Ember’s POV:Even on the stage, I couldn’t stop searching for a pair of pitch-black eyes amidst the crowd. I let out a bitter chuckle. So much for the damn warning. It seemed like the King of the North was not used to keeping up with his words because here I was just a few minutes away from wearing another man’s ring and no doors were banging, no grand appearance, and no enraged alpha in sight.“Umm, are you okay?” a voice came beside me.I snapped out of my thoughts and took in Alpha Arnold Pierce standing in front of me, “Yes I am,” I blurted out abruptly.He assessed me with careful eyes, “You look pale,” and then let out an idiotic chuckle, “It must be nervousness. I know, I was…”I couldn’t help rolling my eyes in annoyance. He was still blabbering about nonsense when I left him standing there and made my way to Father.“Any reason for not proceeding with the ceremony?” I bit out in frustration.He opened his mouth but before he could say something, his phone started ringing. As
Ember’s POV:I lifted my head to find Sophie running toward me. She crouched down and grabbed my shoulder, “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?”“I…” my throat clogged. It was all too much.Sophie rubbed my back to soothe me, “It’s okay. Everything will be okay.”Planting her hands on my shoulders, Sophie heaved me up and made me sit on the bed. Walking to the table, she fetched me a glass of water, and I gulped it down at once.It took me a few minutes to compose myself. I wiped my hand through my hair and grabbed a handful of it, “Any update about Deborah?”That's all that mattered to me now; to find my wolf and make sure she was okay. It’s been a few days since I found out that something was wrong with Aria. I needed to visit Deborah to seek some answers but she had been traveling to some other continent at the moment.Sophie patted me on the back, “She’ll be back in two days. We can visit then.”Two days. Two days were too much of a time. So much could go wrong in 2 days.I’ve been
Ember’s POV:I saw amusement flickering in Deborah's eyes as she assessed me.. I held her gaze and acknowledged, “You were right. My mother was not a werewolf. She was a witch, a really powerful one. And I am a half-werewolf and a half-witch.”Silence grew heavier in the room at my confession. I glanced between Sophie and Deborah and found them both staring at me. I let out a nervous chuckle, “Acknowledging it aloud feels both dreadful and elevating at the same time but I’ve decided to accept myself for who I am instead of running away from it.”There. I said it. Loud and clear.Moving closer, Sophie placed her hand over mine and squeezed gently whereas Deborah smiled softly at me, “That’s the spirit, my child.”I twitched my fingers nervously and leaned to the edge of the couch, “But what…what do you know about my mother? How was she?” I asked in a desperate need to know any tiny detail about my mother.Deborah’s smile widened as she thought about my mother. My chest swelled with prid
Ember’s POV:The walk back to the castle was eerily quiet. Neither Sophie nor I discussed the matter any further but our minds were still stuck on all that happened in the hut.Reaching the castle gates, I hypnotized the guards into oblivion who quickly opened the gates for us. With quick footsteps, I rushed into the castle with Sophie on my heels.Keeping my gaze on the floor, I pondered over the mess I was in. Taking a swift turn in the hall, I started climbing the stairs leading to my private wing. I was so immersed in my thoughts that I didn’t realize when my head hit something hard.“Ouch,” I yelped at the contact. It all happened so fast. I lost my balance on the stairs and my eyes widened in panic as I stumbled backward. I clamped my eyes shut and waited for the painful fall down the staircase. I was sure that it would leave a bump or two on my head.But instead of that, I felt a big, warm palm sliding around my waist. My eyes snapped open and I took in a pair of gray, stormy
Ember’s POV:“Meet Damon. He is our…business partner.” He then looked at the man who was still assessing with his dark stare, “Damon, meet my daughter, Ember Valdez.”My eyes widened and my head jerked toward the stairs. Damon. I remembered the name. Father had a very secretive phone call with him during my engagement party. He was the one who assured Father that the welcome gift had been delivered to the North.Now, all of a sudden, I seemed very much interested in this mysterious man who was somehow linked to the North. I didn’t miss my Father intentionally not mentioning his last name and I very much noticed the pause he took before lying about being his business partner.Taking long and steady steps, Damon reached the top of the staircase and stopped behind me. I turned around to face him and said slowly, “Damon.”I frowned as he bent slightly and grabbed my hand in his. Lifting our intertwined hands in the air, he stared deep into my eyes and whispered roughly, “I swear the name h
Ember’s POV:The next morning, I made my way into the dining room to have breakfast. As I sat on the chair, Anna appeared at my side, “What should I serve you for the breakfast, Your Highness?”My gaze traveled to the Head chair as I asked her, “Is Father not joining me today?”Placing a plate in front of me, she informed me, “King had his breakfast earlier this morning before he went out for a meeting.”Meeting? I wasn’t informed about any such meeting. Well, I wasn’t surprised, after all, there was so much going on behind my back in this castle.“Are you really getting married?” came a booming voice behind me.I jerked around to find a tall, bulky man standing in the doorway. Damon.My eyebrows pinched together, “What are you doing here in the castle this early in the morning?”Without averting his eyes away, he started taking slow steps in my direction, “I asked the question first.”My nostrils flared slightly as I bit out, “Not that it’s any of your business but yep, I am getting
Ember’s POV:“No! He did not!” Sophie exclaimed when I told her about the not-so-pleasant event that occurred at the breakfast.“I can’t fucking believe that he could’ve even thought of doing such a thing…and that too in the castle,” I felt my blood boiling all over again as I recalled those moments.Sophie jerked her hand and groaned in frustration, “Why even is he in the castle?”I planted my palms on my hips and spat in annoyance, “Apparently he is a very special guest of Father who is going to stay in the castle for God knows how long.”Sophie was furious at Damon’s actions and attitude. Crossing her arms over her chest, she flared her nostrils, and gritted out in one breath, “And tell me why the hell you didn’t hypnotize him and compelled him to cut his own jugular with the same fucking knife?”Fuck. I was hoping that she wouldn’t go there but who was I kidding? She was Sophie, the always curious-and-pays-attention-to-every-tiny-detail entity.I swallowed and averted my gaze, “I…
Ember's POV:A little bit of excitement zinged through me as I looked at the perfect solution I'd crafted for myself.Amusement flickered in my eyes as I looked at Sophie, "Do you remember what Deborah said? That my witch-side is getting stronger and it's suppressing Aria who has already gone weak since I denied her her mate?"She groaned in frustration, "I clearly remember what Deborah told us. Now stop beating around the bush and tell me what the hell is this?" She pointed a finger at my secret vault."The solution, Sophie. It's a solution to all my problems." I chuckled excitedly.She stared at me long and hard like I had gone insane before spitting, "This? This is your solution?"Slowly shaking her head, she inserted her hand in the space below the floorboard and grabbed both vials I stole from the castle clinic last night.She looked at me in disbelief, "I can't even believe that you can even think to do such a thing."She paused and then screeched, "Like seriously, Ember?" She w
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
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