Hey lovely readers, What do you think is the little secret of our Ember? And if you are enjoying the ride, do leave some gems ;) Love you all <3 Author Hami
Ember’s POV:Filling my lungs with the fresh air, I forced myself to release some tension and lightly rapped my knuckles on the ancient wooden door. I held my breath, making myself mentally prepared for whatever was about to be thrown my way.After a long stretch, I finally heard a husky voice from the other side, “Come in.”Blowing out a puff of air, I straightened my shoulders and slid the door. It creaked as it opened and revealed the cozy, ancient interior of the hut.My eyes swept around and I took in the small but spacious area. The floorboards creaked under my feet as I stepped inside. Even the walls were made of wood. They were bare except for the preserved heads of dead animals nailed to them.Other than a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, the fireplace was the only other source of illumination. An oak table was place on the other end with the herbs, vials, and different bottles of coloured liquid scattered over it. A large wooden bookshelf was placed near the small
Ember's POV: With rage filling me, I exited the hut like a firebolt and didn't exhale until I had covered some distance between us. Suddenly, Sophia appeared in front of me, "Hey, you okay?" she inquired after witnessing me out of my wits. I halted and screeched, "Coming here was a mistake!" Her eyes shifted to the hut, then zeroed in on me again, "What happened? What did Deborah say?" My fists balled up tightly at my sides as I gritted through clenched teeth, "Deborah is fucking insane, Sophie."She was looking at me with confusion. "I...She..." I opened my mouth again to say something else but I was literally short on words about how to explain my inner turmoil to her. I shook my head whether in denial or disappointment...I don't know. As I started walking in the opposite direction, Sophie followed me silently. I knew she must have her own million questions but right now she was actually doing me the biggest favor by holding her tongue.I needed all the time left in the universe
Ember’s POV:She nodded her head, "I don't know how is that even possible since no one knows about it but yes, that seems to be true."She gripped my arm and looked into my eyes, "Listen, Ember, I think we can't tackle this whole situation unless we figure out the second part of the puzzle."I swallowed the lump in my throat, "But how?"She looked me dead in the eye before sharing her idea, "Maybe we should really try to look into your mother and find out who she really was...?"------------After dinner, both I and Sophie resigned to my private chambers to discuss things in private. We made our way to the den and settled on the couch in front of the fireplace.Sophie stared out the window, “It’s getting chilly day by day."I nodded in agreement, “The winters are on their way.”A soft knock on the door interrupted our conversation. Getting up from the couch, Sophie walked over to the door and opened it. A maid was standing on the other side with a tray laden with two mugs of hot choco
Ember's POV:She waited for me to go ahead and open it but I stayed rooted at my spot and sighed, “I am not feeling good about any of it.”Her head jerked in my direction, “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t back off after finally coming all the way here.”When I stayed silent, she groaned in frustration, “Just open the damn door and get done with all the answers, Ember. Once and for all.”My arms jutted out as I yelled in annoyance, “And what if I don’t like the answers? Am I even mentally prepared to face all of that? I don’t even know.”Sophie remained quiet. Rubbing her temple, she finally turned toward me, “Alright. It’s true that I want you to find and acknowledge your identity and reality because I think that only then you’ll be able to find some peace.”She rested her hand on my shoulder and said softly, “But I also don’t want you to do any of that under some pressure.”Pressing her lips, she nodded, “Yes. I think we should head back for now.” Turning away, she started moving the
Ember's POV:Eyes back on the journal, I continued reading, “After years of mourning at the loss of his true mate, King Alexander was lucky enough to meet his second love. Mabel Frostwood, a young and beautiful lady who belonged to the West region. Alpha Alexander met her when he was there to attend the annual conference of alphas. Even though it is the deepest and darkest secret of Alpha Alexander's life but it must be mentioned in this biography that Mabel Frostwood was not one of our kind. She was not a werewolf."I jerked my head toward Sophie who was already gawking at me. My heart was thudding loudly in my ribcage. I thought that she might be of some low rank and that's why I was not a purebred but her being of another kind? I never thought about it.I let out a whooshing breath. It was simply the most brutal thing fate could have done to me. Even more brutal than to choose the King of North as my fated mate. I pinched my eyes and sighed tiredly, "This revelation alone has the
Nicholus's POV: I was staring hard at the navy blue liquid in the glass that I was clutching in a tight grip. I was never like this. Never before had I depended on the alcohol to keep my mind away from something but ever since the night of the party, one particular pair of brown eyes was continuously messing with my head. For that, I would like to blame my childish wolf. Right then, Xoro snapped at me, "Yeah yeah, put all the blame on the innocent Xoro." I rolled my eyes, “It’s true. You can’t stop sulking around like your world has ended.” As if tired of arguing on the same topic again and again, Xoro sighed, “Whatever, Nicholus. I’ve tried my best to make you understand the things. So don’t blame me when I won’t be able to take it anymore.” “You up?” came Darius’s voice through the mindlink. I took a long sip, “Yep.” I could imagine his smirk as he said mockingly, “Another night of lover boy not being able to find sleep, huh?” I groaned, “Shut up.” He chuckled before asking
Ember’s POV:“Do you want to wear anything particular to the Royal Ball, Your Highness?” Ms. Stacy asked me with a big, bright smile which annoyed me even more.“I’m sure you have it all planned, Ms. Stacy. So I’d rather go with whatever you have already decided.” I shot back a reply.She bowed her head when the door to my bedroom flung open and in came a storm a.k.a Sophie Wilson, “After what we got to know a few days ago, I can’t believe that you are still going on with the Royal Ball.”I jerked around and glared at her. She clamped her mouth shut and took in the lady standing beside me. I turned toward Ms. Stacy and stretched my lips, “Kindly leave me and Sophie alone for a while.”She stayed rooted to her place and said hesitantly, “But…Your Highness…you have to get ready for the Royal Ball.”Not having the patience to play all polite and kind at the moment, I just stared into her eyes and channeled my hypnotizing power, “Just go.”Her shoulders slouched and her eyes dimmed as she
Nicholus's POV:The next morning, Xoro woke me with an excited screech, “Hey, Nick, wake up. Let’s go and get our girl.”I opened my eyes with a groan and sat up on the bed. For the next five minutes, I stayed there, just like that, staring into the distance, wondering why I actually agreed to do such a stupid thing.Xoro defended his stance, “It’s not stupid to claim your destined mate tho.”I slid the covers away while mumbling under my breath, “Yeah, the same mate who doesn’t give a fuck about us or the mate bond and is going ahead to find another potential mate tonight.”I shut him off before Xoro could be her lawyer again and left the bed. I padded to the washroom and took a long, hot shower.I donned a crisp black suit with a white dress shirt when Xoro perked up in my mind, “Wear that red tie. The one you wore at the formal alpha’s meet-up. You look handsome in that one.”I sighed and told my idiot wolf that I wasn’t getting ready to impress my mate. I was actually getting ready
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