THREE

After helping Dr. Brynn, the pack’s doctor, at the infirmary, Ember was led by the in-house maid to her room. The master’s bedroom, Liam and her bedroom.

Tonight, was supposed to be the Marking ceremony, but Ember knew that it would never happen. Liam will never give his mark to her. With the kind of relationship that they had and his hatred towards her family, Ember prepared herself for everyday battle with that hard-headed alpha.

But that’s the least of her worries. She can always seduce Liam and make him surrender to her. She will prove to him that she’s better. So much better than Natasha.

Ember scanned the room. Her eyes landed on every detail of the room, and she was impressed.

The room was very spacious, the king-sized bed looked so comfortable, and the color of the walls was so calming. There's a luxury chandelier that hung in the middle of the room, which added to the majestic ambiance of the room. The design of the room was a combination of old and modern design. It was actually very appealing to the eyes.

It's actually in contrast to Liam’s personality. She wondered if Natasha was the one who designed this room. If she was, then she would change everything and erase her memory in this room.

Their species was quite possessive, and though the marriage Laim and she had was just part of the council’s plan, there was a tiny part of her that wanted to be possessive of Liam.

Ember halted when she saw a portrait of Liam and Natasha hung on the wall. Ember felt like she was being slapped hard on the face. Looking at their happy faces, Ember knew what kind of life she was about to face.

A knock on the door dragged Ember back to the present, and the old lady who assisted her a while ago appeared from the door. She had a stiff, unsmiling face. From a distance, Ember could smell that she was slightly different from them. A half-breed, perhaps.

“I’m Rose, I govern this house. If you need anything, you can tell me.” Rose just stood there with a stoic expression. She's in her fifties, unmarried and had been serving the Alpha’s family since she could remember.

Ember forced out a smile. “I’m good. I will just call you if ever I need something.” It’s Ember’s subtle way of dismissing her.

Rose was about to leave when Ember remembered something. “Actually,” she drawled, “I do need you to do something. I want that portrait removed from this room immediately. It's insulting, and I don’t see any reason for that to remain here. It’s inappropriate.” Ember pointed at the portrait that was mounted on the wall.

Rose was utterly shocked, and was speechless. The creature didn’t know what to do. Surely the Alpha would throw a fit if that portrait was removed from his room. But Rose couldn’t also deny that the new Luna’s domineering aura intimidated her.

Before Rose could say a protest, Liam strode inside the room with a scowl plastered on his face and he was bathed in his own blood.

Liam had clearly heard what Ember just said and it made his blood boil.

“Leave us.” He commanded, and Rose retreated with a pale face. She scuttered away immediately because she didn’t want to witness the Alpha’s wrath.

Liam was known in the whole of Bresmont for being ill-tempered and cruel. He uses harsh words and imposes strict rules, especially for half-breeds like Rose. He’s merciless, but behind all of that, he’s still in the shadow of his dominant father, the former Alpha of Bresmont.

“You insolent creature! Who gave you the right to remove that portrait of my wife?” Liam's growling voice reverberated through the walls of the room. Liam’s body was soaked in blood. From his shirt down to his hands where ropes of blood flowed from his wounded shoulder. But it seems like Liam doesn't care about pain at all. He was wounded by their search in the woods. The hunter got the chance to stab Liam on his shoulder.

Instead of cowering in fear, Ember scoffed, which made Liam grimace. She crossed her arms across her chest, which accentuated her breast, making it look bigger. Her perfectly plucked brows cocked.

Liam’s eyes dropped a little bit when he got distracted by the swell of Ember’s breast. It was just a second or two, but Ember was able to catch that. At that moment, Ember knew she had him. A simple gesture of seduction, but enough to attract the Alpha’s attention.

“Being the Luna gives me the right to decide things here. Let me remind you, Alpha, that you needed me. The council was expecting you to have an heir in less than a year from now. And you clearly know what it means if you fail to do so. I, too, have my own reason why I agreed to this union. Don’t be so full of yourself. We both know that you have been a weak Alpha since the death of my cousin. The last thing you would want to do was spite the council. You knew very well what they’re capable of doing.”

Ember stood there with her head held high. She knew to herself that she needed Liam’s cooperation if she wanted to succeed, but she was not going to permit that she'd be under his command.

Liam balled his fist. His body shook in anger as to what Ember told him. “How dare you speak to me like that. I am the Alpha of Bresmont, a direct descendant of the Great White Wolf. No one, not even you, had the right to underestimate me like that!”

“I was just shoving that truth right in front of your face. And, forget about Natasha from now on. She's dead, she’s not coming back, and she can’t help you. Basically, there’s nothing to hold on to her memory as she didn’t do good when she was the Luna. She didn’t do anything to improve the district. She's just a shadow who acts upon someone’s command.” Ember will not hold back, it’s not her attitude to sugarcoat things.

Liam saw red because of what Ember said. His heart exploded from intense anger that he couldn’t control it anymore. He let out a loud roar of anger. Natasha was dead, but she was still the Luna in his heart. Anyone who talks shit about her will suffer the consequences.

His eyes turned pitch black and he semi-shifted into his wolf form. Charcoal black fur appeared on his back and chest. His claws elongated like those of a monster.

He lunged at Ember using his lightning speed. He was so fast that Ember almost didn’t see him coming to her. Because she was caught off-guard by his sudden attack, Ember was not able to dodge his huge, clawed hands.

Long and sharp nails scrapped Ember’s flesh in her shoulders, resulting in blood gushing out from her wounds. Ember let out a low and painful growl. The impact was strong, and Ember winced in pain when she realized that Liam had actually hit her with his sharp claws.

She stumbled on the floor when Liam tried to reach for her neck. This time, Ember was fast enough to escape from him. She ran to the farthest side of the room, away from Liam.

Ember stared at Liam in total disbelief. “What the fuck?!” Blood continued to spurt out from her wound. She had not expected that attack.

There were circulating rumors about William Ashdown’s temper, but she did not expect that he was this hot-tempered.

Ember let out a growl. Her eyes turned from light brown to a glow of golden yellow. If Liam thought that she would cower just because he showed his anger, then he thought it wrong.

She bared her fangs to let Liam know that she was going to fight him, if she needed to.

Liam let out a low guttural sound as he lunged again to where Ember was standing. He tried to give her a hard blow of punches, but Ember ducked, dodging his every assault. And because Ember was way smaller than Liam’s huge frame, she was quick to kick his knee, making Liam stumble on the floor.

Liam was quick to stand to attack her again, but Ember found an old antique base and threw it at Liam. She literally threw every expensive piece of antique in the room as she kept on dodging his attacks. He growled in frustration as he could not land even a single punch to Ember.

The room was filled with sounds of animalistic growls and the smashing of things. Two strong werewolves were fighting inside, and the scene was literally bloody.

Ember noticed the chandelier just above where Liam stood. An idea popped inside her mind. With Liam’s temperament, surely, he would not think of strategies. He acted based on his emotions, not a good trait for an Alpha.

Ember jumped high to where the luxury chandelier hung. It swayed in the air as she tried to balance herself. Liam looked up to where Ember was hanging. Before he could lunge again, Ember used her sharp claws to cut the chain that supported the chandelier.

The chandelier dropped, a loud bang erupted in the room, along with the sound of glass breaking and the low growl coming from Liam. He was hit by the fallen chandelier, with Ember above it.

The door opened, and everyone witnessed how the supposed marking ceremony had turned out. It was chaotic, bloody and really messy. It was not a sight they expected to witness.