Prologue

He sat on the highest hill at the far end of the clearing which overlooked the river. It was a cool, windy night with a full moon to match. It was the perfect night for brooding.

His senses perked up, warning him of someone’s presence behind him. As his muscles began to tense, he smelled her, and he immediately relaxed. His mother quietly approached and sat beside him, staring ahead just as he did. After a few minutes of companionable silence, she spoke.

"I know you are unhappy, son," she said in a calm, precise tone devoid of pity. "But you know this is how things are with our kind. You knew this day might come, so why do you feel so hurt?"

He inhaled deeply before responding. "Why do we still do things like this? Times have changed, so why can’t we evolve and get with the times?"

"I know what you mean but if you’re honest with yourself, you will agree with me that the times of men are not the same as ours. When have we ever done anything according to what people did? We live by our own rules and on our terms; you know this."

"Yes, I know but that doesn’t make it right, does it?"

She sighed. "I don’t know what else you want me to say but you are fully aware that there's nothing that you or I or anyone else for that matter can do about a decision that has been made and signed under the full glare of the entire clan. It is irreversible."

They were both quiet for a while before he broke the silence this time. He turned to look at her for the first time since she came to join him on the hill.

"Mother, I am going to ask you a question now and I want you to be very sincere with your response. Did you love my father when you married him?"

His mother looked flustered for a moment but immediately regained her composure.

"Well…” she began tentatively. "He was and has always been good to me, so yes, I did feel a positive affection towards him, and I still do."

"That doesn’t answer my question, Mother. Did you love him when you got married?”

"Look, we had an arranged marriage just like everyone else," she said, sounding exasperated. "If you are fortunate to be paired with someone who treats you with respect and kindness, then you should be grateful. Leave this love of a thing alone. It’s an illusion created by humans to keep themselves in an unending loop of dissatisfaction. Happiness is what matters, not love!"

"But happiness comes with love," he argued.

"How would you know? Have you ever been in love?"

"No," he replied quietly. "But I want to be. I want to know what it feels like to finally find someone that I care about so much that I wouldn’t want to live without them."

His mother’s features softened as she looks at him, seeing the longing in his expression, the hope.

"I may not know what love is, my son, but I can tell you that it isn’t worth tormenting yourself over. You have seen what it does to people when it goes sour, why would you want to put yourself through that. It’s not worth it, my dear. Trust me."

"Let me be the judge of that, Mother. I have never gone against you or Father; I have always done whatever both of you wanted, no questions asked. This time around, I want to make this decision by myself. I want to live this next phase of my life on my terms. Please let me."

She sighed again. "You do know that there are severe consequences for going against the decision of the clan, don’t you?"

"Yes, I know and I am ready to bear those consequences."

"Very well then. I see that there’s nothing I can say or do to change your mind. Do as you wish, but I sincerely hope that you do not regret it."

"I won’t Mother. I am sure the experience would be worth it."

She eyeballed him for a few more minutes before turning to leave. Her son had mingled with the humans too long and now he thinks he is one of them. What a rude shock it would be on the day he finally realizes that his quest for love was a complete waste of time. Even if he eventually fell in love with someone of his choosing, what next? If his beloved wasn’t his betrothed, then that relationship wouldn’t lead anywhere. So why bother?

Even she had once come close to experiencing that elusive emotion called love, but it was snatched away from her before it could fully bloom. It was a hopeless feeling, and she didn’t want her son to go through the pain that came with it. However, he was fully grown and wise enough to know what he wanted; even if that was something he could never have.