*sigh* I wish I had a man like Nicholus in my life *sigh again*
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:After Nicholus was gone with Darius, I stayed rooted to my spot for a long time and just stared at the wall while thinking about what had just happened. I was still stuck in that moment. We were literally just a moment away from kissing each other.What the hell was happening to me? I felt like things were moving really quickly between us. Just a week ago, I was yapping to Darius about how I hated his Alpha so much and now I was really looking forward to making love to the same person. Was I even in my right mind? Whenever he comes close to me, all the intelligence jumps out the window, leaving me alone with my foolishness.I wondered what changed. I think my decision to move on from his previous mistakes and give him a chance without any hard feelings was the turning point. But I must admit that he too was making sure not to mess anything up this time. If I think I changed then he had changed tenfold.But I was scared at the way things were escalating between us. I was s
Ember’s POV:It felt like Nicholus had developed some kind of a routine. Every morning, I woke up to either a pair or a whole bouquet of black and white roses.He had started coming to my room early in the morning, freshly showered and looking like an eye candy. Before entering, he’d linger in the doorway for a minute, giving me time to ogle him all I wanted.I always tried my best not to act like a pervert and stare up and down his body shamelessly but was that even possible when such a hot Alpha with a tall, big, and wide frame was standing in front of me?With a knowing smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, he’d come straight to me and brush my hair. No matter how many tangles I had, his movement always remained gentle and patient while braiding my hair.Today, after making a braid, he picked a small flower from the vase and tucked it behind my ear. Placing the mirror at an angle, he showed me his handiwork and I marveled at the way he was becoming an expert with every passing da
Ember's POV: After days of overthinking and worrying, I decided to just go with the flow. Overthinking was only deteriorating my mental health It was only making me go crazy.I was continuously worrying myself about the future I had no idea about and hence, was unable to even enjoy the present. So, instead of worrying about the inevitable, I decided to live the present to its fullest. And after making that decision, life became more worth living. Every next day was more pleasant than the previous one. Nicholus had been spending more and more time with me. Being near to him felt so peaceful. In other words, I felt complete. Initially, he had been eating breakfast with me but recently, he had also started having lunch and dinner with me in the room. We were practically inseparable now. And my teenage heart was on cloud nine. Over the last few days, he had shifted his whole office to my room. All day long, the employees would come and go with files in their hands. Nicholus would stay
Ember's POV:Rubbing the sleep off my eyes, I rolled over to the edge of the queen-sized bed and heaved myself up into a sitting position. Spotting a large blue box on the bedside table, I stared at it cluelessly.Grabbing it with careful hands, I placed it on my lap and squinted at a dark blue ribbon tied around in a cute bow.In the center of the bow, I saw a note tucked in. Grabbing the corner of the note, I slid it out of the box and lifted the cream-colored folded paper in front of my eyes.Unfolding it, I read a note neatly written in my mate's handwriting:"Good Morning, my beautiful mate,Congratulations on your recovery. I'm truly proud of you. On this auspicious occasion, I'd love to take you somewhere. A place where you once wished to be.Along with this note, I'm sending you a small gift. Wear it only if you like it.I'll be waiting for you outside the castle at 8 pm."My lips split into a bright smile as I read the note again before placing it aside.Turning my attention
Ember's POV:Darius stayed by my side as we took a quick tour of the packhouse before settling in the living room. After a few minutes of talking about random things, a maid strolled inside with a rolling tray laden with a kettle, cups, and all sorts of desserts.“Aw, Carolina, you didn’t have to do so much. Only tea would have been enough,” I said with awe.She shook her head, “You requested us not to arrange for the lunch. Even though we wanted to but we decided to respect your request. So, please enjoy the tea.”Pouring the tea in the cup, the maid placed it on the table in front of me before picking a plate, “What desserts you want me to serve you, Your Highness?”Sliding forward, I grabbed the plate from her hand and smiled up at her, “It’s okay, dear. I’ll serve myself.”She went still for a moment before finally straightening up, “Sure, Your Highness.”My mouth watered as I greedily eyed all the pastries, donuts, custard pies, and fruit tarts. I was about to pick the chocolate
Ember’s POV:As soon as I stepped out of the castle, I came to a sudden halt while gasping aloud.With wide eyes and a shocking voice, I screeched, “What the hell is happening here?” while pointing at dozens of black SUVs parked outside with almost half of the North army standing guard beside them, ready to hop in at their Alpha’s command.Nicholus raised his eyebrow as if there was nothing ridiculous going on, “I only agreed to this plan of yours because you agreed to go with high security, remember?”I sucked in a sharp breath, “I definitely didn’t think you were talking about this ‘high security,’” I groaned while waving my hand toward the guards.Nicholus took a deep breath and twisted his neck, “You refused to take me along with you. If I’m not going, then they’d all go instead.”I rubbed the back of my neck, already tired of discussing the matter for infinite times, and gritted out through clenched teeth, “In case you forgot, let me remind you again of the purpose of my visit. I
Ember's POV: The next morning, I woke up with Nicholus's arm wrapped around me. As I tried to wriggle out of his hold, he squirmed in his sleep and tightened his hold, "Mmhmm, where are you going?" I glanced over my shoulder at his adorable, groggy eyes he was squinting at me with. "I have to go," I replied. He groaned, unhappy with the answer, "No, don't go anywhere. Just stay here and give me morning cuddles."At that, I burst out laughing loudly, "People would call me crazy if I'd ever tell them that the ruthless alpha of the North just said those cheesy words to me."Moving his hand to my bottom, he spanked my ass playfully, "You naughty, little princess, why would you tell anyone about what happens in our bedroom?"I giggled under my breath, "Good thing that the room is soundproof or otherwise I wouldn't need to 'tell' them about what exactly happens in our bedroom."Snuggling closer, he licked my earlobe and whispered roughly, "Yeah, because your loud screams and hot moans wou
Ember's POV:Knowing that I had a long day ahead, I hit the bed earlier than usual. I just wanted to restore my energy to appear fresh and energetic while making my first public appearance.But despite everything from lighting the candles with soothing aromas to drinking the herbal tea, I was unable to find sleep. Hours passed and I still found myself tossing and turning on the bed as restlessness zinged inside me.There was a ball of nervousness inflating inside my belly as I thought about tomorrow. Even though after careful consideration, we've shortlisted the smallest and most welcoming pack for our first visit I just couldn't help thinking about the worst outcome.I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door creaking open. I glanced over my shoulder to find Nicholus closing the door behind him.As he turned around, a slight frown appeared between his brows, "Why are you still up? Is everything okay?" I caught a hint of worry in his voice as his eyes roamed over all over
Ember's POV:The next day after breakfast, we all gathered in the conference room to discuss the plan and schedule of coming days.I was sitting on a chair next to Nicholus's head chair with a file of pack names and descriptions opened in front of me.Darius, who was sitting accross from me, inquired curiously, "So, what pack are we going to visit first?"My eyes scanned the contents of the file while my mind was busy making a strategy.Just when I opened my mouth to answer him, a breath got stuck in my lungs. I felt electricity rushing through my veins as Nicholus sprawled his hand over my thigh.Slowly, I clamped my mouth shut and swallowed hard as his thumb stroked my thigh. Why a mere movement felt so damn sensual was beyond my understanding.Darius who was still waiting for an answer raised his eyebrow, "Well?"I swallowed again and huffed out a huge breath, "First, we'll..."Once again, my mouth clamped shut as Nicholus's hand started moving up my thigh, letting tingles break al
Ember's POV:Tears were already brimming my eyes when I reached the door. My insides were swelling with so much rage that I had no idea how to keep them inside anymore. Without sparing a glance over my shoulder at my sobbing mother, I threw the door open and stormed outside only to come to a sudden halt when I spotted Nicholus leaning against the wall.As soon as he saw me, he straightened abruptly. His eyes roamed all over my red, angry face before settling on my eyes crested with tears.I was on the verge of crying but I didn't want to do that in front of him. I didn't want him to perceive his mate as weak and vulnerable who didn't know how to handle a situation or navigate her feelings.His jaw clenched tightly at seeing me in that state. I jerked my face to the other side, unsure of when these traitors of tears would decide to betray me.Nicholus took a quick step toward me but before he could take another, I raised my palm in the air and choked through the lump in my throat, "Don
Ember's POV: Unable to look at her being hurt by my words, I averted my gaze, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down and think rationally. Pulling her hand away from my face, she fumbled her fingers together, "Never apologize for speaking your mind." That coming from her made so much sense. That actually made me realize that my mother wasn't some weak woman, indeed. For years, she faced Father's oppression and finally, did find a way out of his clutches. Father had often reprimanded me for having too many opinions or always speaking my mind. He perceived my fierce personality as a sign of arrogance. But hearing these words from my mother made me wonder whether I got this fierceness from her. Moving my gaze to the couch, I waved at it, "Let's have a seat." I waited for her to start moving and then followed her to the couch. As she sat down, I followed the suit and sat on the couch adjacent to hers. She was still fumbling with
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