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
Ember’s POV:I was pushed into the car by my mate. A moment later, the car shifted as his huge and bulky frame settled inside. He was so big that even the spacious car felt much smaller in his presence.I squirmed toward the door but there wasn’t enough space to put between us. I saw the flare of my dress touching his leg and I quickly collected it to move it away from him.He saw me doing that vainly and shifted his leg away from my dress.A moment later, the engine rumbled. I sucked in a sharp breath as I glanced out the window and took in the castle I’d spent my whole life in.Even after spending all my life there, I couldn’t come to call it a home. Maybe that’s why while going away from it, I just wanted to take one thing with me. Sophie, my best friend.But it didn’t mean that it hurt me any less to part ways with it. It felt like someone had stabbed a sharp knife deep within my heart and was continuously moving it sideways to rip it open. Yes, it was my mate. He was doing that t
Ember's POV: I had no idea how much time passed, but it felt like an eternity, flying through the night sky in utter silence. I spent every second of that rolling in my misery, missing the life I had left behind, and dreading what fate had in store for me. Since the start of the journey, my mate had his head glued toward the window, without sparing so much as a glance in my direction. Darius, on the other hand, seemed bored and tried to make small talk with me frequently, to which I paid no heed and totally ignored him. He also brought me food more than once and even though my stomach was grumbling with hunger, I made no move to eat anything offered by him. It felt like anything down my throat would only nauseate me and the last thing I wanted was to humiliate myself by emptying my guts in front of these men. A new wave of panic coursed through me as the pilot announced our entrance into the North territory. I closed my eyes and my gut coiled as the flashbacks of my first night in
Ember’s POV:The last time I was in the dungeons, I had a mission to free the prisoners but this time, I was going to be one of them. Ignoring the panic swirling in the pit of my stomach, I focused all my attention on my surroundings.Darius walked deeper into the dark dungeons and I followed him briskly. My eyes were all over the place, remembering every nook and corner. Anything, any minute detail could prove to be very helpful while running away, that’s what my years of training had taught me.While passing through the cells, I took in the space within them. It was dark and gloomy. Other than sunrays and moonlight, there was no other source of illumination and besides a tiny window at the top corner, there was no other source of ventilation.Behind the thick and heavy silver bars, there were prisoners. In the utter darkness, I could only make out their silhouettes. By their heavy and ragged breathing and moaning, I knew how badly they were being tortured.All of a sudden, a fearsom
Ember's POV:"Anyhow, I'd love to chitter chatter with you and bond over the dark tales of the North but I just received a mindlink from Alpha, so gotta go," he turned around, "See you soon, sister-in-law."I listened to the last of his retreating footsteps and a minute later, I heard ancient, rusty doors creaking and locked.What followed was an utter and horrifying silence. Wherever my gaze traveled, I only saw pitch-black darkness, so very similar to the eyes of my mate. The dark, demonic, devilish eyes of my mate.Turning away from the bars, I tilted my head toward the window in the upper corner of the wall. It was large enough for me to squeeze through but the silver bars won’t let me.Sighing in disappointment, I dragged my feet to the corner of the cell. Pressing my back against the cold wall, I slid down to the hard-stoned floor, collected my bridal dress, and wrapped my arms around my knees, huddling myself together.All of a sudden, emotions, that I’d been tightly holding in
Ember's POV:I tried my best to brace myself against the darkness of my mate but at one point, the painful wails, agony, and cries for help became so much that I started to correlate it with my own people when he massacred them.I couldn't help placing my hands on my ears to drown out the cries of tortured ones and hid my head in my knees. My vision blurred with my tears and I quickly wiped them away before anyone could spot them streaking down my face.After what seemed like an eternity, the cries finally died down.I lifted my head just in time to see my mate passing through my cell. This time, he neither stopped nor spared a glance at me.Suddenly, my breath stuck in my lungs and my eyes widened in fear and disbelief. What followed the ruthless alpha was the evidence of his brutality.Bile rose up my throat as I took in two guards holding a prisoner whose wails I'd been hearing all morning. They were literally dragging him like a sack of potatoes.Shiver ran down my spine and blood
Ember's POV:The next day, I was expecting Nicholus to visit me and discuss the ticking bomb looming over our heads, a.k.a. the mate bond.A ball of anxiety rolled around in my belly for the whole day. To be honest, I wasn't ready for that conversation. For some reason, I still wanted to be free of this mate bond and return to the South.Deep down, I knew there was no point in going back now. My people would never accept me. It didn't go unnoticed by me how no one from the South ever attempted to rescue me. I was sure it was my Father's doing. He must have brainwashed them against me.He must have revealed that I was a witch. Me being a hybrid was enough to turn them against me. I wouldn't be surprised after knowing that my cunning father had painted me as a liar and wicked witch who was betraying everyone to get her hands on the throne and rule the South.On top of that, he must have used this mate bond against me. I could imagine the hatred he must have planted in those people after
Ember’s POV:I was sound asleep when my sleep was interrupted by a parched throat. I peeked my eyes open, and the first thing I saw was the glowing numbers on the digital clock. It was past midnight.Suddenly, I realized that I wasn’t alone in the room. Someone was there. I could feel the movement beside my bed. As I took a deep breath, the earthy scent that had driven me crazy more than once, told me that it was my mate.Very slowly, I tilted my head to the side and saw his tall figure standing beside my bed. My breathing slowed down as I studied his features radiating under the warm hues of the bulb.Although I never wanted to admit it my mate, indeed, was a very handsome man. My heart picked a beat as I took in his wide shoulders. With thick muscles and a broad frame, he was the epitome of masculinity.He was wearing a black button-down shirt and black pants, indicating that he came here straight from his office. In that attire, he was looking even hotter. His sleeves were rolled u
Ember’s POV:For the rest of the day, I took a rest which was quite boring. I never thought I’d admit it but I was kind of missing my mate’s presence beside me. Every time the door opened, my ears perked up to hear his deep voice but it was never him.The nurses visited frequently to ensure I was fine and gave me medicines. Soup was served at lunch and it was a struggle to swallow it down my throat. Dr. Alina informed me that the bad taste in the mouth was a common side effect of certain medicines. That’s why everything tasted bitter and rotten.It was in the evening when I finally heard his footsteps outside the ward. Instead of coming inside, he lingered there for a minute before the door finally creaked open. As soon as he stepped inside, an inevitable smile split over my lips at finally being able to see him after a long wait.Closing the door, he turned around to face me and suddenly went still with his gaze fixated on the stupid grin on my face. He seemed to be taken aback by my
Ember’s POV:For the first time since stepping foot into the North region, I woke up all warm and cozy, snuggling in the soft comforter. I opened my eyes to the bright orange glow of the heater radiating heat at full speed.I yawned softly and was about to rub my groggy eyes when I felt something peculiar that instantly increased my heartbeat.Slowly tilting my head to the other side, I took in a big, bulky hand covering my smaller one. He didn't leave, after all. A hint of a smile grazed my lips as my eyes remained fixated on our connected hands. Mine seemed so tiny in front of his large, meaty hand.I was still relishing the warmth of his touch when his body squirmed slightly. That’s when my eyes traveled to his face and a loud gasp escaped my lips.Hearing that, he jolted awake and started looking here and there while saying frantically, “What happened? Are you okay? Should I call a doctor?”My eyes widened at his reaction and something hot dropped in the pit of my stomach as I hea
Ember's POV: We had been talking for about 15 minutes when the doors to the room flung open, and a 6'3" tall grumpy man appeared at the doorway. I didn't fail to notice how his broad shoulders and tall figure filled the whole doorframe. His eyes landed on Darius and he grumbled warningly, "Time up, little buddy." Darius rose to his feet and screeched dramatically, "But we were just about to start gossiping about you." My eyes widened as I protested, "No, we weren't." Darius smiled down at me wickedly, "Oh yeah, because we've already done that," he ended with a wink. I opened my mind to reprimand him when we heard my mate grumbling again at the poor soul, "Enough of this childish behavior." In a flash, he appeared before Darius. He thought I couldn't hear him but my ears picked up his exact words as he hissed in a low whisper, "You had your time with her. Now I want you out." Darius opened his mouth to say something but it suddenly clamped shut as his posture straightened and hi
Ember’s POV:My head felt heavy and dizzy as I stepped back into consciousness. Every inch of my body ached brutally and it was an effort to open my eyes.A white ceiling came into view and when I tried to move my body to sit up, an excruciating pain rippled through my abdomen and traveled to every part of my body.That made me moan in agony and just a moment later, my mate’s face appeared over me. His forehead was creased with worry as he looked down at me. When he spoke, there was a hint of relief in his voice, “Finally, you’re up.”His eyes roamed all over my face as he inquired with caution, “How are you feeling now?”I stared at his face looming over me and willed my fingers to move and touch him but, for some unknown reason, I felt stuck in my body. I kept staring into his eyes filled with worry and my own eyebrows furrowed as I took in the horror lingering in those pitch-black orbs and then finally, the strings started connecting in my head.All of a sudden, the flashbacks of t
Nicholus's POV: As soon as I was done with the shower, I made my way back to the clinic and found Darius outside the ward. Walking up to him, I suggested, "Now you should go and take a shower yourself." He squinted at me, "After your continuous nagging, I think I can really use one." As he walked away, I settled on the bench outside the ward and went to the waiting. I was getting restless, waiting for the doors to burst open at any moment and doctor coming out with a news, a good one actually. After about three minutes, Darius opened our mindlink, "Hey there, any update?" Annoyed at the interruption, I huffed out, "I'll let you know if there's any." He snickered, "Already getting frustrated? Remember I did that for over a dozen times." I retorted mockingly, "It's sad that you don't have the power to keep our mindlink shut...unlike me." He was about to say something when I snapped the mindlink shut. I could feel him trying to push it open but of course, that wasn't possible for
Nicholus's POV:Once again, I spiraled back into the state of unknowing and every fucking second of it was full of agony. I was continuously pacing the floor while the doctors examined my mate inside.It was an effort to control myself from bursting through the doors. After the night's horror, I didn't want to leave my mate alone even for a second. My mind was still stuck in the moment when I found her in the woods, wounded and unconscious. The image of her lifeless, pale, and limp body kept flashing in my mind.My jaw clenched and I gritted in agitation, "What the hell is taking so long?"Darius, sitting on the bench outside the ward, sighed aloud, "Calm down, Nicholus. Your fretting isn't doing anyone any good."I whipped my head toward him and screeched, "No, Darius. I can't fucking calm down when my mate is in there and I have no idea what's going on."I watched as the worry in his eyes turned into something similar to amusement and he drawled, "Worried enough? About your mate? Wh
Nicholus’s POV: Suddenly, out of nowhere, Darius appeared beside me and yelled over the howling wind, “What are you doing here?” I continued scanning the area wildly while screeching, “Looking for her. What else do you think?” Stepping in front of me, he frowned with confusion, “What…I mean…you really can’t catch her scent, Nicholus?” My eyes widened and my heart picked a beat as I whispered hopefully, “Can you?” Darius eyed me with concern. I knew what was going on in his head but I didn’t have the time for that conversation when my mate was still out there somewhere, lost and in God knows what condition. Good thing that Darius realized that too and turned around, “Come with me. I can catch her scent.” I took a shivering breath and rasped out, “That means we’re close.” He nodded tightly, “We’ll find her, Nicholus.” Like a lost puppy, I followed him as he sprinted through the rough patch in the woods. He took a few sharp turns before coming to an abrupt halt. I scanned the are