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: I was stunned out of my wits to see my mate, the King of the North, standing in front of me. Despite the panic gripping me, my eyes still didn't fail to devour him in all his mighty glory.He was looking deliciously handsome in the black suit that was hugging his bulky body, accentuating the muscles beneath. And that tie…wait…why did that match the shade of my dress?My eyes roamed up to his eyes and I looked into the darkest pools of pitch-black.I was jerked out of the trance when he whispered, “Hello, Little Princess.” My eyes moved to his perfect lips as he mouthed, “Or should I say MATE?”I sucked in a sharp breath and frantically looked around me to make sure no one heard him.I stared back at him and gritted out through the clenched teeth, “What are you doing here?”Was he insane? The ballroom was literally filled with the male alphas who were desperate to get his blood on their hands. What type of maniac was he to step into the hall full of enemies?“I’m not afrai
Ember's POV: As soon as I was done with the dances, I excused myself, and after a little while discreetly slipped away from the crowd. My pace was fast and steady as I took a turn leading to the hallway. My footsteps halted as I took in a large figure standing at the end of it. His broad frame was leaning against the wall.With arms folded at his chest, his eyes took me in from top to bottom and his lips contorted into a snarl. After all those dances, I must be covered in other males' scents from head to toe. But...his problem, not mine. As soon as I approached him, he opened his mouth but before he could utter a word, I blurted out, "Not here." His mouth clamped shut. But not on my command. It was more because of a shock which was kinda understandable. Being a King and all, he must not be used to being interrupted let alone cut off mid-sentence.Well, there's always a first time for everything. And if he had expected me to bow down in front of him and that too when he was in MY te
Ember’s POV:His hand lunged upward and clutched around my upper arm. His eyes were wide with madness and crazy rage. It was evident that rage had consumed him whole.His grip around my arm tightened. Searing pain rippled through my arm but he kept exerting force. The more pain I felt, the more content he seemed to be.I glanced down and saw his knuckles turning white whereas my arm was reddening.I looked back up into his scalding eyes. Jaw set tight, when he opened his mouth, his voice was dripping with hot venom, “I, Nicholus Dicaprio, the King of the North, refuse to accept your rejection, Ember Valdez.”I didn’t want to appear weak in front of him but I couldn’t take it anymore. At last, a whimper escaped my lips as the pain became unbearable.All of a sudden, the black of his eyes was replaced by a golden glow. Soon, they started to glow brightly. His wolf had surfaced as a result of my whimper. No matter the situation, the wolves can’t see their mate suffering.Slowly, his hold
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 only
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
Ember's POV: With wide smiles and twinkling eyes, everyone was staring at the door, waiting for the bride and groom to make their first appearance. But as soon as the doors opened, all the chitter chat turned into loud gasps followed by a pin drop silence. Tightening my fingers around Nicholus's arm, I stepped inside and noticed how every pair of eyes widened with shock as they spotted the Princess of the South beside the King of the North...a very unexpected match indeed. No one in their wildest dreams would have thought that they would ever witness such a day. A heavy lump formed in my throat as I scanned the crowd. So many faces were familiar. The people who had always known me as the daughter of Alexander Valdez and the future queen of the South were now witnessing me as the bride of Nicholus Dicaprio and the shock was clearly evident on their faces. But among the shocked faces, there were some red with anger and betrayal. Those were the unfamiliar ones. The daggers they were t
Ember's POV: Once we climbed down the ladder of ecstasy after cumming so hard, both of us stared at each other and burst out laughing like two maniacs. Rushing to the washroom, we did a quick job to clean ourselves and returned to the room. I giggled at the cute naked ass of Nicholus as he sprinted to the balcony to fetch our clothes. Our movements were quick as we slid into our wedding outfits. While zipping my back, Nicholus informed me, "We need to hurry. I'm continuously receiving mindlinks from Mom and Darius." Grabbing the skirt of my dress, I rushed toward the vanity and redo a bit of the makeup before brushing my hair straight. Nicholus was leaning against the doorframe, staring at me in amusement as I tied the straps of heels around my ankle. Raising my eyebrow, I inquired curiously, "Why are you smiling?" His smile only widened as he blurted out, "I think I'm feeling butterflies." A chuckle spewed out of me at his choice of words, "And why is that?" He took
Ember's POV: Resting my body against Nicholus, I sighed tiredly, "What a hectic day it had been." I couldn't see his face but still heard the mischievous smirk in his voice, "I'll make sure to end it with a nice and relaxing body massage." "And then...?" I trailed off flirtatiously. Planting his hands on my ass cheeks he pulled me forward until his hard dick was poking into my sensitive flesh, "And then I'd make you cum so many times that you'd lose the count of it." He let out an amusing chuckle, "You sleep best when your body is completely drained after a series of multiple orgasms." Shaking my head amusingly, I tilted my head backward and stared up at the night sky. "The moon is at its highest point," I uttered with temptation. Hooking his finger under my chin, Nicholus made me look into his eyes. His eyes searched mine for honesty as he asked me, "Do you still wanna do it after all that happened? Or do you want to take some more time to process everything?" I glanced at t
Ember's POV: After placing one final kiss on his lips, I slid off his lap and earned a disapproving grunt from him. But I stayed rooted to my spot and uttered, "I think we should talk about my mother now." At her mention, he straightened up and contorted his face in a serious expression. Lifting his face, he met my gaze, "I'm ready when you are." I nodded firmly, "Tell me everything about her. I wanna know all that you've been hiding from me." A slight frown appeared between his brows, "First, I wanna make sure that you know I didn't hide anything because of any ill intention. And that I wasn't intending to hide the truth forever. I was merely waiting for the right moment." I stared at him hard and long before relaying the truth, "I still think that you shouldn't have hidden such an important truth about my life. You are my mate, I don't deserve to be betrayed by you." Standing to his full height, he looked at me with worried eyes, "Hey, don't say that." Closing the distance b
Ember's POV:As Damon opened the door to leave, I saw Nicholus standing right in the doorway. Damon ignored Nicholus glaring at him in confusion and went away without a word.Stepping into the room, Nicholus closed the door behind him. At that moment, I felt like a therapist who was about to attend her second patient of the day.Walking deeper into the room, Nicholous pointed his thumb at the door, "Was he crying? His eyes were red."Jerking his neck, he muttered, "He'd always been a crybaby. I knew he'd be using his tears to gain your sympathies.""Nicholus, please, no need to exaggerate," I interrupted her.He rolled his eyes, "You don't know him.""Do you?" I snapped at him, "If you'd really known him then you wouldn't have let him go in the first place."His nostrils flared, "I couldn't really chain him up, could I? He left because of his ego.""And you let him go because of YOUR ego," I blurted out.Saying that, I turned around, and reminded myself to keep my calm. Nicholus was c
Ember's POV:After Nicholus left the room, I turned to face Damon who was also staring at the door with a slight frown.Headache was already kicking in and I hadn't even started yet. Rubbing my forehead, I said, "Can we go out on the balcony? I need some fresh air."Shifted his gaze at me, he muttered, "As you wish, princess," before making his way toward the balcony.I followed him out on the balcony and instantly inhaled deeply, rushing the fresh air into my lungs. I could feel it clearing my head.Settling on the chair, I waved at the one next to me, "Have a seat, please."Sitting down beside me, he jumped straight to the point, "Tell me what you wanted to talk about."I took a moment to think about where to start but was there any way to have this conversation without breaking his heart? I doubted so. I had no intentions of hurting him but there was no other way of doing thisTaking a deep breath, I opened my mouth and started speaking, "Damon, I know why you came here and I reall