Chapter 2
Asher
“Asher! Stop playing in the dirt and come inside and wash the dishes!”
I cringed at the sound of my father’s voice.
I wasn’t playing in the dirt. I was digging for a specific type of rock that I’d discovered could be polished up and traded for money.
I was saving every coin I could get. I desperately wanted to get away from here.
Even if it meant only going to the next village or the one beyond that, I still didn’t wish to live with my parents any longer.
I was twenty-eight, almost twenty-nine, and I was still treated like I was nine sometimes.
My parents weren’t terrible, but they weren’t exactly great either. I was their youngest and, according to them, thankfully last child.
Sadly, I’d not had any luck with finding my own mate.
I’d tried. I’d gone around our village frequently, and nothing.
I’d only had the chance to visit a neighboring village once, and that had been some years ago.
Since the portal to the human and shifter realm seemed to forever be locked now, that meant I would have to travel from village to village in search of my mate.
That thought made me a bit sad. Not that I would be completely upset if my mate was a fae alpha.
I’d just always dreamed I’d end up with a shifter for some reason.
Maybe it was because I longed for a different life, one that wasn’t here in our realm.
I’d dreamed about being places where I could dig up fascinating things from the ground.
I’d read a few books about giant fossils that were found underground.
They were on display in places that had giant collections of them.
I dreamed about going to the shifter realm and experiencing snow.
I knew it was a lot like what happened when we put water in our icebox, but it was different in many ways.
“Asher!”
I winced. Dad was really upset now. I looked down at the small pile of rocks I’d uncovered.
There were many more in this hole, but they would have to wait.
I shoved the ones I had found into my bag and collected my things.
I had just stood and turned when I encountered two strangers.
I fell backward, landing on my ass, and winced at the pain.
“Ouch,” I said under my breath.
“We apologize, Asher. Allow me to help you?”
I looked at the tall, dark-haired man who had friendly blue eyes.
He was slender, much like the fae, but he was much taller than most of us.
And his voice told me he wasn’t from here.
But for whatever reason, I felt that I could trust him and took his outstretched hand, letting him pull me to my feet.
“Thanks,” I said as soon as I was back on my feet. “I have to go. My dad is calling for me because I didn’t clean up after breakfast.” It wasn’t as if he couldn’t wash the dishes. He was completely capable, but I couldn’t remember the last time I saw my father do any sort of house chore.
“A moment, please,” the tall man said. “Allow us to introduce ourselves.” He gestured to the very muscular man beside him. “This is Canyon, and I’m Thomas. We’re the fates, and we’ve been given the ability to reopen the portal.”
My eyes widened immediately. If these two were the fates and they were here talking to me, did that mean I had been chosen?
“No you’re not,” I said, suddenly disbelieving them.
I glanced around, wondering where they actually came from.
The fates didn’t talk to people individually.
“If you were the fates, you would be in the village center. That’s how they’ve always done things in the past. They don’t come to our houses. ”
I moved to go around them but suddenly found myself stuck to the ground. I looked down at my foot and glared. Why wasn’t it moving? Why couldn’t I lift it? I returned my gaze to the two men who claimed they were the fates.
“We just need a little bit of your time, Asher. It is true that we used to visit village centers and pull others from there to go to the human realm. We are doing things a little different this time around since it’s been a while since we have been able to get into the fae realm.
We are instead visiting those we’d like to send to the human realm individually.
It keeps others from being disappointed, and we feel it’ll overall go over more smoothly than if we were to randomly pick a few from the entire group. ”
“Are you for real?” I looked from Thomas to Canyon. “You’re seriously the fates?”
“Two of them, yes,” Canyon said, finally speaking up. His voice was completely different than the other, and I wondered if they were from different realms themselves.
“We have an alpha picked for you, Asher. His name is Calum, and he would love an omega to cherish and spoil.”
I crossed my arms in front of my chest. “Don’t all alphas feel that way about their omegas?”
Canyon laughed loudly, earning him a glare from Thomas.
“Yes, Asher. They do.”
“What he speaks is the truth, Asher,” Canyon told me.
“But I find it comical because I, too, am an alpha. A wolf shifter alpha, and although Thomas isn’t technically an omega, I still cherish my Chosen mate,” Canyon said.
He looked at Thomas, and I saw it for the first time. They were completely in love.
“Wait, you’re mates?” I asked.
“Yes, we are,” Thomas said. “And we would like to send you to yours. He is a perfect match for you. He will show you the world and will be able to teach you new and exciting things. He’s an archeologist and is currently in Egypt, but that isn’t where he lives.
All you have to do is agree, and we’ll send you to him. ”
“That easily?” I asked. Surely I was dreaming. There was no way these two were for real.
“Yes, that easily,” Canyon said. “You are welcome to tell your parents or not—that choice is completely yours. Also, if you don’t wish to leave the fae realm, you don’t have to. We can pair Calum with another omega.”
“No, I want to,” I said without a thought.
It was true though. I absolutely wanted to leave here and find my alpha somewhere.
“I’ll tell them. They will most likely be happy they won’t have to deal with me any longer.
They were happy I was their last kid. Although—” I stopped and thought about my father for a moment.
“—my father will most likely be upset I won’t be here to cook and clean any longer. ”
Canyon and Thomas shared a look. I wasn’t sure what that was about but didn’t really care too much. I wasn’t trying to be like that, and in all honesty, I wouldn’t mind cooking and cleaning for my mate, because I knew he would appreciate it. But my father just didn’t seem to like me much.
“Go pack a bag. We’ll deal with your parents,” Thomas said.
I slowly nodded. My foot had long since been freed, and I headed in the direction of my parents’ house. I didn’t know what all I needed to take, but I had heard from others to bring mostly clothing and anything that was small and sentimental to us.
I entered the house through the back door, immediately heading for the stairs instead of stopping in the kitchen.
Father yelled something in my direction, but I didn’t listen.
Instead, I raced to my bedroom to pack a bag.
I only had one, but it was a large knapsack-type bag, and I was able to stuff the majority of my clothes as well as two of my most treasured journals in it.
I added my stash of money, as well as my rocks, and then went to the bathroom and threw in my other things.
I was happy as could be when I went downstairs and was a bit surprised when I didn’t see either of my parents.
“Did they take it poorly?” I asked Canyon and Thomas.
“Not exactly. Your father wasn’t exactly happy to be told to do his own dishes and cooking though,” Canyon told me.
“Are you ready, then?” Thomas asked.
“As ready as I think I’m going to be. Are you going to tell me any more about my mate?”
“We will,” Thomas said. He gestured to the door, and I followed them out, closing it behind me this time.
I gave the only house I’d ever known one final look as we walked through the trees and away from home.
A glowing door opened in front of us, and Canyon walked through it, disappearing out of sight.
I stopped, but Thomas held out his arm, gesturing for me to walk through.
“It’s safe. We will be making a quick stop in our realm first before sending you on to your mate.
Canyon is waiting for you on the other side. ”
That made sense. I figured I honestly had nothing to lose, so I stepped through the glowing door and found myself somewhere that was unlike any other place I had ever seen.
My own realm was gorgeous, but this one…
well, there were pink trees. Pink trees.
And the grass was orange in spots and red in others.
I looked down at it as I was walking on it and heard chuckling behind me. I glanced back at Thomas, who was shaking his head.
“At least the sky isn’t purple today.”
“Purple?” I asked.
“Yes. Marian and Gwendolyn are the other two fates. Whereas Canyon and I ensure the happiness of paranormals by matching mates, Marian and Gwendolyn look after the health and happiness of the realms that everyone occupies.”
I could only nod my head. I had to take what he was saying as truth. Why would they lie? They had no reason to.
“Come in here, and we will talk,” Canyon said, opening a door.
I entered the house, finding it quite cozy inside.
There was a gorgeous wood table that shined in the sunlight coming through the door and windows, as well as several chairs on either side.
There was a shelf full of books on one wall, a well-stocked kitchen area with several pans hanging from hooks over the range, and a couch that looked incredibly cozy.
“Have a seat. We’ll get you some information about Calum, answer any questions you have.”