Now that Asher really took out time to think about it, the bedtime stories were the genesis of everything that happened.

As a child, he’d loved his mother – the Queen of Melissa – solely because of her colorful stories of princes that rode on pink unicorns, of kings that fought with rainbow-colored armors, of princesses that snuck out at dawn to their equally female lovers waiting eagerly for them at the edge of the river bank. They’d take long dives in the crystal-clear water, laughing up to the sunlight – their minds free, their arms open as they pulled each other in for a passionate kiss. The tale about the two princesses who had to give up their love for one another to get married to arrogant dukes for the peace and sanity of their kingdoms was the most heart-tugging of them all. And the love he had for his mother grew each time she told him that particular tale.

The night she told him first, a story about himself and the stories surrounding his birth, Asher wasn’t too thrilled to listen. From the premise, he was already yawning and stretching – clever tactics which he often employed to let his mother know that he wasn’t enjoying what she was saying. But she persisted, drawing him up in her arms and tucking a dark lock of hair behind his left ear. “This story I’m about to tell you, Asher, is very important. I’ve always told you that you’re a special child. Do you want to know why?”

Now, that would spike the interest of every three-year-old. Despite her ominous tone, Asher didn’t like her serious countenance. It quite wasn’t like her at all, leading him to believe that whatever she had to say was important indeed.

He shook his head. “No, mommy.”

“I’ll tell you then. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful Queen and King. They ruled the werewolf kingdom of Melissa and were beloved by all shifters. They had a grumpy son and a sweet little daughter.”

“Theo and Sabrina!” he interrupted excitedly. The Queen chuckled, kissing his forehead.

“Yes, Theo and Sabrina. And they had a little brother on the way. You.”

His big blue eyes dilated as she continued. “We had to bring you into the world because you were destined to save a very special prince’s life.”

“Me, mommy? How?”

“Let me explain it to you, dear. We have a divine mother, the Moon Goddess. She’s the mother of all werewolves on the Earth and her primary duty is to mate us all, even before we were even born.”

“So that means she’d already known that you and daddy would get married while you were still babies?”

“Yes, son. She gave me your father as my soul mate. Every shifter in the land has a mate.”

“I have a mate?”

The Queen nodded. “A very special mate indeed. And he was very ill, Asher. So sick that his mommy and daddy were already giving up on him.”

Asher frowned, for the first time, feeling curious enough about the mysterious illness to ask. “Why didn’t they take him to a healer?”

“They did, but she could do nothing. It was bound to happen.”

“How.”

“You’re probably too young to understand,” his mother said, shaking her head and looking very mean. “But he was suffering from the sins of his father. His name is Dominic and he is the prince of the kingdom of Agravia. His father was a ruthless ruler who worked for vampires, selling off his subject’s blood in exchange for money. The Moon Goddess cursed his clan, cutting their lives short except they could find their mates early. Which was a hard thing to do.”

Asher nodded. He’d heard about the curse of Agravia so many times from his older brother. The teacher had also mentioned it once in one of her lessons at the Academy. “So I saved Dominic?”

“Yes. His father repented, but it was too late. Dominic, along with every other child born afterward would only live till their sixth year. Then they died if their mates weren’t found on time.”

“What happens when their mates are found?”

“The healer places the two mates on a special slab in her home. The roof is open and the two children stare up directly at the moon. They’re to sleep there for three days and afterward, the ill mate would be well.”

“That’s cruel.” He pouted.

“Not as cruel as the king who caused it. So, back to the story, the kingdom became distressed when Dominic fell ill on his sixth birthday. There was no party, and his mother was crying. His father prayed for long hours to the Moon Goddess to answer his prayers. It took three months before the divine mother relented and revealed to the healer that you were Dominic’s mate.”

“Your father and I weren’t expecting you at all. In fact, we didn’t know I was pregnant until the Agravarian delegates got here and relayed their king’s message. Your father and I were shocked when our healer confirmed it, and I had to bring you into the world a month early since you were growing so fast in my stomach and Dominic was getting worse.”

“And I saved him! Oh, mommy he really suffered.”

“Well, his suffering ended immediately you were born. Your dad and I never left that healer’s house while you slept beside Dominic for three days. I didn’t sleep, watching over the both of you far into the night and early the next morning. Your father and I took turns at it.”

Asher’s heart swelled with love and adoration for his parents. “Thank you, mommy.”

“Thank you, too my darling. Dominic got well after three days and his parents were grateful. You’re now mated to Dominic and he’ll decide whether he wants you as a mate once you’re eighteen and you can shift into your wolf form. I don’t think he can reject you, else he’ll die. It’s a great honor and privilege to be mated to him, and I have no doubt that he’ll love, cherish and treat you well. You’re soul mates for life and when your bond grows even stronger, he can’t live without you.”

Asher stared at his mother, puzzled. “But I don’t feel any bond, mommy.”

The Queen smiled, shaking her head lightly due to the weight of her crown. “You were mated to him right after birth. You’re still small and your mind link isn’t yet developed like his. I’m sure you’ll start feeling and hearing him soon. Be patient, son.”

Asher nodded. He seemed to be processing the situation quite well. His mother never lied to him and as far as Asher was concerned, mommy always knows best.

She kept on telling the usual stories after that night and gradually, the years passed by. Asher couldn’t feel any bond or min link and he started wondering if his mother had made it up or was wrong. Maybe the problem was with him. No matter how hard he concentrated, he could feel any voice in his head, and neither could he feel an attraction for any of the hot boys at the Academy. By the time he turned fifteen – the age shifters' telepathic abilities fully developed, it became clear that something was off with him.

His classmates, friends, and siblings were all happily bonded and mated, and the way they described their bonds was completely unfamiliar to him. It got to a point where he became too jealous to even hear them out.

“It’s the most beautiful feeling ever, conversing with your mate in your mind,” Theo told him one day, smiling creepily into space. Theo was mated to the princess of Giordan – the third kingdom of Jo – and they were getting married in a few months’ time. Asher hated how they acted all lovey-dovey in front of him whenever she paid him a visit. “A connection like no other. It’s like we know what the other person is thinking before we even say anything to each other. Mind-boggling, isn’t it?”

Asher nodded weakly and wished all the more to experience such.

As time went on, to ward off suspicions, he had to start making stuff up. His uncertainty and anxiousness began taking a toll on his mental health and he began failing his tests and being absent-minded in class. The two-hundred-years old wiry wolf employed to tutor the children of royalty had to report about him to the Queen. Asher assured her that everything was fine and that he was just exhausted from schooling activities. She left him alone eventually, not still convinced but implored him to talk to her when he was ready.

Asher hated the silence at the back of his mind. No still voice, no whisper, no shout. Just terse silence. Even when he spent hours meditating, all he could feel was a static connection he vaguely recognized that led somewhere, but his attempt to communicate was futile.

He tried researching the history of the bond but found nothing striking. He knew almost all of what the papers said. Unlike the bonds of others which were easy and uncomplicated, his was not. The age difference between him and Dominic was just six years and wasn’t the reason why he could not feel his mate.

“Maybe it would get better when Dominic comes around and I get to meet him for the first time.” He concluded.

But when Asher finally met his mate and Alpha a few months later at a ball the kingdom of Melissa held to celebrate Theo’s marriage to Esther, Dominic dashed all of his hopes, one horrible step at a time.