“Sabrina and I won't be leaving this place with you, Dominic,” Asher declared irritably, hands propped on his waist and tapping his feet on the hardwood floor. “So you better tell us what other options we've got.”

“She's got no options. None,” Dominic clicked his teeth by the side of his cheek, schooling his face onto a blank expression before muttering his next words. “And you? You're not even allowed to have an option. You're coming home with me. That's final.”

“I'd love to see you force me,” Asher challenged, his lips thinning in a silly smile. “You're not the boss of me. Maybe you may have successfully convinced Sabrina,” he glanced at his sister who had stopped crying and was now glancing tiredly between the two princes as they argued, “to go with you. But since you're not actually mated to me, you can't force me to come home with you.”

Outwardly, Dominic didn't let himself react. Never had he imagined that Asher would figure out the truth in that clay brain of his. “Now you're talking like a lunatic.”

Asher laughed, and Dominic paled when his cock twitched to the sound. Horrible. “I wish I was. But judging from what Roman told you about not being able to feel Sabrina over these past weeks she was absent, and Sabrina saying she can't feel him at all and no longer considers him her mate, it all sounds exactly like what's happening between us. My mind link to yours became faulty the minute I stepped onto this town, and I know that you stopped getting wind of my thoughts and emotions too back in Agravaria.” He cocked his head to the side, saying cockily as well. “Thought I couldn't figure out? No wonder why you're such a distasteful arse.”

Dominic mentally cursed. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go, at least this wasn't how he'd imagined them to go in his mind. Damn Asher and his smart mouth.

“Asher — ” Sabrina began saying.

The Melissa Prince held up a hand, silencing her. “Please Sabby. This is between Dominic and me.”

“I didn't mean to, but what if you're taking this too far?”

“Far?” Asher clapped his hands and threw his head back in bitter laughter. Dominic found him irresistible at that moment. “No, Sabrina. I'm not taking anything far. He should offer a valid explanation why he constantly shuts me out of his head for these past seventeen years, otherwise, I'll go up to the Council and tell them everything,” he turned to Dominic. “I'm sure you wouldn't want them to give your Grand King title to someone else and exile you for not following the tradition of the Moon Goddess.”

Dominic wasn't worried by Asher's threat but was however embarrassed by his body's inappropriate reaction to the little snot in such a serious situation as this. He shook his legs in discomfort to try and calm his unwavering boner, his lips thinning in distaste. He hated how out of control his cock got whenever Asher started talking.

Asher beamed at him, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. “So you can force Sabrina to go back to Roman and try to re-establish their bond while you can't do the same, huh? You hypocritical dickhead.”

“It's different. She's a woman.”

“Oh, please. Don't give me that stupid crap,” Asher scrunched his face in disgust. “Enlighten me with valid reasons why she gets to go back to her mate and you don't have to.”

“We were never really mated to each other, Asher,” Dominic said, treading carefully with his words. He had decided to be honest with Asher to an extent...Asher didn't need to know that Dominic had a perfectly functioning mind link to him and his emotions all this while. He also didn't need to know that Dominic could have made an effort to establish a healthy relationship between the both of them — if he wanted. There was nothing complicated as Asher was thinking. He simply didn't like the prince, at least a few years ago. Now he wasn't so sure about that. “I'm not sure why. Perhaps the curse wasn't lifted after all when you were born and made to sleep beside me for three days. Again, our age difference could be the problem too, or the fact that I just turned six when we got mated which was too early, compared to other kids of Agravarian royalty who had to wait till they had gone a few months from their sixth birthday before being mated. Either way, our mind link has been defective from the beginning. I logged out of your head at random, not because I wanted to but because the link was faulty and making me dizzy and irritated, thereby affecting our bond. However, Sabrina and Roman had a perfectly functioning mind link and were so much in love with each other until Roman began going away to Giordan for his work. He can tell that something is wrong with the bond now. You, on the other hand, didn't know about our defective bond until Sabrina confided in you.”

“So, you're trying to say that I wasn't the problem all this while? I've spent all my life, crying, anxious, and wondering why I couldn't reach your mind and you fucking knew about my dilemma?” Tears brimmed in Asher's eyes as he chuckled. “Wow. Just lovely. And here was I thinking I couldn't hate you more. Permit me to ask, what did you intend to do when I reach eighteen in a few months? Accept me as your mate and dismiss me as a figment in your imagination for the rest of your life? Do you hate me so much to that extent?”

A surge of guilt flared in Dominic's stomach but he fought to keep his face neutral. In truth, this was something he'd given a thought to over the years since he met Asher at Theo's marriage ball two years ago. Only two options made sense in hindsight, but he didn't find either of them satisfactory.

Not in the slightest.

One; he accepted Asher as his mate and contended with his annoying wits and a sharp tongue for the rest of his life, the downside to this was he didn't have that much patience and even though he didn't like Asher a lot, he didn't wish that sort of fate for the little snot. Asher deserved someone understanding and loving — someone who wasn't intimidated by his sociability.

Dominic was not that sort of man.

Two; he could reject Asher as his mate and damn the Moon Goddess's curse. His life would be drained out of him slowly if he went down this route. He didn't want to die.

So that made the first option a lot more... preferable.

“We'll see what happens then when the time comes,” Dominic stated nonchalantly. “Till then, you're free to say whatever you like but you're coming home with me and that's final. I am your Alpha. I am your mate. You will do as I say.”

Asher paled with fury, but his subtle shudder confirmed that Dominic had successfully passed his message across.

“I hate you. You're a despicable man.”

“Isn't that what you've been saying since we met each other?” Dominic snorted, dragging his gaze away to fix it on Sabrina. “You have to say goodbye. It's for the best. Both of you will be safe.”

She lowered her eyes, her shoulders slumping. “I guess. Please let me at least tell him goodbye.”

Dominic nodded. “Go on then but keep it brief. Don't say anything that'll make him suspect. Hurry up, we have to run all night.”

She stood and went out of the room.

“Proud of yourself huh?” Asher spat. “What a fine Grand King you'll make.”

Dominic ignored him, staring at a spot on his trousers. Now that it was just the two of them in the room, the air had gotten a bit... uncomfortable. His breathing was shallow.

“Don't you dare ignore me, you selfish piece of shit!”

“What do you expect me to say to an ignorant child?” Dominic shrugged, not even sparing him a glance.

“I'm not a child.”

“You're seventeen, Asher. Your mind is not fully developed yet. You talk like someone uneducated and uncivilized.”

“Look, I'm warning you — ”

“Cease being stupid and make use of your brain,” Dominic snarled. “Why did you even feed her with the fairytale that she has a future with a human? And on top of that, you're defending yourself?”

“I'm not...” Asher trailed off, tongue-tied. As expected.

“It's entirely your fault,” Dominic stood, walking over to him. “You know what it means for us werewolves to fall in love with a human. You know it's not acceptable, and it will never be. You're aware that you're signing your sister up for a lot of heartbreak and discrimination and yet you still encouraged this madness for your selfish motives. Hope you had a fun time with your watery friend Seth, huh?”

Asher's cheeks colored. “I didn't — ”

Dominic grabbed a fistful of his hair, dragging Asher's face closer. “You cheating wimp,” he tried to stir his eyes away from that pretty, pink mouth. “Going around kissing best friends huh? And yet you have a problem with me bringing girls back to my quarters.”

Asher shot him a murderous look, struggling to set himself free. “I didn't cheat on you. I would have, but I didn't. And it was just a little kiss, nothing romantic because we haven't seen each other for long. Nothing to get worked up over.”

“I don't care. It doesn't change the fact that he's your first kiss. Not me, your mate.”

Asher curled his lips into a mischievous smirk. “It's not like you wanted it. And by the way, we're not really mates now, are we? We don't have a fully functioning mind link, nor a bond. Nor a common friendship to even start with.”

Dominic was silent.

The little snot continued. “Yes, I knew what the human entanglement would lead to, but I was only more concerned about us. I don't like you and I never will. This whole mate thing is cursed and foolish.”

“You choose your moments of speaking wisely,” Dominic said, looking into wild, furious green eyes. “I wish it wasn't mated with you. You're so selfish, willing to put your sister through hell for your wicked benefit.”

“Say whatever you want,” Asher rolled his eyes, smiling. “But we're not going back to Agravaria together. You'll reject me right now, and I'll stay back with Seth. End of the story.”

Dominic leaned in. “I'd love to see you make me bend to your wishes.”

“You don't want me telling the Council everything now, do you?”

“What Council? The same Council that won't hesitate to torture you for orchestrating this stunt with Sabrina? What makes you think they'll listen to you if I tell them that you convinced your sister to leave her mate and have sex with a human?”

Asher blinked, fear flashing in his eyes. Of course, he didn't think of that.

Dominic grinned, taking his wrist. “I always have the upper hand, sweetheart.”

“Don't call me that.”

“Sweetheart,” Dominic repeated, the glare on Asher's face priceless. “Come home with me, love. This battle is over, and I won.”

Asher scowled at him but allowed him to drag him out of the room downstairs where Sabrina stood hugging the man.

They broke apart and Dominic took her hand as well. Outside, they boarded a cab towards the port.

Towards home.