Ember’s POV:Rooting his feet on the ground, Damon leaned forward until he reached my eye level. Refusing to look him in the eyes, I jerked my head in the other direction because I still remembered how he insulted me and somehow forgot to apologize.Of course, the man didn't care about any of that.Tilting his head to the side, Damon said in a mocking tone, “Had a nice chitchat with your Prince Charming?”Tilting my head, I took in the gray clouds covering the sky, and huffed a loud sigh, “As usual, none of your business but of course, you never get that, right?”Damon clicked his tongue, “As your POTENTIAL friend, lemme tell you just for the record. He can promise you his sheer respect, loyalty, and affection but when it comes to ardent love and passionate devotion, he isn’t capable of that.”At that, my head flung toward him and I glared into his eyes, “You were eavesdropping,” I squinted my eyes, "You really have no concept of boundaries, right?"Straightening up, he simply shrugge
Ember’s POV:My throat clogged at his confession and I swallowed the lump in my throat. I bit my bottom lip and wrapped my arms around me in a protective manner, “Why are you making things so complicated?” I asked in a small voice.His eyebrows drooped lower and his shoulders slouched as he whispered helplessly, “Is it that impossible for you to love me back? Do you really despise me to the point that you can’t even consider such a thing? What exactly have I ever done to deserve this much hatred from you?”Tears prickled at the back of my eyes, “I don’t hate you, Damon." I paused and took a shuddering breath, " I don't wanna hurt you but…” I shook my head vigorously, “But I…I can’t do it. It's impossible.”Another thunder growled in the sky, depicting Damon’s feelings and my turmoil. And then, all of a sudden, it started raining. Big, fat raindrops pattered on the ground.Stealing one last glance at him, I turned around and started sprinting toward the castle. My mind was a chaotic mes
Ember’s POV:Suffocation was a small word. I was feeling so constricted in my own body that it felt like the whole world was crashing into me.I was grateful that Damon did not follow me this time or I would have exploded with rage. Maybe he too was too shocked at the revelation to show any other reaction.Entering the main door, I sped past the hall and whipped around the corner. Reaching the staircase, I took two at a time. If Ms. Tacy had been there she must have scolded me that such manners didn’t belong to a Princess let alone the future Queen but at that moment, her validation was the least of my concerns.Keeping my pace fast, I ran through the corridors and didn’t slow down until I got to my private wing. It was only when I reached my bedroom did I stop.I was panting heavily as I grabbed the doorknob and kicked it open. Slamming the door behind me, I sauntered to the table and gulped down the glass of water in one sip.Flopping on the couch, I grabbed my head and took deep br
Ember's POV:Damon already had his eyes glued to me, assessing me with careful eyes, maybe wondering what was going on in my mind.Now that I knew who he really was, my gaze couldn't stop roaming all over his face, taking in the familiar features of my mate. Sleek nose, high cheekbones, full lips...why didn't I catch it before?We kept staring at each other for the next few minutes, lost in our thoughts.And for the first time ever, Damon was the one to break the eye contact. Sliding his head to the other side, he stared at the distance.His eyes narrowed and the muscles in his jaw clenched. His face hardened but hurt flashed in his eyes as he stated tightly in a low voice, "You are his mate."There. He said it. And now the words were hanging between us like a thick barrier. His face contorted into disgust as he processed his own words, making them real.It wasn't a question. It was a statement. He was always of a sharp mind so I wasn't surprised that he put two and two together after
Ember’s POV:Damon turned on his heels to face me and leaned his back against the pole. He heaved a heavy breath, “It wasn’t always like this. There was a time, long ago when we used to be close.” His lips pressed in a thin line as he shared what seemed to be a valuable memory, “My brother used to be my best friend.”I gave him the time he needed to process his feelings and waited patiently even though I was curious to know what could possibly go wrong for them to become bloodsworn enemies.Damon tilted his face to the other side and stared at the distance. I could see that recalling the past events was kind of hurtful to him.Swallowing the lump in his throat, he revealed another secret to me reluctantly, “Nicholus and I…we are half brothers.” Turning his head back to me, he sucked in a sharp breath, “We share the same father, the late King of the North, Arnold Dicaprio. But our mothers are different.”He took a small pause before continuing, “Nicholus is the child of King Arnold Dica
Ember’s POV:The air was thick with heavy silence. As Damon relived the pain of his past, I thought about how tormenting it must have been for him to lose his mate right in front of his eyes.I swallowed the growing lump in my throat and inhaled sharply, “I’m so sorry, you didn’t deserve any of that.”The corner of his lips stretched into a sad smile, “It’s okay. I’ve learned to live with it.”No wonder he always seemed lonely. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Opening them, I looked at him with evaluating eyes and a frown appeared between my eyebrows, “But all this rage and hatred…it’s consuming you, Damon.”I understood that the revenge he wanted was valid in his eyes, but he was giving himself away to evil. As he stayed quiet, I got curious about how exactly he was planning to go against the most ruthless alpha alive.Tilting my head to the side, I inquired, “By the way, how exactly are you planning to take him down?”Lifting his head, Damon met my eyes and thought about it
Ember’s POV:Standing on my wobbly legs, I composed myself and sauntered toward my bedroom door. I was expecting Ms. Tacy or some other maid, so I stretched a huge smile on my face and flung the door open.But the smile quickly vanished as I took in Damon standing on the other side. His hair was ruffled and his eyes were dimmed, it was apparent he was barely holding himself together.My eyes traveled to his slouched shoulders and I spotted the strap of a backpack there. I frowned at that, “Where are you going?”His voice was blank and tired as he stated, “I’m leaving.”My frown deepened as I blurted out, “Leaving? Where? And why?”Pressing his lips in a thin line, he said tightly curtly, “You don’t expect me to stand by and witness you being someone else’s bride, do you?”I raised my hand and pointed at his bag, “So, this is what you want to do?”His eyes steeled as he hissed at me, “No, what I actually want is to take you with me, either by force or by kidnapping you.” His gaze darke
Ember’s POV:“Oh, my goodness, what a heavenly beauty I’m witnessing right now,” exclaimed Sophie while stepping into my room.I glared at her through the vanity mirror I was glued in front of with a bunch of beauticians hovering over me, “What took you so long?”Her eyebrows met her hairline as she raised them dramatically to make a point, “I am the only bridesmaid, duh. Of course, I’m busy as hell to make sure everything is going smoothly.”I rolled my eyes, “Stop stressing yourself and take a little rest now.”She stopped over my head and smiled down at me, “I can take all the rest starting tomorrow. But today, I will enjoy your big day to the fullest.”I wished I could feel the tiniest bit of excitement she had been feeling for my wedding but I wasn’t. My thoughts were all over the place. I was worried about Damon and dreaded what was cooking in Nicholus’s mind.Of course, we’ve tightened the security but when it came to the ruthless alpha of the North, nothing had seemed to stop
Ember's POV:After Nicholus left my room, I stayed rooted to my spot for a long minute. I was too stunned to process what he just said. He sounded so detached, so unbothered like killing his brother wasn't a big deal for him.After a few minutes, the door creaked open and Darius rushed inside. He came to a sudden halt as soon as he saw me pacing the floor."I've come to tell you about it but by the looks of your pale face, it seems like you already know," he stated.My hands flew in the air, "Tell me it's nothing but bullshit. I mean, there is no way he could be serious about killing Damon, right? He is his BROTHER. No matter how much hate, enmity, or misunderstandings they have between them, they are still brothers," I rushed out in one breath.He let out a tiring sigh, "You know how they are, Ember."I let out a loud groan, "How could either of them even think such a horrible thing is beyond my understanding."He remained silent for a few minutes to let my anger cool off before spea
Ember's POV:After Nicholus was gone, I slid down to the floor as the walls I had built around my heart cracked and the dam just broke apart. Uncontrollable tears rolled down my cheeks. My shoulders shook as my body rattled with ugly sobs.How could a mother be so cruel to her only child? What did I do so wrong to deserve that? All my life I craved for my parents' affection but what did I get in return? Their betrayal...?Father failed me miserably but I had my Mother's thoughts to keep me going. Even though I had no memories of her but I still thought that she must have loved me. I used to find comfort in the fact that the only reason she wasn't with me was because she just couldn't. It was better when I thought her to be dead. Because the thought that she had abandoned me was killing me bit by bit.Was I really that bad of a person? I've heard...heck, I've seen parents always loving their children no matter how bad of a monster their kids are. Was I even worse to be depraved of both
Nicholus’s POV:Watching her looking at me with nothing but hatred shattered my heart into so many pieces that I didn’t know how to pick them all and make it whole again.I don’t know how the hell Damon got his hands on the confidential inside information about military and state matters and I absolutely had no idea that he’d be twisting that information to sow a seed of doubt in Ember’s heart.But I couldn't really blame him. I should have been cautious. I should've foreseen it. I shouldn't have taken his long silence so lightly. I let my guard down and was witnessing the results now.But as far as the matter of the South was concerned, I had it under control. I had no bad intentions and I'd keep telling her even thousands of times if that would make her believe me.But the irreversible damage occurred when that fucker told Ember about her mother. He shouldn't have gone there. He had created a big mess which I had no idea how to come out of.I knew I’d lost all fight when Ember yelle
Ember’s POV:Despite the turmoil raging inside me, I waited patiently as Nicholus wiped his hands through his hair before starting, “First of all, I want you to know that the army has nothing to do with marrying you, okay?”My eyes widened horrifically, “So it means you ARE planning to take over the South…?”He shook his head, “What? No.” He walked closer to me but I lifted my palm, making him stay wherever he was. I need a little distance between us to think rationally.“Tell me about the army first,” I said in a sharp tone.Nodding slowly, he started speaking, “Do you remember when you were on bed rest, you heard Damon, Ethan, and I talking about the war looming over us?”I nodded curtly, thinking back to that night when they were all worried about Nicholus’s wolf weakening while the war was close.A slight frown appeared between my brows along with a relief. But I told myself not to grow any more hopes before going to the bottom of it.“So, the army is for that war?” I couldn’t kee
Ember’s POV:Grabbing my hand, Damon had just taken a step toward the door when an ear-piercing roar boomed in the air. “Enough!” Nicholus growled.My feet came to a sudden halt as I felt the sudden shift in the air. Damon pulled me forward, more urgently now. But before he could another step, the doors to my room flung open and dozens of warriors spilled into the room, blocking the exit.My head whipped around as I heard warriors jumping in through the balcony.In a few seconds, my room was brimming with warriors closing in on us, surrounding me and Damon. My gaze shifted from one to another as I blurted out in shock, “What’s happening?”Damon bared his teeth and pointed behind me, “It’s him, of course. He must have mindlinked his minions. That's why he was silent and still.”Damon shook his head and said amusingly, “Really, Nicholus? Are we really doing it?”Nicholus shrugged nonchalantly, unbothered by everything happening around us, “Warned you time and time again to shut that fuc
Ember’s POV:I stole a glance at his fingers brushing over my necklace and heard his shocking whisper, "The Celestial Stone."My head whipped up to him and saw his pupils dilating as he looked at me, “You are…what the…”I felt Nicholus going rigid behind me. His voice sounded menacing as he warned his brother, “Damon, no, not this…not now.”A deep frown appeared between my brows. Closing my fingers around the necklace, I stepped aside and watched the brothers exchanging heated glares.An eerie feeling of unrest settled in the pit of my stomach. My throat felt constricted as I sobbed, “What…what is it about my mother?”Nicholus was slowly shaking his head in a threatening manner. At that, a wicked gleam twinkled in Damon's eyes as if he had stepped closer to his victory.My heart lurched to my throat as a devilish smirk tugged over Damon's lips before he chuckled coldly, “Dark, dark secrets between the mates are crazy.”It felt like my heart just dropped all the way to the floor. Fear
Ember's POV:With my pulse a ticking bomb waiting to explode, I stood there, waiting for him to deny all accusations, assuring me that whatever Damon was spewing out of his mouth was nothing but bullshit.But all hopes trembled to death as Nicholus stepped backward. All of a sudden, he seemed so tired as he rubbed the nape of his neck and sighed, “Ember, I…listen…”More tears streamed out of my eyes. Angrily wiping them away, I screamed at his face, “Is that true or not, Nicholus?”I already knew it was. But still, I waited pathetically for him to deny it all so that we can go back to our fairytale wedding we'd been so excited about.His gaze flickered to Damon standing behind me before shifting back to me. Slouching his shoulders, he breathed out, “Just a half truth.”A gut-wrenching sob escaped me as I took another step away from him only to walk closer to Damon.Nicholus took a quick step forward and grabbed me by the shoulders. His voice sounded urgent as he spoke, “And you need
Ember’s POV:I could feel the anger oozing out of Nicholus but on the outside, he appeared calm and composed as if he were almost expecting his arrival. Twitching his eyebrow higher, he asked in a blank voice, “What are you doing here?”Straightening his shoulders, Damon tightened his hold on my hand before uttering, “I’m here to take Ember with me.”Hearing that, I again tried to twist my hand out of his, wincing as a sharp shot through my arm as his grip tightened defiantly.That’s when Nicholus’s eyes flickered down to our joined hands. His gaze narrowed viciously and his fists coiled tightly at his sides. Baring his teeth, he snarled menacingly, “Leave her hand right now, Damon.”Damon paid no heed to the warning ringing in Nicholus’s voice and took a step toward the door.Before he could take another, Nicholus lunged forward. His voice was a loud roar as he growled, “Touch her again and I’ll fucking rip you to pieces.”His body thudded into Damon’s and they both stumbled backward
“Damon…?” I whispered into the darkness, gawking at him with wide eyes.As soon as he heard me saying his name, his shoulders slouched and he took a breath of relief. He seemed like a traveler who had finally reached his destination after an eternity of traveling nowhere.Suddenly, he lunged forward. Sliding one of his hands around my waist and the other around the back of my head, he pulled me into a tight hug.Sticking his nose to my neck, he inhaled deeply and I could feel his body relaxing against mine. His hot breath washed over my ear as he whispered with a raw emotion I couldn't decipher, “God, I missed you. I missed you so much, Ember.”My mind was a jumbled mess of chaos and confusion as I tried to process what exactly was happening. Breaking the hug, I stared at him with frantic eyes, “Damon, what are you doing here?”Placing his hands on my shoulders, he squeezed lightly and said with a hint of excitement, “I am here to take you with me. Away from here.”My heart was thuddi