Chapter Fourteen

Greyson's POV 

The fear was horrifying, gripping me as if it were my own. I grasped my head and bent over to gain control of this fear, but no matter how much strength I poured into overcoming it, it only grew. 

‘Why can’t we dispel this fear!’ Kole asked as his voice unexpectedly trembled.

‘I don’t know!’ I said the royal physician ran to my side.

“What are his symptoms?” He questioned Jasper, assuming I was in no condition to tell him.

‘Gray, we can’t let them know this is affecting us. Whatever this is. We are the future King of the entire North American region. We can’t show weakness.’ Kole stated as he gained more composure over this fear.

I shook my head and raised my hand just as Jasper was about to explain what had happened. My raised hand halted his explanation, and I spoke up, “I’m not entirely sure what is happening to me either. All I know is that…” I hesitated, not wanting to tell him for fear that I would be seen as weak. I clenched my teeth, trying to force the fear away to the best of my ability. “I’m fine. You may leave.” I told him as I made my way back to my desk. 

“Of course, your majesty, but if you need anything, you only need to ask.” He said as he turned and exited my office.

A low growl escaped my lips when the door closed behind him, and my claws became exposed. I dug my claws into the wood of my desk, trying my best to keep my body from trembling in fear when my mother burst through the door. 

“What…” She began as she rushed to my side. A knowing look rested in her eyes as sweat began to bead across my forehead, and my hands became clammy as I tried to contain this panic building within me. She placed her palm on my forehead and ran it down my cheek. “Breath, Greyson, breathe. This will pass.” My mother stated as she rubbed my back in soothing circles. 

Kole was on edge and high alert, but her soft words and gentle back rubbing slightly eased the fear. Suddenly, I felt a tremendous jolt, followed closely by an overwhelming sense of confidence and power. 

‘What the heck is going on with us?’ Kole asked me.

I looked at my mother and shook my head, “I don’t know what’s happening to me.”

“I think I might know, but you will have to explain precisely what you are feeling. Can you do that for me, my child?” She asked as she looked me in the eyes. 

I nodded and proceeded to tell her about the overwhelming fear, followed by the feeling of confidence and power. She listened wholly to my explanation, her smile growing more significant with each word I spoke. 

By the time I finished telling her my explanation, the grin on her face had nearly taken up her entire face, and without hesitation, she shouted, “You found your mate!” 

‘Wait! How does she know that?’ Kole asked, his words coming out just as confused as I was. ‘I mean, I knew your mother was odd, but I didn’t think she was bonkers.”

‘Shut up, Kole,’ I reprimanded him, but he refused to stop there.

‘You know it is far more likely that this is related to a curse rather than our mate. I mean, how daft can your mother be? It is utterly ridiculous.” My anger and irritation with my wolf grew with each disrespectful word he spoke, causing my eyes to twitch and me to lose my temper.

“I SAID SHUT UP!” I shouted, not realizing till the words had already spilled from my lips that they had been out loud. Sadness flashed in my mother’s brown eyes before they quickly returned to normal, “Wait, no…I was talking to Kole. I am so sorry, mother.” I wrapped my arms tightly around her and forced Kole to quiet down.

“I know, son, your wolf is,” She paused momentarily to find the right word. “Well, he is quite spirited, to say the least.” 

A soft chuckle escaped my lips when, out of nowhere, an intense pain cascaded over me. I doubled over, clutching my right side. “What is happening to me?” I wondered as a hiss of pain escaped my lips. I pulled up my shirt to discover a deep purple bruise about the size of a cantaloupe. My mouth gaped open, and I stared at the mindboggling contusion as it slightly changed color.

‘I take back what I said about this being a curse. I think that we might be dealing with a poltergeist.’ I felt Kole shiver internally at the thought. My wolf wasn’t scared of anything except ghosts. 

I looked up at my mother, “Do you think that it is possible that this could be caused by a spirit that I have offended in some way?” 

My mother bit her lip as if she was concealing a chuckle, “Did you get that idea from Kole?’ She placed her hand over her mouth, clearly covering a smile. 

I could feel my tan cheeks flush pink with embarrassment, “I was…I mean, that was just a joke. I know that things like ghosts and spirits don’t exist.” I ran my hand back through my disheveled, wavy black hair, and in that moment, I felt a rush of relief wash over Kole.

Her expression became serious, “They most certainly do exist.”

‘Wait, what?’ Kole whimpered, his voice coming out an entire octave higher than usual. ‘Is she…I mean, she’s joking r...right?’ 

‘Yeah, I mean, of course, she is joking. How could ghosts actually exist?’ I said as I bit my lip.

Kole let out a sigh of relief, ‘You’re right. There is no way that ghosts could possibly…”

‘She’s probably joking,’ I said; my words rushed as I quickly pushed Kole to the back of my consciousness and muted him. I knew it was cruel, but I didn’t want him to be utterly shocked if ghosts existed. 

I turned my attention back to my mother. 

“Greyson, my handsome, sweet boy, you are feeling these things because your mate is feeling them.” Her smile faded, and she ruffly smacked the back of my head, causing my head to hit my desk.

“What was that for?” I asked as I rubbed the back of my head where she had smacked me. 

“Dude, she totally hit you,” Jasper said as he chuckled, and he proceeded to poke the red mark that I’m sure had formed where I struck the desk. 

I shoved his hand away and simultaneously punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. “So, Mom, why did you smack me?” 

“You know what you did,” She said judgment in her tone.

“I’m not following Mother,” My voice came out completely confused, which softened her angry, disappointed look. 

“You know it is tradition to wait till you’re married to mark your mate!” The disappointment was heavy in her tone.

I placed my hand on her shoulder, “How could I mark her if I’ve never met her?”

“What? You haven’t met your mate?”

“No, the closest I came to her was her scent before she disappeared,” I sadly said. 

‘Yeah, that stupid smelly hotdog water Rick-a made sure that we didn’t meet her,’ Kole told her via pack link.

“Who is Rick-a?” Mother asked.

“She isn’t important. What is important is that I haven’t broken any traditions. Isn’t that right?” I inquired as I cupped her much smaller hands in my grasp. 

“If what you say is true, then it is even more wonderful news that you haven’t met her!” Her excitement bubbled with every word.

“What is so wonderful about the fact that I haven’t met my mate?” I questioned as a pang of sadness touched my heart.

‘I never would have guessed your mother was so coldhearted,’ Kole stated.

“Don’t get me wrong, my child, I’m unhappy that you haven’t met your mate.” She raised my head, which had fallen in sorrow. “But the fear, pride, strength, and even the pain you feel even though you haven’t met your mate are excellent signs.”

“And why is that,” Jasper asked with a frustrated look.

“Because it means that you, Greyson, have not just found your mate, but you have found your true mate.” The pride in my mother’s eyes shined brighter than I had ever seen before as she spoke.

“I thought that True mates were just a myth?” Jaspers wondered as I stood speechless at my mother’s words.

“So did I,” She pointed to my bruised side. “Until I saw the bruise on your side and the fact that none of these emotions were yours; they were hers, your mates. Only true mates can feel the emotions and even the pain that their mate is going through.” The smile on her face was one of the sweetest smiles I had ever seen on her. “Always cherish, protect, and love your true mate because, since the beginning of time, there have only been a few true mates ever recorded.”

I pulled my shirt up as the last of my mate's bruises disappeared. 

'This is awesome! We have a true mate, but do the bruises we received mean our mate is hurt?' Kole questioned as the realization of his words sunk in.