"Gu-gu ga-ga," the little baby boy tapped his hands together, laughing up at Asher in delight. The Prince chuckled, his face bright, eyes soft and twinkling in fascination as he patted the boy's dark curls down, twirling them around his long fingers, tugging lightly.
Four months away from birth, Meshai was beyond beautiful, with pale little fingers and toes, big blue eyes, and blonde hair that pooled around him, framing his cute little face. He had two little buds for lips and fleshy cheeks that puffed out whenever he smiled. Asher already knew what caste the youngster would belong to, judging by his curt, yet kind and happy mannerisms and expressions. He also hoped that Meshai's mate would treat him with the love and care he deserved. He didn't want Meshai to end up like him — without a mate, bitter and lonely.
"Asher?" a deep voice called from the door.
Asher tensed up, his uncle William's voice ringing like little, annoying bells in his ears. Without a mate bond, his senses had only sharpened, and he was jumpy and frightened over the littlest sounds.
William closed the door gently and Asher was suddenly hyperaware of his presence behind him. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the Delver Palace to celebrate with Prince Enoch?"
Asher straightened, forcing a smile. "Oh, I would go. But I just wanted to say hi to Meshai," he glanced down at the sweet toddler clutching and tugging his pants, chuckling. William snorted with a knowing smile, bending to pick him up and fit him on his hip.
He beamed at him fondly as Meshai ran his little, stubby fingers on the shiny jewels on his shirt. "Hey, sweetheart. How are you doing today?"
"He certainly has your eyes," Asher said wistfully as he moved closer to fit Meshai's cap well. "And he's growing so fast. Soon, in a few years, it'll be hard to tell who is who from the both of you."
William laughed, the sound bouncing off the white walls, back to them, causing Asher to wince. God, this was exactly why he avoided people. He had no idea that William would leave the wedding ceremony in search of Meshai, but it was to be expected. It'd been a month since Annalise died while trying to defend Meshai from a group of rebel rogues that had attacked the Cedric — while she was visiting her parents; the royal family. Looking his uncle over, Asher saw that he'd aged tremendously, due to grief and that his eyes only lit up as they did now whenever Meshai was in his arms. So, yeah. He had to come to check if his son was alright.
Staring into space, William said, his voice somewhat melancholic. "After Desdemona had prophesied that Annalise wouldn't be able to bring forth more pups, it'd been our dream as parents to give Meshai everything a child his age could possibly want," his eyes shifted to Asher, turning glassy with unshed tears, "we wanted to raise him together into a strong Alpha or Omega. To accept him in whichever caste he would belong to. A dream that's now...moot."
Biting his bottom lip in pity, Asher placed a hand comfortingly on his shoulder, squeezing slightly. William had always been a strong, ice-cold Alpha - even more brooding than Dominic. At one point, Asher had thought that his uncle had never known pain to be so arrogant and let nothing at all get to him. But here, in this room, in this sacred moment, hearing him talk and his voice crack whenever he said his dead mate's name, he realized how deep his uncle's grief ran. It did feel a little awkward; comforting an uncle he'd tried by all means to keep a distance from in the past. He had never been close with William before. They just never had that strong familiar chemistry between uncles and nephews.
William turned his eyes to him, sighing heavily as he tried to force a smile. "Don't worry kiddo. I'm fine. The pain will pass."
His weak tone prompted Asher to pull him into his embrace and they stood, hugging each other gently, for Meshai was between them. The little boy patted their cheeks and giggled, oblivious to the tense atmosphere. It had only been five months since Annalise died and her presence could be felt sometimes. Asher had never been particularly close to her but sometimes, while he went about his evening strolls in the palace gardens he could feel her soul hovering in the air, just above the roses she planted months before she passed on. Other times, Asher heard hums, along with the sound of a hoe digging into the soil. He could recognize those hums anywhere. Though dead, Annalise's spirit still wandered about, perhaps watching over her plants and Meshai.
Asher didn't know how he would feel if he woke up tomorrow to the news that Dominic was no more. Without the bond, he couldn't feel deeply hurt or become a grieving mess like William, but he supposed he'd feel a tad bit sad. He loathed the Crown Prince, but yet couldn't bring himself to kill the stubborn sexual attraction he felt towards him. So, yeah. He'd feel both grieved and relieved.
"It's been five months since she left, Uncle," Asher said softly, shoving down the pang of guilt he felt for being so distracted by thoughts about Dominic. "It'll be hard to move on, but you have to. Meshai needs his father to be strong."
William shrugged, his chiseled jaw ticking. "I'm trying all I can, Ash. I still feel her here," he closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, "I feel her everywhere. At night she sleeps beside me and pats my hair. It might sound fucked up, but my Annalise still lives on."
Asher had no single doubt against that, but he was aware how badly the dead could mess with the minds of the living. "Yes, she's here. And she'd love it if you could stop focusing on her, but Meshai."
"I know, I know," he tugged the baby's cheeks lightly. "Sometimes I feel so grateful that I have him at least. I don't know what I would've done with myself if I didn't have him here with me."
Asher was grateful too. If Annalise had failed in protecting Meshai from the rebels and both of them had been killed, the grief would've knocked the life completely out of William. His uncle could've been long gone. He shuddered at that thought.
"Anyways, enough about that. Why haven't you been attending social functions lately? Is something bothering you? Did you fight with Dominic again?" William said suddenly, turning his scrutinizing eyes to him.
Looking into his uncle's eyes, Asher noted the stark similarities between Theo's orbs and William's. In fact, Theo took after William in everything — both in looks and in character that King Jasper was forced to question Ruth if perhaps she'd borne Theo for William and not him. Over time, it'd grown to become a running joke, and it solidified Theo's close bond with William. Whenever they stood together at social functions, people mistook them for one another. The resemblance was that strong and uncanny.
But now, with William's aging, they didn't look so alike anymore.
"I'm not fighting with anyone." Asher tried to look nonchalant.
William wasn't buying it. "Oh, yes. Like you could purposely decide to stay indoors all by yourself in other to boycott your admirers."
Asher flinched. It was stupid of him to think that his absence would go unnoticed by the citizens. He'd always been a lively figure people looked forward to seeing during events. Of course, they'd wonder why he'd suddenly stopped attending.
"I'm sincerely not feeling it, uncle. It's been a wild couple of days for me and I'm damn tired of socializing." He rambled on, his mind racing as he tried to conjure up a befitting explanation for his recent behavior. He couldn't give himself away or tell the truth — he missed the crowds and attention, but with his broken mate bond, the usual chattering he lived for would irritate his senses. Granted, he was still getting used to the ache in his chest and the feeling of destabilization but he hadn't conditioned himself to the point of facing a gathering. Especially the paparazzi that were hellbent on poking needles at his gestures and mannerisms.
In fact, Asher felt that it was only so long now before everyone would realize that his mate bond with Dominic had been long broken. He could feel the lifeline in him leaking, making him feel irritated, aching, and extremely horny for no reason. If Dominic had marked him before the bond was broken, the sexual arousal would be understood to an extent, but none of that had happened. He couldn't explain the changes he was experiencing, nor did he expect them to be so hard-hitting.
At last, he finally gave up thinking so hard and blurted out his favorite excuse. "I can't stand Dominic ignoring me," he said, his face warming up as he thought back to what had happened between them the other day. "It'll be best if the both of us don't see each other's face for a while."
As he expected, William heaved an exhaustive sigh. "Come on now, Asher. That excuse is getting pretty old. You're almost seventeen for heaven's sake. You should be making a more conscious effort to get along with him, as his your mate and future Grand King. I don't still understand why you hate him. He's smart, compassionate, polite, intelligent — "
"That's the fake image he always projects, uncle," Asher said with a scoff. "Believe me, the Dominic I know behind closed doors is none of that. He's an asshole."
William facepalmed. "The two of you understand yourselves more. Just try to overlook his flaws and maybe you two could discover the things you both have in common," he patted Asher's shoulder with an air of finality, turning with Meshai towards the door, "Melissa is counting on you, son. You're in line to make us proud."