“I'm not leaving,”

Asher folded his arms across his chest stubbornly, jutting up his chin in defiance. He'd changed out of his princely robes and was now dressed as a commoner — faded gray pants and a yellow shirt with the sleeves rolled up. Yet, he still maintained that graceful radiance and air that unnerved Dominic in ways he could never explain.

“It's not up for a debate, sweetheart,” Dominic zeroed in on a black door and made to brush past the Prince. Asher blocked his way, fear blazing in his eyes.

“Where do you think you're going? This isn't Agravaria. You have no right to just walk in and go wherever you like.”

“Move out of the way,” Dominic said gruffly as he tried to shove Ashert aside but the Melissa Prince maintained his stiff stance.

“I'm not letting you in.”

Dominic stepped back, exasperated. “For the last time, Asher. Get the fuck out of the way,”

There were muffled sounds coming from the other side of the door as well as smooches and giggles. Asher's cheeks colored red and Dominic raised a brow, confused. Asher fell down to his knees. “Please, Dominic. I beg you, don't go inside.”

“What the hell is happening?” The tension in the air was heightened as Asher gripped his pants. Dominic tried to raise him up but he didn't budge.

“I'm not standing up until you promise not to go in.”

“Now you're scaring the shit out of me. What's in the damn room? Is Sabrina safe?”

Asher lifted his face, his eyes glassy with unshed tears. “Yes, she's safe. Happier even. But still, she doesn't want to see you. She's asleep.”

“Asleep?” the muffled sounds became louder. Dominic's eyes widened when he deciphered them to be moans, accompanied by the sound of wood — no doubt a bed frame — hitting the wall.

Asher glowed the deepest shade of red, embarrassed and distracted enough for Dominic to maneuver his way around him and push open the door.

He shut his eyes, wishing he hadn't.

Sabrina was pinned down beneath a huge, handsome man, the black bedsheets tossed aside along with their clothing strewn all over the floor. The white blanket covering them had fallen off as soon as he'd stepped in, showing their legs entangled with one another, as well as where their organs were joined. He snapped his eyes open and saw the raw panic in Sabrina's face. The man, which Dominic felt to be a human, cursed as he scrambled around for his underwear. Dominic shifted his gaze to the side as the man slipped his inner shorts on and stomped over to him.

“What the hell man? Who are you? I haven't seen you before,”

Asher must've moved into view from behind him for the man lifted his face to speak above his shoulder. “Why did you let him in here, Asher? This is my private quarters.”

Dominic's eyes were fixed on Sabrina who was putting on her clothes as fast as she could and crossed over to them. “Joe, it's fine. We know him. He's...” her eyes darted over to Dominic's for a split second. “He's a family friend. I apologize on his behalf. We'll sort this out later.”

It was surprising, how much control Sabrina's words had on the man. Dominic smirked in amusement as the human male, who was a little bit taller than him but not stronger, brushed his left shoulder with him on his way out. Sabrina instructed Asher to close the door.

The silence in the room was grave.

Asher spoke up first, fear evident in his low tone. “I-I told you not to go in.”

Dominic swiveled around to pin him with a hard look. Sabrina had her head lowered, her shoulders shaking quietly as she sobbed. He saw no cause for tears. All he needed was an explanation for... everything. “You two should start explaining yourselves.”

“I have nothing to explain to you, other than the fact that I'm tired and sick of this bond of ours.” Asher bit back with a scathing glare that didn't faze Dominic in the slightest.

How typical.

Tilting his head to the side, Dominic snarled. “Is that why you ran away?”

“I didn't run away,” the words were out before Asher even had the chance to take them back. His glare wavered and Dominic knew he was lying. “I just...took Sabrina out of Jo for a much-needed vacation.”

“Right. I can see how much of a vacation this is. Having sexual intercourse with a man who's not your mate or husband.”

Asher bristled. “You make it sound like it's a bad thing. For Christ's sake, people have sex all the time.”

Dominic suppressed the urge to swear. Was Asher really being serious? And there was he thinking that the Prince was exceptionally brilliant. “Humans have sex whenever they want, Asher. They have no self-control, and sex is very vital to them. But we're not humans. We're werewolf shifters, and the only people deserving to see our nakedness apart from our parents while younger are our mates! I'm astounded by the fact that I have to teach you this. And words can't possibly say how disappointed I am with you, Sabrina. You stooped so low.”

“I warned you not to walk in on them but you wouldn't listen,” Asher's raised his voice slightly higher. “You always want to do things your own way. You always love to criticize people. Did you even ask her the reason — ”

“Asher,” Sabrina placed a hand on her younger brother's should, shaking her head lightly. “You two don't have to exchange hurtful words. I'm at fault here.”

“No, Sabrina. You're not — ”

“I forgot the customs and traditions with which I was brought up,” she leveled her eyes on Dominic. “For that I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to see my shame, Sir Dominic.”

Asher gaped at her in shock. “What are you talking about — ”

“I'm glad you realize that you've made a mistake at least. This is the first step towards forgiveness which would be given first by your mate, Roman, then the entire people of Jo.”

“What! You'll take this up with the Council?” Asher's shock morphed to near tears.

Dominic resisted the urge to rush forward and scoop him up in his arms. “I'm afraid so. If you two want me to let things go, you have to promise not to do this shit again and follow me home. I'll make a suitable excuse to get Sabrina out of trouble and life will go back to the way it should be. I do have a question though, Sabrina.”

“What?”

“What happened to your bond to Roman?”

She sniffled after a brief pause. “I lost it completely when he went away to Giordan the last time. It feels as though I was never meant to be mated with him all along. I'm happier this way.”

Dominic gave her a flat look. “I'm sure that the euphoric feeling is only temporary. You'd crave Roman one way or the other later.”

Sabrina's doubtful expression was strong. “I don't think I will.”

“Do you know how worried sick he is since you disappeared? I don't think he can live without you.”

“But I can live without him, Dominic. Our bond is one-sided which enables him to feel my emotions. But I don't feel his, and frankly, I don't think I want to be with him anymore.”

Dominic snorted. “Let me guess. You've decided to settle for a cheap human?”

Sabrina's eyes softened an indescribable feeling of tenderness glazing over as she said. “He makes me happy,” the tears began free falling again. “I wonder how I ever lived a life without him. Roman could never...never make me feel that way again.”

Dominic bit his bottom lip in irritation. Ugh, what was all the fuss about love, anyway? His mate was standing right there behind her in the same room, and yet he couldn't experience that happiness everyone kept talking about and describing since birth. Plus, their bond still felt weak. Dominic couldn't even find a pathway to Asher's mind again.

Disturbing.

“Does distance guarantee the loss of a mated bond?” he thought aloud.

“Quite so, your royal wickedness,” Asher snarked. “Well, I don't know about my sister but I'm sure as hell not leaving Salvatore without getting rid of this disastrous bond to you. The Moon Goddess can't blame me. I've tried everything humanly possible to love a brick wall all these years.”

Dominic sighed, not even allowing himself to process his words. Asher and everything related to him had never been good for his control, and right now he needed a certain level of calm and patience as he was handling a more pressing problem. “We'll talk about your little request later, snot. I have more pressing matters to deal with than listen to your empty tantrums. Go out front till I'm done with Sabrina.”

“You can't tell me what to do! And Sabrina's my sister, not yours.”

“She's practically my sister-in-law too.”

Asher rolled his eyes with a scoff. “Quit running faster than your shadow, dum dum. We aren't fully mated yet.”

Dominic ignored him to look at Sabrina sharply as she gripped his feet. What was with the Melissa siblings holding onto his clothes and shoes today?

“You're a princess, Sabrina. And I know that you're a loyal daughter and wife. Stop confusing these feelings of lust with love. You have no future with the human.”

The room thickened with heartbreak and pain. It was difficult for Dominic to keep a straight face from all the swirling emotions. “Get your things, you two. We're not coming back to Salvatore again.”

Sabrina choked back a sob as she stood, Asher, rushing to hold her up as her shoulders sagged forward in defeat. He'd never seen anyone look so broken before, and he knew she didn't deserve the hurt he was currently inflicting on her. But it was all for the best, wasn't it? Nothing tangible ever came out of loving a human. He was only saving her from future pain when she finally realized it'd all been lust.

“You cruel bastard,” Asher glowered at him, leading Sabrina to sit on the edge of the bed. “Don't you have any human sympathy? She's hurting.”

“I'm only looking out for her. Someday she'll thank me, Asher.”

Asher scoffed, his eyes flashing with rage that oddly made Dominic's cock harden. “Good luck with your delusion. Someday will never come.”

It was pathetic. He wasn't an animal and this was the first time his body was having such a reaction to the little snot.

“You'll feel better once we're home, Sabby,” Dominic said in consolation. “I'm positive that you can rekindle your bond with Roman. He's the right one for you.”