Ember’s POV:“So, are you going to this…dinner?” Sophie asked me while flopping on the mattress.“Do you think I have a choice?” I shot her while munching on the cookie.Sophie turned to her side, “Well, after knowing what a crazy psycho bastard he is, I would suggest you not provoke him any further.”That's the plan. Brushing the crumbs from my mouth I groaned heavily, “Ugh, I hate how he is controlling me, Sophie.”She heaved up on her elbow, “I despise him for it too but still, I don’t want you to risk anything.” She looked at me with concern and enunciated her words, “No one can know about the weakening or disappearance of Aria when you are this close to finally becoming a Queen. People will only see it as a sign of weakness and will never accept you as their Queen and ruler.”Sadness filled me up and I stayed silent. Sophie’s voice turned softer as she tried to make me feel better, “People of the South love you, Ember. There is no doubt in that but when it comes to their safety an
Ember's POV:I stared out of the window at the night lights as the car dashed through the city.After about 20 minutes of driving, the car screeched to a halt in front of Fable & Fork, a renowned five-star restaurant located in the heart of the city. I've been here dozens of times to attend meetings and events.As the driver opened the car door, I grabbed my purse and stepped out of the car. As soon as I was out, a man clad in a black suit accompanied me. Bowing slightly, he introduced himself, "I am Brian Wade, the manager at Fabel & Fork. It's an absolute pleasure to serve you this evening, Your Highness."I pulled a small smile and acknowledged him with a nod. Waving his hand forward, he requested, "Please."Lifting my chin, I started walking toward the entrance. As I stepped inside, two other waiters bowed and accompanied us. As we reached the dining area, I looked around to find a familiar, brooding face of a psychotic bastard.Brian cleared his throat beside me, "Not here, Your
Ember’s POV:The food was brought and served by the Head Chef himself. Seeing the mouth-watering food made my stomach growl, which fetched a chuckle out of Damon.I squinted my eyes at him, “Let the girl devour the finger-licking food, you demonic soul.”A burst of laughter escaped him as he filled me a glass of wine.Rolling the pasta around my fork, I slid it into my mouth. Closing my eyes, I relished the feel of my taste buds exploding with a rich creamy taste.I opened my eyes to find Damon staring at me with a small smile and amusement in his eyes. I raised my eyebrow at him to which he slightly shook his head and grinned widely, “Who could have thought that the Princess of the South has a severe food fetish.”I winked at him playfully, "At least, better than a foot fetish." Taking another bite, I pointed at the untouched plate of food in front of him.Sliding the plate of sizzling hot steak closer to him, he picked up a fork and knife and took his time to slash the piece of meat
Nicholus’s POV: “So yeah, I have tightened the security around the borders and made all the arrangements in case we’re attacked again,” Ethan informed me of the military situation. I nodded my head curtly and said tightly, "Very well. I want us to be fully prepared for any future attack." Ethan assured me that he had taken matters into his own hands and I needed not to worry. Nodding at him, I reached over the piled-up files on my desk and plucked out the blue one. It was a full-fledged plan and proposal by Alpha Maddox, King of the East, about to convince me to hand over the rights to manufacture BloodMoon Merlot to them. As I read the contents of the file, Ethan leaned back in his chair and assessed me with careful eyes. I was fully aware of his stare at me and even knew what was going on in his head. I waited for a few more minutes before grunting, "Say it, Ethan." He straightened up, "Nothing to say, Alpha. I just have a question I'm really curious about." "Ask away," I mum
Ember's POV:I woke up to someone shaking my body vigorously. As soon as I peeked open an eye, a severe wave of headache split my skull into two.I winced in pain as I forced my eyes open and blinked several times to focus. Sophie was hovering over me with a deep frown on her face, "Oh, thank God you opened your damn eyes," her hand flew to her chest, "I thought that you went into a comma."I groaned while rubbing my forehead, "What happened?"She widened her eyes, "12 pm happened, Your Highness."All the grogginess vanished from my body as I abruptly sat up on the bed and screeched, "What? 12 pm? And I slept in?""Again," Sophie groaned.And then her eyes roamed all over my face and her frown deepened, "Are you okay, Ember?"She sat on the mattress beside me and said with worry, "You don't seem fine to me. You have gone so week in just a matter of few days. You sleep in every other day, don't have the energy to train, and I've noticed that you've even lost your appetite."I pinched m
Ember's POV:Sophie and I stayed on the lawn for the next few hours and gossiped about all random things until she received a text from her mom, who asked her to run some errands.Sophie wanted me to tag along but I was feeling too tired to do anything productive. So I stayed behind and sprawled on the grass for a little longer.An hour later, I finally forced my legs to stand up and return to the castle.Walking through the corridors, I was about to take a turn toward the stairs when my eyes caught Damon playing chess in the hall. Something about him made me stop in my tracks and I couldn't help staring at him.He was playing alone, all by himself. He seemed so lonely at that moment that I got flashbacks of my own childhood before Sophie came into the picture. I used to be alone just like him.I remember vividly how I used to play all by myself. Being a princess, I was never short of toys but what fun do toys bring when you don't even have a friend to play with? Yup, that's why Sophi
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
Ember's POV:I stationed Sophie behind the bush outside the castle and made my way over to the guards. They got suspicious but before they could warn others through the mindlink, I was up to them and breathing down their necks. As soon as our eyes met, the game was over for them.Once my hypnotizing power kicked in, I inquired, "Where the prisoners from the South are kept?"Just as good little puppets they were, they responded in unison, "In the dungeons."Stashing that crucial piece of information, I then asked about the way toward the dungeons and how many more guards would I encounter on my sweet way to the said dungeons.Taking Sophie with me, I stepped inside the castle and took a quick sweep. Sticking to what the guard had told me, I started walking toward the left. Reaching the end of the corridor, I stopped at the edge of the staircase leading downward where everything was engulfed by the eerie darkness.I kept my mindlink open and tried to reach out to the prisoners that bel