"It means you and I are slightly more than friends. We're like—hmm…exclusive to each other and starting to develop a relationship that could possibly lead to more than just friends." Talia explained as she began washing his hair of the oil.
"Where I'm from, men and women start off learning about each other. They try to be friends first before they jump in a more physical relationship."
She pursed her lips. "Of course, there are some instances where marriages are arranged, and for those people, they start off with sex first because they don't even know each other before the wedding. But they try to be friends after, if it is possible."
"Ah. I see." Cedric smiled. "In that case, then no. I'm most definitely not your 'boyfriend'."
"Hmmm." Talia poured warm water over his hair several times to rinse the soap off. "Then what exactly does 'Mate' mean?"
"Darling. Mate is the single word that your world has separated out into two separate words, 'husband' and 'wife'."
He sighed with bliss as she took a warm wash cloth and began rubbing his face and body with scented soap.
"In our world, there is only one word. We have joined as one, therefore, we are 'mated'."
Talia finished bathing him and stood up.
"So that means it's closer to an arranged or forced marriage than one that developed naturally between two people."
Cedric laughed. "It is neither of those cases. It is a knowing, at the moment of meeting."
His voice sank to a deep resonance.
"It is a deep knowing that sometimes accompanies a déjà vu moment, as if you know you loved that person in a different space and time, before you met them in this life time."
"Déjà vu, hmm?" She moved about the bathroom, clearing out the soap bottles and washcloth.
"You say that but it doesn't feel as if we're mated." Talia admitted. "Other than the fact that I can speak to you mentally, I don't feel as if I'm mated to you for a very simple reason."
Cedric gave her a questioning glance.
Talia turned back to him with her left hand held up before her.
"I don't have a ring on my finger, I didn't get a proposal or a wedding, and you still have a fiancée."
Talia pursed her lips and turned away.
Cedric chuckled quietly to himself.
He had just been bathed and cared for by a deeply cherished soul mate who still hadn't figured out the importance of her position in his life.
And here she was, muttering about some jewelry and a dance gala.
The jewelry was a simple thing. Once they reached Faria, he would shower her with a trunk of jewelry. She could then pick out whatever ring she wanted to wear and that would satisfy her 'ring' requirement.
As for the gala, it would be a simple thing for them to throw two or three balls a year. They were rather dull affairs on the whole, but he could endure through them just to make her happy.
The only legitimate concern Talia had was Evelyn Larabee.
Cedric sighed as he thought about Cecil and what they had discussed.
So be it. He would take up the Alpha position and clear up the mess so that his mate would not be unnecessarily upset about the royal decree of engagement.
For now, stuck as they were out here in Primrose Village, there was not much he could do about the fact that Evelyn was still technically his fiancée.
Once they returned to Faria and he took up his Alpha King position, he would simply retract the engagement and clear out the fake fiancée.
That should satisfy his Talia and make her feel as if she was his legitimate mate.
As Cedric finished washing up, Talia gathered his wet clothes and bundled them up along with Devin's dirty clothes for the attendants to wash.
From their clothes trunk, she pulled out a soft white shirt and a pair of trousers for Cedric to change into.
Since they were a bit cold from having been in the trunk for so long, she placed them on the chair next to the pot belly stove so they would warm up nicely for him.
The large towel she had placed by the fire had warmed up nicely. He should be finished bathing by this time.
"If you are done in there, I can bring a warm towel in for you."
"Thank you Love. I'm done."
Talia brought the towel to him, and Cedric quickly dried himself. Then he dressed in the clothes she took out for him and sat on the bed next to Devin.
"Come here, Woman." He held out his hand.
She came to him and he sat her on his lap.
"I understand your concern about Evelyn Larabee. To be honest, even I did not know she was my fiancée until Cecil wrote to me and informed me of it."
Talia bit her lip. "If the King of Faria has appointed her to be your legal wife, then what recourse do you have? Does she become your new mate if she is your legal wife?"
Cedric shook his head. "That's not how it works. A king cannot appoint a mate. He can only appoint a wife."
"So the two are not the same…" Talia scratched her head. "I get it now. Mate is just another word for Lover. Wife is always wife."
"Yes and no." Cedric reached out and tilted her head towards him. "Mate is the term of endearment for a wife who is loved and cherished to every inch of her body."
He kissed her with tender care. "You can be a wife and not a mate, but you cannot be a mate without being a wife."
"So when you called me a mate, were you calling me a wife as well?"
Cedric nodded and gathered her body into a deep hug.
"I know you want jewelry and parties. When we get back to Faria, you will have all those things, I promise."
"Wait. What?" Talia pulled back and gave Cedric a curious look. "When did I say I wanted jewelry and parties?"
Cedric laughed. "Didn't you just say you didn't feel as if you were my mate without rings on your fingers and dance parties once in awhile?"
"No!" She protested. "That's not what I mean!" She frowned.
"Married people wear rings on their fingers to indicate to others that they are married. Then they throw a huge party to announce the fact that they are married."
"I see." He stuck his nose into her neck and took a deep sniff. "I can also smell."
"They have to wear rings because they can't smell the mark that has been left on a mate. We werewolves don't have that problem because we can smell the marks on mates and tell who belongs with whom."
"For us, rings are just baubles we wear as fashion statements and to show off our wealth. You, My Love, will have plenty of baubles to wear when we get home."
When he explained it in those terms, Talia could see why he would be confused. They came from such different worlds, it was amazing they understood each other at all.
Now that this misunderstanding had been cleared, there was something else that she needed to tell him and it had to do with the little boy who had fallen asleep on the bed beside them.
She was still debating on the best way to tell Cedric about Devin's wings when Cedric broke into her thoughts.
"Has Devin shown you his latest trick?"
"I'm sorry? What do you mean?"
Cedric threw a strange glance at Talia.
"You haven't seen Devin's wings yet? He's been showing them off every chance he got."