*Atlas View*
I had no idea Kash felt bad for his behaviour this morning. It had me wonder what was really going on in his mind lately. My uncle showing up and treating Kash as he deems all Omegas should be treated had me angry, but more than a little pride in how Kash handled himself back there, could not be stopped.
"So where do you have to go today?" Kash's voiced pulled me from my thoughts.
"It is nothing major. A minor dispute really. It happens more often than you would think with so many different packs in an area." I shrugged my shoulders. "A new shop had plans to open, but the other pack claims it is on their land."
"Are we not really one pack anyways? What does it matter if they are on other so-called lands? Does it affect people that much?" Kash was really trying to figure it out from his own perspective and it was refreshing.
"The bigger issue is the pack that claims it is on their land are Royals." I watched as Kash tried to understand what that meant. "They do not like any others but Royals."
"That seems silly. What does bloodline have to do with an individual?" Kash looked at me with a little anger. "That makes them less like royalty in my eyes. I always thought that the royals that were here to protect us as a whole, thought of us as a whole. I never did much studying on the royals, I never thought I would be in contact anyways, but still."
"Keep an open mind and try to behave during the meeting." I could not help but tease him.
"I assume you already know how you plan to deal with it so I will watch." Kash showed great promise. He might just be the one to take over these minor tasks for me. "Now, what kind of sweets you like?"
His train of thought caught me off guard and I answered without much thought. "Strawberry Shortcake."
"Really? That is kind of surprising. Does the bakery have them?" Kash looked ahead for the bakery but he forgot it was in the town, we had a while still to go.
"I am not sure to be honest." When his shoulders dropped, I had to make him feel better. "I am sure they will. It is a common treat. Besides, I will enjoy any dessert and coffee if you are my company."
"Sappy and defeats my purpose of an apology." My eyes watched Kash as his face went through a few different emotions. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Of course." I noticed he frowned.
"Don't laugh." Nodding I waited for him to continue. "How does the whole mate thing work? Like besides ceremonies and stuff."
Knowing we had some time, I turned to Kash. "How much do you not know? I am sure your father has told you about it? Or a tutor?" When Kash turned slightly red and shook his head I sighed. "You at least know the reason the Moon Goddess gives us a mate?" Again, he shook his head. I could sense some anger from our driver, making me glad I did not drive. I would have had to pull over. "So, when did your father even bring up the whole mate thing to you?"
Kash looked away from me and looked down. "He started bugging me about finding my mate about a month ago? Maybe a little longer. I just know that it happens after you turn eighteen. He was so focused about me finding my mate after my birthday. So, I put two and two together."
Groaning I leaned back into the seat. "Do you at least know the story of the Moon Goddess?"
He scoffed. "Of course! You think I am a dumbass? I am educated for the most part. I know the stories of our kind. Just not the practical stuff."
"I never meant to say you were unintelligent. I was gaging how far to explain things to you. You say you know the stories, so you just do not understand them?"
Kash was now glaring at me. "You know what? Forget I asked." He turned his whole body from me and looked out the window.
After a few minutes of quiet I started again. "The Moon Goddess selects our partners on who will give us the most strength. We are two halves of a whole. When one is without the other, we feel incomplete. In the case of wolves like your father, loosing your mate after finding each other; well, you slowly loose yourself. One simply cannot live without the other. Why the Moon Goddess has chosen to do it this way, one can never know. Few wolves go on without looking for their mate and fewer still, reject their mate." I noticed Kash looking at me now. "When the bond happens it is our wolves that seem to connect first. The feelings are hard to control. Now, imagine fated pairs. The connection is felt through more than just physical. There is a connection that can't be broken, without rejection or death after fated meet. Have you seen newly mated wolves before?"
"Hmm, yeah they do a whole tonne of PDA. It was kinda gross." Kash's face went red with whatever he was remembering.
"For fated, it is only like that during our heats. Yeah, we get the physical wants as being stronger, but knowing our mate is there, can be enough." I knew he was going to interrupt me.
"Wait! But you did not want to do anything in my heats." Kash was watching my reaction. "Are we even mates then?"
I chuckled. "You feel the need to me near me, along with the need to protect and comfort me. We are mates, your wolf tells you if you listen. As for your heat. The first one I had spiralled into protection mode from the attack and this one, well. This last one I had to seriously control myself. Tell me this, would you hate me now if I allowed my instincts to take over?" His silence and expression told me the answer. "Kash, the more I get to know you the harder it is to hold back. My wolf yells at me all the time for not having you marked yet."
"My wolf does not tell me mate in words or anything about marking you. He just likes how safe and brave you are. He says you will make us stronger." I decided to let him process those words on his own. "Back to my original question. How does it all work?"
"Are you talking about the bite?" His question was not really clear.
Slowly he nodded. "And after. I know nothing to explain how I feel now, or what to expect. I also have no one else to talk too about it."
Watching Kash struggle to understand hurt me. He should have been taught all of this by his father. "If you are not comfortable you can ask Doc as well. I will not be angry." He looked up at me surprised then slowly shook his head. "When it comes to finding our mates, including our fated, Alphas of packs must show we have the greater control. We have to restrain ourselves for the ceremonies. Most wolves have no discretion and mark each other almost as soon as they find their mate. We have had to deal with wolves that do not make it to private quarters." I groaned when I remember the last pair we dealt with. "Just before we arrived to your pack, there was a pair I had to deal with. In the town we are heading towards, they met in the middle of the street. The wolf inside took over and they did not have a chance."
"What do you mean the wolf took over?" He was very surprised.
"It can happen to wolves that do not restrain themselves. Some wolves will also deny their human half. These two ended up in the middle of the street marking each other. Zion could not get close enough to get them to move or get dressed."
"They were naked?" Kash blurted out. "In the middle of town?"
I laughed. "Yes, it is part of the marking."
"What?" Kash was now going red.
"The marking is painful. You break skin and make your partner bleed. The best time to mark, and our wolves know it, is during intercourse, when your mate orgasms." I watched as Kash went redder and looked out the window. "Do you want me to continue?" He did not look my way but nodded. "After the marking, for most pairs, they bond with close contact and go on with daily lives within twenty-four hours. When it is an Alpha and Omega pair the daily lives get interrupted. The submissive omega types can go into a marking heat that lasts a couple days, like your bonded heat was. Not very strong, and short. Dominant omegas, well, we do not really know much. You are so rare that there is not much data."
"I am not a fucking experiment." Kash growled.
"Never said you were. I just have no idea what to tell you for when you are marked. I asked Doc so we would be prepared, talk things through between you and me. I hate that I have nothing to tell you."
"What about after the marking?" Kash looked my way. "Does it get better?"
"Does what get better?" Was this what had been bothering him?
"The feeling...like..ugh. I have no idea." He looked back out the window.
"Kash." I waited for him to turn my way. "Right now, I feel only complete when you are near. The closer the better. A brush of your arm when you walk by or when you grabbed my arm back at the house. It helps me feel whole. Being able to smell your scent in my room helps me feel at ease, even if you are not there in person. After a mating bite, it will be as though you are always touching me. I will feel complete. The urge to always have you near will lessen in a way, because you will be there. Our souls will become one."
Kash was quiet for sometime while he pondered over what I said. "Thank you, Atlas." It was all he said as we finally entered the town