give me all the facilities one could ask for. And still, despite al
Ember’s POV:Today was the D-Day. And that fact was hanging over my head since the moment my body recovered from the hard-core orgasms my mate had bestowed me with all morning.Nicholus had offered to stay with me but I didn't want him to stop everything and babysit me while I fretted over meeting my mother for the very first time.To calm my jittery nerves, I decided to go for a long and hot shower. The maid even lit up some candles with soothing aroma but unfortunately, even after half an hour of leisuring in the bathtub, my mind was still stuck on my mother.With a ball of anxiety rotating in my stomach, I let out a loud sigh and hopped out of the bathtub. Wrapping the bathrobe around me, I strode out of the bathroom.While making my way toward the closet, I heard a knock on the door. Halting, I turned toward it and hollered at whoever was on the other side to come in.I watched as the door slid open and a maid stepped inside. Bowing at her waist, she started speaking politely, "Go
Ember's POV: The next morning, I woke up to find myself spooned in Nicholus's embrace. One of his arms was under my head while the other one was wrapped around my belly. I fucking loved mornings like these. Waking up to the warmth of my mate was worth every difficulty I'd survived till now. Oh, what I wouldn't give to have his body tightly pressed against mine every morning. I shifted slightly and froze as something poked in my ass. His morning wood. Did I fail to mention that while counting the morning blessings? Something hot exploded in my lower belly as heat pooled between my legs. My heart started racing excitingly as I shifted slightly to have the perfect angle to rub my ass on his hard dick. As I slid my ass up and down his hard-on, I felt slick wetness leaking out of my pussy. Fuck, it felt so amazing that I could do that all day without a pause. And suddenly, my heartbeat turned erratic as I heard a deep, morning voice, "You again?" It was so sensual that a new wave of
Ember's POV: The next day while we were all gathered around the dining table during lunch, Nicholus's phone started ringing. One glance at the screen and my breath got stuck in my lungs as the name 'Mabel' flashed as the caller ID. Mother. Quickly grabbing the phone off the table, Nicholus excused himself and hurried outside. For a long minute, I stayed stuck in that moment. A ball of nervousness inflated inside me. Yesterday, I asked Nicholus to contact her and tell her I wanna meet her. As much as I was curious, I was also dreading the moment he would walk back inside and explode the bomb on me. I couldn't believe I was actually sitting there, with a stomach tightly coiled in a knot of fear, wondering whether my own mother would agree to meet her only daughter after abandoning her all those years ago. For the first time ever, I was questioning my worth. Would she see me worthy enough to meet me? Or was I going to be shunned once again? My stomach churned. The taste of my mouth
Ember's POV:Ethan, however, still seemed reluctant to comply with my plan but instead of outrightly denying it, he turned to his Alpha who was rooted to his spot with his intense eyes fixated on me.Clearing his throat, Ethan said, "Umm, what's your take on this, Nicholus? Do you think this is a good idea to go ahead with?"Without averting his gaze, Nicholus ordered his Beta and Gamma, "Leave me alone with my mate."The way he said that in his deep, rough voice coupled with the way he was staring at me, a chill ran down my spine along with a flame of desire igniting deep within me.Ethan shot up from the chair and nodded once before making his way to the door. Darius, who assessed the look in Nicholus's eyes and assumed God knew what, stood and winked at Nicholus before smirking, "Don't go so rough on her."At that, Nicholus finally shifted his gaze to glare at him before grumbling, "Close the door on your way out, Beta."Snickering under his breath, Darius sauntered out of the offi
Ember's POV:After breakfast, Nicholus and the boys made their way to the office, and having nothing else to do, I resigned to my room to escape reality.But I had just read one chapter when a sudden knock jerked me out of the world of faes I was wandering in.Flipping the book close, I hollered, "Come in."As the door creaked open, I saw a maid slipping inside. Bowing her head, she started speaking politely, "Good Morning Queen. King Nicholas has sent me to give you a message."Even though she didn't ask I could see the question lingering in her eyes. Why did King have to send a message through a maid instead of mindlinking?Well, the answer was that I'd been blocking him out of my mind ever since he played his pillow trick. Petty and childish, I know, but I had no idea how else to make a point that I was really upset with whatever he was doing lately.I nodded slowly, "What's the message?""He is calling you to his office," she was staring at me and I don't know what she saw in my e
Nicholus's POV: As Ember retreated to our room, I jerked around and slammed my palms on the stone railing while staring at the vast empire sprawled in front of me. Things weren't going the way I'd imagined. Ember and I...we were the most unexceptional thing to ever happen in this universe. But still, even after all the generational enmity and hatred, we found our way to each other. In our earnest attempts to hate each other, we somehow fell in love. But is loving her enough? Since the last few days, I'd been constantly feeling miserable. I couldn't fathom what she felt at being the target of so much hate. And the fact that I couldn't hide her from all that only enraged me even more. My shoulders slouched as I turned around and walked back to the bedroom. It was dimly lit and eerily quiet in there. Ember was lying on the bed. I took in the wall of pillows in the center of the bed she had set up to show how upset she was with me. But for some reason, everything this 5'8" woman did
Ember's POV: It was past midnight and I lay wide awake on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as hundreds of thoughts swirled in my mind. Nicholus was soundly asleep on his stomach beside me with his arm over my belly. My body was tired and my mind was fully exhausted. I needed sleep but it was nowhere to be found. Feeling suffocated and restless, I wrapped my fingers around Nicholus's wrist and gently nudged it away from my abdomen. Quietly getting out of bed, I grabbed the silk nighty off the couch and slipped it over my shoulders. Knotting the ribbon at the front, I padded toward the balcony. Stepping out, I inhaled a rush of fresh air and let it do its work to calm my jittery nerves. Reaching to the back of my mind, I called tiredly, "Aria?" Her voice was soft as she responded, "I'm right here. And I know what you're feeling." Exhaling loudly, I sighed, "At least now I have someone who can understand me on a deeper level." She paused for a minute before saying in a low voice
Ember’s POV:As Nicholus and I entered the dining hall, everyone was already seated around the table for breakfast. Luna, who used to sit right next to Alpha’s head chair, was now sitting on the chair next to that.I had always disliked the change in ranks and positions just because of a change brought by one person. I was now the King’s wife. Rightfully, that place was mine now, but how could I feel good about lowering the rank of Luna who had been sitting there for decades? Soon, she'd have to pass down the title of Luna to me. Was that even fair?Stepping forward, Nicholus pulled out the chair for me to sit. Mumbling good morning to everyone, I settled down. Nicholus followed the suit and sat down on his chair.Moving his head toward the maid beside him, Nicholus nodded lightly. All the maids started moving quickly around the table, carrying the trays, and serving us breakfast.There was an awkward silence in the hall, just like it had been for the last two days since the reception