Chasing A Dream

10. Did you try and mark me?

Theo's POV

I woke up earlier than usual at around five o'clock. My arms were still wrapped tightly around Tara. I needed to have a shower, but i wasn't ready to let go of her just yet. Sitting up whilst keeping a firm hold of her, i rested myself on my elbow as i watched her sleep.

Watching her, i spotted the drool dribbling from her mouth. Maybe she's dreaming about me. Well at least i hope she is. Whatever she's dreaming about isn't imporant. Just being able to wake up with my mate in my arms, makes everything feel perfect and complete. Even with greast and tatted hair, oily skin and the drool, she was amazingly pretty. The wolf spirits couldn't have matched me with anyone better. I could already feel that she is my other half. I just hope soon she will let me make her my other half for people to see. I don't know how long i'll be able to hold myself around her, knowing that she won't be seen as mine without my mark.

There are five stages of the mating process. The first is to allow one and other into your minds. This means they will be able to hear your thoights and fully feel your emotions. This lets the other know if you are in danger or unhappy without you having to communicate.

The second step is to let your minds bond. This is similar to a pack bond where you can talk through your minds. However with mates, it means that if you were blocking everyone out, they would still manage to push themselves through if they tried hard enough. Not all mates can push through the mind blocks, it's usually strong mates, like Alpha couples. It also allows you to be able to touch the mind of your mate with emotions rather than thoughts or words.

The third step, is to exchange dna through anything like kissing. This allows the others body to maintain a part of theirs. It helps in instances were a mate is dying and their partner can keep them alive if he focuses all their strength on the part of their mate living inside of them.

The fourth step is the marking of the others body. This is the biting part that most shewolfs worry about for the pain. Im reality the pain only lasts nanoseconds as the canines pierce the skin before the feeling turns to pleasure. This traditionally occurs as either part of a wedding or a mating ritual, where family and friends gather to watch the couple bite eachother's necks, producing a tattoo like mark on their bodies. The design of the mark is unique to each pair of mates. It can form in any place of the body, in whichever shape and size is assigned to the couple. The only similarities between all marks, are that they will always be a jet black and will not fade. Also, the name of the mate will appear somewhere within the design of the others mark. An Alpha mark, willnusually be bigger and more intricate than others. The mates name will also appear in the colour of the pack. All the previous Alpha mates of that pack would have also been given the same colour. Sometimes this step occurs earlier in the mating process. If this happens then the first two steps will also combine. This step never used to happen early but as the years went on, it became increasingly popular. In my pack, i have tried to retain the tradition just as my father did. I had never realised how enticing it is to mark your mate till now. If you were to mark someone who was not your mate, due to rejection or the death of your mate, if you already have a mating mark it will change into a plain black circle and if you have not, your mark will be a black circle.

The fifth and final step of the mating process, is the actual mating. Thos secures the pair together for eternity so that they never find appeal from another.

The whole mating process is one that the wolf socirty depends on. They help keep the mates strong together and help the protection of the community individually. There are other procedures mates can use on the other. Just like i put a male block on Tara, meaning any male to touch her other than family, woukd repulse her and cause her pain. Other things include protective barriers. If you apply a protective barrier, it would stop any wolf form from being able to come close enough to harm their mates. These procedures are what the males can apply, although the females also have a few, i am unsure of them.

I couldn't help but notice Tara had now shifted so that i could see her neck stretched out infront of me. I closed my eyes and inhaled her sweet scent. I found myself wondering what marking her would feel like. How much pleasure would she recieve? Would we both enjoy it equally? I can imagine she would taste just as good as she smelt. Opening my eyes, i was suprisedtp to find my face close to her neck and my canins extended. As much as i tried to pull myself away, i couldn't. My wolf was in control and he wanted to bestow our mark upon our beautiful mate. I watched as only centimetres before me, Tara's neck twisted and we were now face to face. Taking in the scene before her, her eyes widened with shock, anger and the one that hurt me the most, betrayal.

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Tara's POV

As i came round from my wonderful Theo filled sleep, i could feel a warm breeze tickling my neck. Rolling over slowly to see what was going on, i was more than shocked at what i saw. Theo was leaning over me with his canines fully extended. His eyes had turned pure black and were filled wih lust, indicating his wolf was in charge. At first i didn't understand but then it all clicked into place. He was trying to mark me.

"You were going to mark me while i slept?" My voice was no more than a whisper and it gave away all the feelings of betrayal overwhelming my heart.

" You were going to mark me while i slept. You were going to mark me while i slept. You were going to mark me while i SLEPT." Each time i said it, the volume of my voice raised slightly till eventually i was screaming in his face. I watched as his eyes turned back to their lushious green and they held the pain he was feeling on display. I knew he was back in control now and that i shouldn't be angry but i am.

"I want our mating to be traditional. Not like this!" I could see him flinch as i screamed st him, but even as the words left my mouth i began to wonder, could i really wait that long? Before my mind could even consider it, i got up and headed to my shower. As soon as i stood up i felt all warmth leave me and a feeling of loneliness surround me as Theo's hands dropped to the bed. I'd just reached the door when he finaly spoke.

"Where are you going?"

"In the shower." My reply was blunt and i saw him flinch from the corner of my eye. I was stepping through the door when he spoke again.

"I'm sorry. I love you." I turned to look at him and what i saw tore me in two. The man sat on my bed, didn't look like the confident Theo i knew but a shadow of himself. His eyes were glassy and filled with guilt and pain, his whole composure looked broken. I offered a small smile that made his eyes glisten slightly, before marching into the bathroom and washing my troubles away in a burning hot shower.

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So what does everyone think so far?