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: My insides were burning with turmoil as I made my way downstairs. My thoughts were a jumbled mess and I couldn’t stop thinking whether my decision was right or wrong. Once the mating ceremony was over, there would be no way to go back. I wondered how all of it would affect my wolf. I was hoping with everything in me that mating with another wolf would cause my fated mate to finally reject me and free me from this mate bond. That way, I’d also get Aria back and right now, that was the only thought that made me keep going. With Sophie right beside me, we halted outside the closed doors when she turned her attention toward me, “Are you ready?”At that moment, I just wished I had injected drugs into my system to numb my mind until the end of the day. I took in a shivering breath and closed my eyes for a moment. My fingers grazed over the necklace resting over my neck and I stole a bit of warmth from it, imagining my mother right by my side. Taking a deep breath, I snapped
Ember’s POV: I saw my whole world collapsing right in front of my eyes. Dread consumed me as I realized how easily it all crashed down. I was just a few minutes away from getting married, to fulfill the last requirement to become the Queen of the South. The only thing I had looked forward to my whole life, the only purpose of my life…gone, all gone. A shiver ran down my spine as I saw my mate, the most ruthless and cold-hearted alpha of all times, keep his scalding gaze on me. Pure and utter rage shone brightly in his eyes as they traveled down my bridal dress. His lips curled into a dangerous snarl as he glared at my groom viciously. I saw his hand balling up into a tight fist as he started taking quick and steady steps to where we were standing. Taking a shivering breath, I jerked toward Arnold, and pushed him away, “Go,” I uttered in urgency. His eyes were frantic with fear but he frowned at me, “I can’t leave you here alone.” I shook my head firmly and nudged him, “Just go.
Ember’s POV:Sophie stopped breathing as Nicholas pressed his sharp claw against her neck. Her eyes widened with fear whereas her body went rigid.Without paying any heed to the whimpering girl in his clutches, the cold-blooded alpha flickered his attention to me and bared his teeth, “Tell me, Little Princess, should I go for her jugular or her erratically beating heart?” His smirk turned demonic as he croaked, "It's fun both ways."Fear gripped me and panic swelled inside me because I had now witnessed how far this monster could go. My mind was numb with shock but my body moved on its own accord. My hands flew in front of me and I shook my head violently.My voice came out rough and parched as I whined, “No, not her.”Something deep inside me cracked at the thought of losing Sophie. She was practically my sole family, my anchor that kept me going through all the darkness. I couldn’t fathom to bear her loss. My heart constricted painfully just at the mere thought of it.That explained
Ember's POV:I let out an ugly sob as Sophie fell on the floor. She was out of her wits as she gawked at me with frantic eyes. Breathing heavily, she started crawling toward me.I opened my arms to hug her, to console her that she was okay now but just as she was about to reach me, a steely hand gripped my upper arm, making me wince.I gasped as Nicholus jerked me to stand up and face him. I tried to wriggle my arm out of his hold but my whole body went rigid as soon as he slipped his hand around my waist.Reluctantly, I lifted my gaze and looked at him in confusion. His eyes turned a shade darker and I saw crazy rage lingering there.The muscle in his jaw twitched. Curling his lips in a frightening snarl, he hissed at my face, “Let me show you what happens when someone betrays me.”My frown deepened as he tightened his hold around my waist. And then, all of a sudden, a shocking gasp escaped my lips as he twirled me around and placed his palm on my belly.The first thing I saw was Fat
Nicholas’s POV:It all started a few days ago when I was having a meeting with Ethan and Darius barged into the office with an unbelieving yet dreadful news, “I’ve investigated. Seems like Damon is building an army of rogue wolves.”Ethan flipped his head toward Darius and blurted out in confusion, “Army of rogues? How is that possible?”Darius only shrugged in response whereas I planted my elbows on the desk and leaned closer, “It means that he has found a way to tame them.” That was the only valid explanation I could think of.Darius frowned in confusion, “Is that even possible? Aren’t rogues the ones who have lost all hope of coming back to the light?”I mulled over his words before answering their questions to the best of my knowledge and understanding, “We must not forget that rogues are rogues because they’ve lost purpose in life.” I tilted my head to the side, “I’m not surprised that he has found a way to tame them. The fucker was always interested in them.”Ethan rubbed his fo
Nicholas’s POV:That night, we were all cooped up in my office. Me, my Beta, Gamma, and a few other commanders were all gathered around the map sprawled over my desk.Darius pointed at the map, “According to my sources, the South-North border is heavily guarded by the rogues.”Ethan quirked his eyebrow, “Damon must have stationed them there since they would be expecting us to retaliate after the attack.”Liam, a military commander, chimed in, “Well, we can unleash our army on them. We weren't expecting it last time when they attacked us, but now we are prepared.”Ethan nodded confidently, “Yes, we can easily take them down.”I shook my head once as a smirk formed on my face, “But that would alert Alexander’s forces in the castle and just ruin my surprise, no?”At that, Darius flipped his head in my direction, “What are you planning, Nicholus?”I planted my elbows on the desk and leaned forward, “I’m planning to kill two birds with one stone. First, I’m going to retrieve my mate but…” I
Nicholus’s POV:The night before the wedding ceremony, we received the news that Damon had reached the North-South border with more of his bloody rogues but by that time, I, along with my forces, had already reached the West-South border.After hearing the news, Xoro just wanted to leave everything behind and cross the border to wrap his hands around Damon's neck and strangle him until his face turned red. And then, I’d look into his horror-filled eyes and right before snapping his neck, I’d ask him how dared he lay hands on my mate.I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself and my raging wolf. There was a possibility that Damon had no idea that she was my mate but then, maybe she had confided him in. Fuck, even if he knew, it wouldn’t have stopped him from doing what he did.At that, a deep and dark chuckle escaped out of me. The two people who should have been standing by me as my strength are playing behind my back. I was being betrayed by those I was supposed to trust
Nicholus’s POV:Exiting the dungeons, I started walking toward my private chambers. The night was so fucking mind-exhausting that I wanted to spend the rest of it alone before I caused any more destruction.Passing through the Luna’s quarter, I spotted her guards standing outside. Coming to a halt, I inquired, “What are you two doing here? Didn't Luna order you to take Darius to the castle clinic?”One of them nodded before answering, “We were on our way, Alpha. But then Beta asked us to take him to his chamber instead.”Turning on my heels. I started walking in the opposite direction. The castle had various chambers, quarters, and wings. The biggest of them was known as the Great Chamber which had always been reserved for the King. It was located above all the other chambers. It was so huge that I could see half of my empire from its terrace. After that was the Luna’s Quarters. Then, there were smaller chambers for Beta and Gamma.With quick strides, I crossed the hallways until I re
Ember’s POV:Turning her blazing gaze toward his son, Luna said curtly, “Capturing women in the name of war trophies?”Disgust was written all over her face as she scoffed, “Couldn’t resist walking in your father’s footsteps for long, huh?”His death-like grip around my arm loosened instantly before he blurted out, “No, it’s not…”Luna cut him off mid-sentence, “I’ve never seen you do that before.” She shook her head in disappointment, “The son I’ve raised would never do such a hideous thing to any woman," she said in distress.Alpha’s body went rigid behind me at his mother’s words. He released an exasperated breath and said agitatedly, “You challenged my authority when it came to Darius, mom. But as the Luna of this pack, I let that go and gave in to your demand because I respect you.”His voice turned harsher as he bit out, “But she…she is not a member of our pack. So, you do not need to protect her.”He looked straight into Luna's eyes and uttered with finality, “Let me handle thi
Ember’s POV:I watched in astonishment as a tall lady stormed into the dungeon hall with two guards behind her. They were nothing like the dungeon guards. Both had heavy build with intimidating looks permanently etched into their features. They were more like warriors.But all of my attention was focused on the lady who was lethal but equally charismatic. Immense power radiated off her.Her eyes were fearless which quickly turned ferocious as soon as they landed on Darius hanging from the ceiling.“For God’s sake, Nicholus. He is your Beta and you cannot do this to him,” her cold gaze slashed to my mate who was still gripping my cheeks.The lady’s eyes widened as she screeched in disbelief, “And who is she? And why are you clutching her like that?”“Mom…” my mate said tightly and that was enough to draw a complete picture for me.The charismatic lady who had just appeared out of nowhere was no one but the Luna of this pack. Well, that justified the way she dared to interrupt Alpha’s b
Ember’s POV:Turning toward Darius, Nicholus assessed him with a vengeful gaze, “Really, Beta? Were my orders about her not clear enough to you?”Darius’s shoulders slouched as he exhaled, “They were, Alpha.”“And you still decided to go against me and defy my orders?” growled my mate angrily.Darius stared at the ground, “I thought…”Alpha cut him off mid-sentence, “I wonder why you have a soft corner for her, Darius. She is the one who betrayed your Alpha and still your loyalty lies with her.”At that, Darius lifted his head and looked at his Alpha, “That’s not true, Nicholus. I…”Once again, my mate didn’t let him finish as he spat bitterly, “I feel betrayed, Darius.” He shook his head slowly and grumbled in a low voice, “And you were never supposed to betray me.”Before poor Darius could explain his point, Alpha Nicholus turned his attention to the guards standing on either side of Darius and ordered them, “Hang him to the chains.”My eyes widened at his words, “What?”I saw in ho
Ember’s POV:I dug my nails into his hand wrapping around my wrist while rasping, “Where the hell are you taking me?”Initially, I had expected him to put me back in the cell but soon, I realized that the devil had some other plans for his prey.Fear crept under my skin as he dashed deeper into the dungeons, leaving all the cells behind. As we walked through the dark corridor, I felt the air becoming thick and stagnant.I winced at the foul smell of rotting flesh whirling in the air. I tried desperately to wriggle myself out of his tight hold and croaked through the clogged throat, “Just leave me. Let me go.”At the end of the corridor, he took a sharp turn to the right and started bolting down the staircase. My free hand flew out in a failed attempt to hold anything, to fight him but all was in vain as he sped down.A shiver ran down my spine as the temperature here felt even colder than it was in the cells. Only a few dim lights were illuminating the otherwise dark hallway.There wer
Ember’s POV:Once again, silence prevailed all around us as we both stared at each other with intensity. None of us averted our gazes as millions of thoughts whirled around in our minds.I waited for him to thrash out in anger, mock me for not being a purebred, alpha-born, and insult me for having mixed blood in my veins.More than anything, I desperately waited for him to reject me right then and there. A new hope fluttered inside me. I was a hybrid, everything opposite to what he was expecting in his fated mate.The wisest thing for him to do as a King was to reject me and find a Chosen Mate with strong connections and pure, alpha blood coursing through her veins.But a long time passed and he kept standing there, gawking at me, thinking God knew what.His blank stare had started to affect me more than I liked to admit. I wondered what was going on in his mind.I squirmed under his hard stare and finally sputtered, “Say something.”I regretted that instantly. Why did I sound so vulne
Ember's POV:I was thrashing on his shoulder, screaming maniacally, punching him anywhere my fists could reach but he remained unscathed and seemed unbothered as he effortlessly carried me back to the dungeons.As soon as he stepped inside, guards rushed to close the gates, and only then did he unhauled me from his fucking shoulder.As my feet landed on the ground, I coiled my hands into tight fists and started yelling, "You caveman, freaking Neanderthal, how dare you..."Ignoring me like I was invisible, he turned around to face the guards, "Explain to me how she managed to leave even after such tight security?"Blood left their faces as they gawked at me with wide eyes and stammered in fear, "Alpha, we've been on high alert just as you've ordered us. We don't know how she..."Before the poor, frightened guard even finished his sentence, my very uncivilized and cruel mate lunged forward and wrapped his hands around the necks of both guards.Moving with the speed of light, he took the
Ember's POV: Death played in front of my eyes in slow motion. I saw bulky wolves prancing in the air with their mouths gaped open, ready to bite their meal and tear me apart. I was still as a rock, not daring to move a muscle in my body, welcoming death with open arms when, all of a sudden, the world seemed to stop around me. My eyebrows deepened in utter confusion as I saw wolves suddenly falling to the ground mid-jump. Their bodies thudded down and they all touched their heads to the ground in complete surrender. A million questions whirled in my mind and I jolted around in a full circle to make sense of the things happening in front of my eyes. Who were they surrendering to? There was no one around us for as far as my eyes could behold. I would have loved to get answers to satisfy my curiosity but what I would have loved even more was to survive. As I took in all the wolves bowed down in surrender, it suddenly felt like fate had given me a second chance at life, at freedom.
Ember’s POV:It had been ages since I’d trained or practiced with my packmates due to the weakness I felt after Aria’s disappearance but I didn't let that excuse bring me down when I was this close to freedom now.Closing my eyes, I called forward the athlete inside me and took a deep breath to release the tension in my body.I walked closer to the wall that was now separating me from my freedom and took a moment to assess it with evaluating eyes.My gaze roamed over the stony wall and I touched the protruding stones where I could hook my hands and feet while climbing. There was no doubt that the wall was strong enough to hold my weight but the only problem was the silver that was now streaking down the wall at multiple places.I couldn’t do anything about that other than tolerating the burns because no matter how careful I could be, the touch with silver was inevitable.I rolled my shoulders several times as a warm-up. With a heavy breath, I lifted my arms and grabbed the highest pro