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:The door we exited from was actually at the left side of the castle whereas Nicholus was waiting at the front.Stepping out of the door, I and Darius rounded the castle to go to the front. Trusting Darius to navigate the way, I kept my eyes on the ground and held my gown as I took careful steps ahead.As we reached the corner, Darius halted suddenly and pulled me backward."Ouch," I yelped, "what are you doing?"His finger shot up to his lips as he urged me to stay quiet, "Ssshhhh."He moved his finger and pointed somewhere in the distance, "Look," he said while letting out a low, playful chuckle.Frowning slightly, I slid closer to the corner and turned my gaze to where he was pointing at the front of the castle.My heart did a quick flipflop as I saw Nicholus beside a black BMW. I took a moment to run my gaze down his body. He was wearing a three-piece suit in the same midnight blue shade as mine. His hair was neatly combed backward. He was looking so charismatic and ha
Ember’s POV:Nicholus stepped forward and draped aside the curtain of vines hanging between the trees, making a narrow passage for us to pass through.His broad shoulders obscured my view as we stepped through the passage and it wasn’t until I was inside that I came to face the most picturesque view my eyes had ever beheld.My footsteps halted and so did my breathing. My eyes slowly widened as they swept around and took in the heavenly scenery unfolding in front of them.“What the…where are we…what..?” I stuttered in shock, utterly bewitched by the exquisite beauty all around me.Leaving my hand, Nicholus stepped in front of me and waved his arms in the air, “In between the stars, Belle Ame.”I turned around in a full circle. My hands flew to my mouth. He remembered. No, not only he remembered but he also somehow made my impossible wish come true. Happiness bloomed inside me at what he'd done for me.Feeling way above cloud nine, I screamed giddily and sprinted forward on the wooden b
Ember’s POV: As soon as our lips connected, something awakened deep inside me. The type of desire I'd never felt before. So raw, so unrefined that it shook me to the core. Electricity zinged through my veins and tingles flared all over my skin. I was so shocked by the sensations I was feeling.Heat pooled between my legs as I deepened the kiss but then, all of a sudden, I realized that Nicholus was standing still.Panic swelled inside me. Was it one-sided? Did I misread his eyes? Was I moving too fast? Feeling like he wasn't really into it, I broke the kiss and pulled my head away. Nibbling my bottom lip nervously, I was just about to step away from him to compose myself when a sudden gasp escaped my throat. Before I could take any step away from him, his hand on my cheek swiftly slid to the back of my head. His touch was no longer gentle as he grabbed the back of my head tightly and held me firmly in place. Everything happened so fast that I didn't dare move as his other gripped
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