Hi lovely readers, I know updates are slow for some avid readers. I wish I could write 50 chapters for you guys daily XD. But trust me, I'm literally drowning in quizzes, assignments, and presentations. All I can promise right now are the daily updates even if that is only one chapter. If you guys want, you can check out my other book which is already COMPLETED while waiting for this book's updates. I'm sure you'd love that as much. Loe you all <3 Author Hami.
Ember’s POV:For the rest of the evening, I continued pacing the floor. My heart was heavy with dread. Panic clawed at my insides, eating me away.Darius’s words kept whirling in my head over and over again. My heart was pounding so rapidly that I felt that it would just rip out of my chest at any moment.My mind had stopped working but I still thought of all the ways I could get out of this hell but all was in vain. All the dwindling hope I had been holding onto all along slowly died away as I realized there was no way out of my ruthless mate’s clutches.My breathing became ragged and my muscles tightened with anxiety. Padding to the darkest corner of the cell, I pressed my back against the wall and slid down to the floor.Hugging my knees to my chest, I placed my cheek against my knees. Tears prickled at the back of my mind as the defeat flashed before my eyes. It was laughing at me, mocking me, insulting me.As my gaze shifted to the window and I saw the moon shining brightly in th
Ember’s POV:That night, an idea hit my mind. I was lying in a fetal position, rolling in my misery, waiting for the worst to come and consume me when all of a sudden, out of nowhere, an idea struck my mind.My heart started pounding with anticipation as once again, a tiny ray of hope fluttered inside me. I jolted up in a sitting position and reprimanded myself for not thinking about it earlier. How could such a thing skip my mind?Nearing the bars, I made sure no one was prying on me. Returning, I sat cross-legged, facing the wall, and closed my eyes.Slowly, one by one, I detached all of my reflexes from my surroundings until I felt myself floating in oblivion, and focused all of my energy to peek into myself just like I've been doing every other night. But tonight, I was trying something new. Something I should've tried a long ago.Exhaling an exasperated breath, I lifted my hand and closed my fingers around my mother's necklace. It was my last shot at freedom and I prayed with eve
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
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: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: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 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: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:My mind was too shocked to register the sudden turn of events. I and Darius jerked our heads toward each other at the same moment and the next thing I heard was his ear-piercing scream, "Protect the Queen!"All of a sudden, someone gripped my wrist in a death-like grip. My gaze shot down to see fingers clasping around my wrist. I was just about to lift my gaze when my head whirled toward the door as the loud banging erupted in the air before someone yelled from the other side, "Open the damn door, Samuel." Someone else screamed, "How dare you invite the daughter of the enemy into your pack house? Are you declaring a war against us?"Samuel turned to his wife. He was no longer looking like a sweet old man I had a great time chatting with earlier. Instead, he looked every bit of a deadly warrior as he commanded Luna, "Take Queen and the girls to the safety bunkers. You must protect her at every cost, Carolina."The hold around my wrist instantly tightened before suddenly ya
Ember's POV:Darius stayed by my side as we took a quick tour of the packhouse before settling in the living room. After a few minutes of talking about random things, a maid strolled inside with a rolling tray laden with a kettle, cups, and all sorts of desserts.“Aw, Carolina, you didn’t have to do so much. Only tea would have been enough,” I said with awe.She shook her head, “You requested us not to arrange for the lunch. Even though we wanted to but we decided to respect your request. So, please enjoy the tea.”Pouring the tea in the cup, the maid placed it on the table in front of me before picking a plate, “What desserts you want me to serve you, Your Highness?”Sliding forward, I grabbed the plate from her hand and smiled up at her, “It’s okay, dear. I’ll serve myself.”She went still for a moment before finally straightening up, “Sure, Your Highness.”My mouth watered as I greedily eyed all the pastries, donuts, custard pies, and fruit tarts. I was about to pick the chocolate
Ember’s POV:As soon as I stepped out of the castle, I came to a sudden halt while gasping aloud.With wide eyes and a shocking voice, I screeched, “What the hell is happening here?” while pointing at dozens of black SUVs parked outside with almost half of the North army standing guard beside them, ready to hop in at their Alpha’s command.Nicholus raised his eyebrow as if there was nothing ridiculous going on, “I only agreed to this plan of yours because you agreed to go with high security, remember?”I sucked in a sharp breath, “I definitely didn’t think you were talking about this ‘high security,’” I groaned while waving my hand toward the guards.Nicholus took a deep breath and twisted his neck, “You refused to take me along with you. If I’m not going, then they’d all go instead.”I rubbed the back of my neck, already tired of discussing the matter for infinite times, and gritted out through clenched teeth, “In case you forgot, let me remind you again of the purpose of my visit. I
Ember's POV: The next morning, I woke up with Nicholus's arm wrapped around me. As I tried to wriggle out of his hold, he squirmed in his sleep and tightened his hold, "Mmhmm, where are you going?" I glanced over my shoulder at his adorable, groggy eyes he was squinting at me with. "I have to go," I replied. He groaned, unhappy with the answer, "No, don't go anywhere. Just stay here and give me morning cuddles."At that, I burst out laughing loudly, "People would call me crazy if I'd ever tell them that the ruthless alpha of the North just said those cheesy words to me."Moving his hand to my bottom, he spanked my ass playfully, "You naughty, little princess, why would you tell anyone about what happens in our bedroom?"I giggled under my breath, "Good thing that the room is soundproof or otherwise I wouldn't need to 'tell' them about what exactly happens in our bedroom."Snuggling closer, he licked my earlobe and whispered roughly, "Yeah, because your loud screams and hot moans wou
Ember's POV:Knowing that I had a long day ahead, I hit the bed earlier than usual. I just wanted to restore my energy to appear fresh and energetic while making my first public appearance.But despite everything from lighting the candles with soothing aromas to drinking the herbal tea, I was unable to find sleep. Hours passed and I still found myself tossing and turning on the bed as restlessness zinged inside me.There was a ball of nervousness inflating inside my belly as I thought about tomorrow. Even though after careful consideration, we've shortlisted the smallest and most welcoming pack for our first visit I just couldn't help thinking about the worst outcome.I was snapped out of my thoughts when I heard the door creaking open. I glanced over my shoulder to find Nicholus closing the door behind him.As he turned around, a slight frown appeared between his brows, "Why are you still up? Is everything okay?" I caught a hint of worry in his voice as his eyes roamed over all over
Ember's POV:The next day after breakfast, we all gathered in the conference room to discuss the plan and schedule of coming days.I was sitting on a chair next to Nicholus's head chair with a file of pack names and descriptions opened in front of me.Darius, who was sitting accross from me, inquired curiously, "So, what pack are we going to visit first?"My eyes scanned the contents of the file while my mind was busy making a strategy.Just when I opened my mouth to answer him, a breath got stuck in my lungs. I felt electricity rushing through my veins as Nicholus sprawled his hand over my thigh.Slowly, I clamped my mouth shut and swallowed hard as his thumb stroked my thigh. Why a mere movement felt so damn sensual was beyond my understanding.Darius who was still waiting for an answer raised his eyebrow, "Well?"I swallowed again and huffed out a huge breath, "First, we'll..."Once again, my mouth clamped shut as Nicholus's hand started moving up my thigh, letting tingles break al
Ember's POV:Tears were already brimming my eyes when I reached the door. My insides were swelling with so much rage that I had no idea how to keep them inside anymore. Without sparing a glance over my shoulder at my sobbing mother, I threw the door open and stormed outside only to come to a sudden halt when I spotted Nicholus leaning against the wall.As soon as he saw me, he straightened abruptly. His eyes roamed all over my red, angry face before settling on my eyes crested with tears.I was on the verge of crying but I didn't want to do that in front of him. I didn't want him to perceive his mate as weak and vulnerable who didn't know how to handle a situation or navigate her feelings.His jaw clenched tightly at seeing me in that state. I jerked my face to the other side, unsure of when these traitors of tears would decide to betray me.Nicholus took a quick step toward me but before he could take another, I raised my palm in the air and choked through the lump in my throat, "Don
Ember's POV: Unable to look at her being hurt by my words, I averted my gaze, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude." I took a deep breath and willed myself to calm down and think rationally. Pulling her hand away from my face, she fumbled her fingers together, "Never apologize for speaking your mind." That coming from her made so much sense. That actually made me realize that my mother wasn't some weak woman, indeed. For years, she faced Father's oppression and finally, did find a way out of his clutches. Father had often reprimanded me for having too many opinions or always speaking my mind. He perceived my fierce personality as a sign of arrogance. But hearing these words from my mother made me wonder whether I got this fierceness from her. Moving my gaze to the couch, I waved at it, "Let's have a seat." I waited for her to start moving and then followed her to the couch. As she sat down, I followed the suit and sat on the couch adjacent to hers. She was still fumbling with
Ember's POV:With my heart stuck in my throat and gaze on the floor, I stepped inside the Guest Hall where she awaited me.She? Who? Even in my mind, I couldn’t bring myself to give her any title. And that got me wondering what was I actually supposed to call her. Mom? Mummy? That would sound so weird. It wasn't like we had some deep bond of love between us. Alas, it would have been if she hadn't left me.Mother, maybe? Like Father. I never called him dad or daddy because I never felt like that. Pain shot through me as I suddenly realized this lady standing in front of me was even more of a stranger than I considered my Father to be.At least, he stayed with me despite everything. Even though deep in his heart, there was hatred for me but still, he never left me. I don’t care whether that was because I was his only heir or what, he did remain with me, and brought me up. Even though he couldn’t give me his love, he did give me all the facilities one could ask for. And still, despite al