Ember's POV: It won't be wrong to say that I have been trained to become the queen since childhood. Ms. Stacy was appointed to ensure that my manners and etiquette were always up to the standards, whereas Arnold, my trainer, ensured that my fighting skills were those of the warrior. Being an alpha born, I had my first shift on my 15th birthday and that's when I met my wolf, Aria. It was quite earlier than the other cubs. I won't lie but I was under a lot of pressure, directly from my Father and indirectly from my people.Being a girl, everyone was curious to find out whether their future queen really had the alpha qualities in her or if that rank was only reserved for a male heir. Shifting in the earlier age served the purpose and quenched their curious questions.As for my hypnotizing powers, they emerged on their own. I still remember that time very vividly. It was my 18th birthday when I first started to feel a sudden surge of power coursing through my veins, clawing at my inside
Nicholus's POV: I was running through the fields. There was yellow and green for as far as I could see. Amidst all those hues, someone in the white clothing was running in front of me. She was a petite woman with long brown hair dancing in the wind. All of a sudden, a bubble of laughter escaped from her. The voice was sweet like honey and addictive like a melody. I found myself drawn to that voice, craving to have more of that. I quickened my pace, trying hard to catch her. And then, all of a sudden, she turned around. I came to a sudden halt.My heart stopped beating for a full minute as I took in the stunning beauty before me. Big brown eyes. So deep that I could see the lakes of melted chocolate swirling in them. Pink and plump lips. A figure anyone could die for.My eyes took in all the right curves adorning her body. I wanted to reach over, graze my calloused fingers, and feel her softness. My heart rate turned erratic as her lips stretched into a full smile, brightening the wh
Nicholus's POV: "What's the matter?" I inquired impatiently as soon as I entered my office. Darius let out a tiring sigh, "It's not good." Keeping my pace fast, I reached my desk and sank down on the office chair, "I reckoned that much," I said under my breath and steeled myself for what was about to come. Planting his elbows on the table, Darius leaned forward. His nostrils flared and he gritted out bitterly, "She is the daughter of our centuries-old enemy." The world stopped around me. My heart thudded thunderously in my ribcage as his words penetrated deep within me. For some fucking insane reason, my heart wasn't ready to accept the naked truth that was right before my eyes. It seemed like I really did have some dwindling hope in my heart."Explain..." was all that I could utter. His eyebrows deepened into a frown as he took in my reaction. He obviously had no idea what was at stake. Not yet, at least. He huffed out venomously, "That girl who broke into our dungeons by usin
Ember's POV:My eyes peeked open as I heard the knock on my bedroom door. My eyelids felt heavy and it was an effort to fully open my eyes.I was staring at the door, trying to open my mouth to say something but I couldn't form any words. Shortly, I heard another knock, "You in there?"It was Sophie. Once again, I tried to communicate but my throat felt parched like a barren land. Something was wrong with me. But what exactly? I couldn't tell.I resigned to the mindlink to let her know to come in. A few moments later, the door flew open and Sophie barged in, "What the hell? Why are you still in bed, Em?"At that, my gaze shifted to the wall clock. 11 am. I frowned at the realization that I had actually slept in...something that I hadn't done in years."And you missed the training. Something must be seriously wrong with you to do that." She was still in the training gear. She must have come straight here after finding me missing.I took in a deep breath and tried to get up. I groaned a
Nicholus's POV:I opened my eyes to find a pair of chocolate brown eyes staring back at me. Confused and dizzy, I pinched my eyes and blinked several times to get hold of my senses.And then I groaned when the fragments of last night came rushing into my mind.I was in my studio and what I was now staring at was actually the painting I drew last night after getting drunk. Fuck, did that mean I was truly and brutally cooked? I mean, I got high to forget about her and it seemed like she was the only one roaming around in my mind.Sighing in disappointment, I got up from the couch and walked over to the painting. On its own accord, my hand lifted and my fingers grazed the swirls of caramel flowing in those eyes.I was astonished to look at the details. How was it possible that I remembered her eyes so vividly? My fingers traced the specs of the dark brown I painted in her irises.For a long time, I stared at the canvas with a mixture of chaotic thoughts. Why was fate playing a brutal gam
Ember’s POV: We were swift and silent while leaving the castle. After hypnotizing the guards at the main entrance, Sohpie led the way deeper into the forest and I silently followed her.We kept strolling into the forest and it was only when we reached far away from the castle that I dared to speak up, “Would you now like to confide me in about what’s going on in your head?” Her footsteps slowed and she asked me, “Remember when you first started having these weird sensations a few years ago?” I huffed out, “Like I can ever forget that time.” She nodded curtly, “Something was wrong with you. I mean, that wasn’t normal, right? Gladly, we discovered your hypnotizing powers on our own and didn’t need any external help but…” She halted and I glanced at her worriedly and urged her to carry on, “But…?” Her eyebrows pinched together, “Did you really think that it would be the end of it?” I shrugged my shoulder, “Umm…I had hoped so.” She looked at me sternly and said curtly, “Well, in th
Ember’s POV:Filling my lungs with the fresh air, I forced myself to release some tension and lightly rapped my knuckles on the ancient wooden door. I held my breath, making myself mentally prepared for whatever was about to be thrown my way.After a long stretch, I finally heard a husky voice from the other side, “Come in.”Blowing out a puff of air, I straightened my shoulders and slid the door. It creaked as it opened and revealed the cozy, ancient interior of the hut.My eyes swept around and I took in the small but spacious area. The floorboards creaked under my feet as I stepped inside. Even the walls were made of wood. They were bare except for the preserved heads of dead animals nailed to them.Other than a small light bulb hanging from the ceiling, the fireplace was the only other source of illumination. An oak table was place on the other end with the herbs, vials, and different bottles of coloured liquid scattered over it. A large wooden bookshelf was placed near the small
Ember's POV: With rage filling me, I exited the hut like a firebolt and didn't exhale until I had covered some distance between us. Suddenly, Sophia appeared in front of me, "Hey, you okay?" she inquired after witnessing me out of my wits. I halted and screeched, "Coming here was a mistake!" Her eyes shifted to the hut, then zeroed in on me again, "What happened? What did Deborah say?" My fists balled up tightly at my sides as I gritted through clenched teeth, "Deborah is fucking insane, Sophie."She was looking at me with confusion. "I...She..." I opened my mouth again to say something else but I was literally short on words about how to explain my inner turmoil to her. I shook my head whether in denial or disappointment...I don't know. As I started walking in the opposite direction, Sophie followed me silently. I knew she must have her own million questions but right now she was actually doing me the biggest favor by holding her tongue.I needed all the time left in the universe
Ember's POV:Ethan, however, still seemed reluctant to comply with my plan but instead of outrightly denying it, he turned to his Alpha who was rooted to his spot with his intense eyes fixated on me.Clearing his throat, Ethan said, "Umm, what's your take on this, Nicholus? Do you think this is a good idea to go ahead with?"Without averting his gaze, Nicholus ordered his Beta and Gamma, "Leave me alone with my mate."The way he said that in his deep, rough voice coupled with the way he was staring at me, a chill ran down my spine along with a flame of desire igniting deep within me.Ethan shot up from the chair and nodded once before making his way to the door. Darius, who assessed the look in Nicholus's eyes and assumed God knew what, stood and winked at Nicholus before smirking, "Don't go so rough on her."At that, Nicholus finally shifted his gaze to glare at him before grumbling, "Close the door on your way out, Beta."Snickering under his breath, Darius sauntered out of the offi
Ember's POV:After breakfast, Nicholus and the boys made their way to the office, and having nothing else to do, I resigned to my room to escape reality.But I had just read one chapter when a sudden knock jerked me out of the world of faes I was wandering in.Flipping the book close, I hollered, "Come in."As the door creaked open, I saw a maid slipping inside. Bowing her head, she started speaking politely, "Good Morning Queen. King Nicholas has sent me to give you a message."Even though she didn't ask I could see the question lingering in her eyes. Why did King have to send a message through a maid instead of mindlinking?Well, the answer was that I'd been blocking him out of my mind ever since he played his pillow trick. Petty and childish, I know, but I had no idea how else to make a point that I was really upset with whatever he was doing lately.I nodded slowly, "What's the message?""He is calling you to his office," she was staring at me and I don't know what she saw in my e
Nicholus's POV: As Ember retreated to our room, I jerked around and slammed my palms on the stone railing while staring at the vast empire sprawled in front of me. Things weren't going the way I'd imagined. Ember and I...we were the most unexceptional thing to ever happen in this universe. But still, even after all the generational enmity and hatred, we found our way to each other. In our earnest attempts to hate each other, we somehow fell in love. But is loving her enough? Since the last few days, I'd been constantly feeling miserable. I couldn't fathom what she felt at being the target of so much hate. And the fact that I couldn't hide her from all that only enraged me even more. My shoulders slouched as I turned around and walked back to the bedroom. It was dimly lit and eerily quiet in there. Ember was lying on the bed. I took in the wall of pillows in the center of the bed she had set up to show how upset she was with me. But for some reason, everything this 5'8" woman did
Ember's POV: It was past midnight and I lay wide awake on the bed, staring up at the ceiling as hundreds of thoughts swirled in my mind. Nicholus was soundly asleep on his stomach beside me with his arm over my belly. My body was tired and my mind was fully exhausted. I needed sleep but it was nowhere to be found. Feeling suffocated and restless, I wrapped my fingers around Nicholus's wrist and gently nudged it away from my abdomen. Quietly getting out of bed, I grabbed the silk nighty off the couch and slipped it over my shoulders. Knotting the ribbon at the front, I padded toward the balcony. Stepping out, I inhaled a rush of fresh air and let it do its work to calm my jittery nerves. Reaching to the back of my mind, I called tiredly, "Aria?" Her voice was soft as she responded, "I'm right here. And I know what you're feeling." Exhaling loudly, I sighed, "At least now I have someone who can understand me on a deeper level." She paused for a minute before saying in a low voice
Ember’s POV:As Nicholus and I entered the dining hall, everyone was already seated around the table for breakfast. Luna, who used to sit right next to Alpha’s head chair, was now sitting on the chair next to that.I had always disliked the change in ranks and positions just because of a change brought by one person. I was now the King’s wife. Rightfully, that place was mine now, but how could I feel good about lowering the rank of Luna who had been sitting there for decades? Soon, she'd have to pass down the title of Luna to me. Was that even fair?Stepping forward, Nicholus pulled out the chair for me to sit. Mumbling good morning to everyone, I settled down. Nicholus followed the suit and sat down on his chair.Moving his head toward the maid beside him, Nicholus nodded lightly. All the maids started moving quickly around the table, carrying the trays, and serving us breakfast.There was an awkward silence in the hall, just like it had been for the last two days since the reception
Ember's POV: With wide smiles and twinkling eyes, everyone was staring at the door, waiting for the bride and groom to make their first appearance. But as soon as the doors opened, all the chitter chat turned into loud gasps followed by a pin drop silence. Tightening my fingers around Nicholus's arm, I stepped inside and noticed how every pair of eyes widened with shock as they spotted the Princess of the South beside the King of the North...a very unexpected match indeed. No one in their wildest dreams would have thought that they would ever witness such a day. A heavy lump formed in my throat as I scanned the crowd. So many faces were familiar. The people who had always known me as the daughter of Alexander Valdez and the future queen of the South were now witnessing me as the bride of Nicholus Dicaprio and the shock was clearly evident on their faces. But among the shocked faces, there were some red with anger and betrayal. Those were the unfamiliar ones. The daggers they were t
Ember's POV: Once we climbed down the ladder of ecstasy after cumming so hard, both of us stared at each other and burst out laughing like two maniacs. Rushing to the washroom, we did a quick job to clean ourselves and returned to the room. I giggled at the cute naked ass of Nicholus as he sprinted to the balcony to fetch our clothes. Our movements were quick as we slid into our wedding outfits. While zipping my back, Nicholus informed me, "We need to hurry. I'm continuously receiving mindlinks from Mom and Darius." Grabbing the skirt of my dress, I rushed toward the vanity and redo a bit of the makeup before brushing my hair straight. Nicholus was leaning against the doorframe, staring at me in amusement as I tied the straps of heels around my ankle. Raising my eyebrow, I inquired curiously, "Why are you smiling?" His smile only widened as he blurted out, "I think I'm feeling butterflies." A chuckle spewed out of me at his choice of words, "And why is that?" He took
Ember's POV: Resting my body against Nicholus, I sighed tiredly, "What a hectic day it had been." I couldn't see his face but still heard the mischievous smirk in his voice, "I'll make sure to end it with a nice and relaxing body massage." "And then...?" I trailed off flirtatiously. Planting his hands on my ass cheeks he pulled me forward until his hard dick was poking into my sensitive flesh, "And then I'd make you cum so many times that you'd lose the count of it." He let out an amusing chuckle, "You sleep best when your body is completely drained after a series of multiple orgasms." Shaking my head amusingly, I tilted my head backward and stared up at the night sky. "The moon is at its highest point," I uttered with temptation. Hooking his finger under my chin, Nicholus made me look into his eyes. His eyes searched mine for honesty as he asked me, "Do you still wanna do it after all that happened? Or do you want to take some more time to process everything?" I glanced at t
Ember's POV: After placing one final kiss on his lips, I slid off his lap and earned a disapproving grunt from him. But I stayed rooted to my spot and uttered, "I think we should talk about my mother now." At her mention, he straightened up and contorted his face in a serious expression. Lifting his face, he met my gaze, "I'm ready when you are." I nodded firmly, "Tell me everything about her. I wanna know all that you've been hiding from me." A slight frown appeared between his brows, "First, I wanna make sure that you know I didn't hide anything because of any ill intention. And that I wasn't intending to hide the truth forever. I was merely waiting for the right moment." I stared at him hard and long before relaying the truth, "I still think that you shouldn't have hidden such an important truth about my life. You are my mate, I don't deserve to be betrayed by you." Standing to his full height, he looked at me with worried eyes, "Hey, don't say that." Closing the distance b