Tug Of War - Coming Back Soon

Chapter Fifteen

Inaaya's fingers were steepled with her elbows resting on the table as she tried not to lean further in towards Jace. Respecting someone's personal space had never been this hard before. She was abuzz with anticipation and impatience.

"Axel has already told me the story of how werewolves get their mates," she interrupted Jace, trying her best to be polite. "Can you start from what happens when they find their mates? I understand the... mating process has stages?" she finished somewhat unsurely. Her awkwardness with the word mating wasn't lost in her speech.

Jace was unusually slow this evening. Not that Inaaya could blame him. The way she was behaving today would make anyone who knew her bemused. Well, not that Inaaya could be blamed either. Realising the guy you were falling for had somehow magically linked you to him was sure to impact one's sanity.

"Well?"

Jace cleared his throat, glancing down at the books briefly then meeting her eyes again, seeming to compose himself. "Alright," he muttered and Inaaya knew he was back in his Sigma mode. "There are three stages in the werewolf mating process. The first is the mating pull. The mating pull is sort of a bond that immediately forms between a werewolf and their mate when they first meet. As you know, werewolves are able to sense raw emotions from others around them to a certain degree," he said, raising his brows, waiting for her to confirm. She knew this, for he had taught her this before.

"Mm-hmm." Inaaya nodded.

"Well, mating pull enhances that ability when it comes to mates. They can sense their mate's emotions better. It makes them pay acute attention to their mate's every tiny movement. They're basically more attuned to their mate. Also, mating pull keeps pulling them towards each other. Werewolves feel calmer, happier when they're close to their mate. The more time the mates spend together, the stronger the mating pull gets. Human mates feel this pull too but to a much lesser degree."

Inaaya nodded. She had already known about this invisible bond between her and Axel. Now she had a name for it too.

"However, with the mating pull comes the urge to mark their mates in werewolves. Humans don't feel this. But werewolves feel this constant need to mark their mate and complete the mating bond. Marking is the second stage of the mating process."

Inaaya held her breath, wringing her fingers in her lap. This was it. Oh, god. This was it.

"Marking in itself has two stages. The first stage is when a werewolf bites their mate. It's a painless bite, which rather makes the bitten mate experience a complete bliss. A werewolf releases some enzymes through their fangs into their mate's body. These enzymes make the bindings between them and their mate stronger."

Inaaya gulped, trying to not let her breathing speed up too much. This sounded too similar to what she had experienced the night of the ceremony— Axel's fangs puncturing her skin, the euphoria the bite had brought forth. "And what about this mark?" Jace looked at her in confusion. "I-I mean, physically? Does it show? Like the pack mark does?"

'Please say yes. Please say yes.' Those were the only words blasting inside her head as she waited for Jace to answer.

Jace shook his head, smiling a little. "No, the mark doesn't have any physical manifestation. There isn't even a scar. The wound heals itself within a few minutes at most, leaving no visible sign of the mark or any residual pain. It dissolves into the skin, leaving only stronger emotions in its wake."

Inaaya bit down hard on her trembling lip. She couldn't let loose. Not yet. There was more to find out. "How does it change the bond between them?" she asked, able to hear the tremors in her voice.