Chapter 1

Ember's POV:

I heard the trembling voice from my left, "Lemme ask you again, are you really sure about it, Ember?"

I jerked my head in Sophie's direction, not liking the doubt in her demeanor at the last minute, "Why else do you think I've crossed the Forbidden Border and entered the North territory?"

Her eyes swept our gloomy surroundings, taking in the dark forest all around, and she shivered, "I am not liking any of it. We can still go back..."

My eyes narrowed in annoyance, "The fear in your voice is now making me question Liam's training skills."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "You are this much confident because you are an Alpha born."

I gave her another look to which she responded with a groan, "Don't look at me like that. You know why I am this afraid. I mean, come on, we are in the NORTH."

I shook my head and sighed in disappointment, "You knew what you were getting yourself into when you agreed to it, Sophie."

Her voice lowered when she replied, "I couldn't really let you come here all alone, Ember."

I squared my shoulders, "I am not afraid of anything or anyone. I could have done it alone if you were so afraid."

Her fear was making me feel agitated. Sophie had been training with me since childhood. Both of us have been trained by the best of the warriors but look at her, she was just being a scary cat.

But, her fear was justified to some extent too. Yes, none of us had ever stepped into the North region but we've surely heard our fair share of legendary tales of cruel wolves inhabiting the area who were also our worst enemies. I have seen people shiver with fear at the mere mention of the ruthless King of the North.

Sophie opened her mouth to say something but immediately clamped it shut as we heard hurried footsteps at some distance. We pressed our backs against the tree trunk and halted our breaths.

At that moment, I seriously started regretting my decision to let Sophie tag along with me. We had used my special perfume to mask our scents and had practically stopped breathing to prevent any attention but it was all useless because Sophie's erratic heartbeat could be heard by the enemies if they were to come any closer.

My father's voice replayed in my mind, "Bring them back, and only then I'll deem you worthy as my inheritor. Consider it the last test."

And just to prove to him that I was, indeed, capable of being the next ruler of the South, I had traveled all the way to the North and now I was this close to my destination.

So, no, I would not let defeat take over at any cost now.

I weighed my options and made a quick decision. Taking a risk, I trod closer to Sophie. Without making any sound, I placed my hand over her mouth as tightly as I could because I couldn't really afford her screaming at that crucial moment.

I could see her pupils widening under the moonlight. Her eyebrows were creased in confusion and horror. I urged her to look into my eyes and when she did, I grasped her attention.

I kept staring deep into her eyes, letting my special hypnotizing abilities win over her senses. Once she submitted to my hypnotizing power, I opened our mind link, and ordered her, "From this moment on, you'll stay calm and silent."

A moment after she nodded her head, I saw a mist covering her pupils and her shoulders slouched as she relaxed down.

I waited for her heartbeat to drop to the normal rate before stepping away from her. I took in my surroundings and only when I was sure that no enemy was lurking around anymore, I turned back to Sophie and said through our mindlink, "Now, follow me."

I loved using my hypnotizing power on my enemies but when it came to friends, I didn't like controlling them like puppets. But in this case, it was necessary for so many reasons. Too much was at stake to not take a risk.

After an hour more of walking, we reached the edge of the forest and could see the towers of the Alestai Castle, housing the most powerful pack of the North territory, the Shadow Hunters.

The pack, as well as the whole North, was ruled by Alpha Nicholus Dicaprio,  commonly known as the Alpha of Darkness. He was well-known for his ruthlessness and cruelty.

He was the kind of Alpha about whom mothers told stories to their kids to discipline them, the kind of Alpha when spoken about entailed fear and terror.

Even though I had never seen or met him, but still, for some reason, I wasn't afraid of him. Why would I?

I was, indeed, the only daughter of the King of the South. Soon, I'll be the Queen of the South. Why exactly would I fear the enemy when I was raised and trained by the most skilled warriors?

As we drew closer, I took in a sharp breath at the marvelous structure of the Alestai Castle. All the stories about it being the epitome of architecture were true then.

We kept walking until we reached its back side. To my dismay, the castle was heavily guarded. Even after trying hard, I was unable to get my hands on its map or any inside information but I'd be damned if I would be leaving without two prisoners my father had told me to retrieve.

Tilting my head upward, I pinpointed the highest tree around me. Tightening the cape around me, I started climbing the tree. Less than three minutes later, I was perched on its highest branch from where I could view the back side of the castle.

From what I could see, two wolves were pacing the back entrance. They were on high alert and no doubt, thirsty for some blood.

Beyond the gates, what I would encounter was a total mystery.

Tonight, my weapon won't be my fighting skills. It would be my hypnotizing power because drawing any attention was the last thing I needed tonight.

Climbing down, I informed Sophie through the mindlink, "Stay close to me. As an afterthought, I added, "And just avoid dying at any cost."