Loving a Rogue

Chapter 5

"Jay, I hate to ask, but do you know anything about what happens to wolves who have lost their mates?"

"To be honest I don't know much about mates in general." Blaz blinked at her in surprise.

"I forget that you were young when you left pack life. How young were you." She sighed and thought back to the time when she run away.

"I couldn't have been more than 10 years old. But that's a story for another day."

"Of course, you're right. I shouldn't have pried. But please, tell me what you do know about mates." Jalayna looked up at the sky, stretching her neck while she thought about her answer carefully. She really didn't know much. Most wolves are told about mates from a young age. But her experience couldn't have been a typical one.

"I know that mates are really soul mates. Each person's soul was made incomplete, so that they would be able to find their perfect half. That soul mates were first given to Werewolves to complete themselves, so that we would have a companion for the rest of our lives. We are often only given one soul mate, but if one is rejected by their mate, or if one loses their mate early on in life, many are often blessed with a second chance mate or a second soul mate."

"Is that all?"

"No. I also know that a Mate can be driven insane through the use of the other mate. That the best form of revenge is through mates, because we can feel extreme emotions through the bonds that are shared." She glanced up to see her mates horrified face. She glanced away, not wanting to see that face on her mate looking at her in that way.

"You sound like you know more about mates than I do." He said quietly.

"Not in the good sense. You forget that my family has been haunted by a blood curse that caused us to abuse or be abused by our mates. I know all too well the effects that a severed, haunted, or cursed mate bond can accrue. I doubt I could tell you what a healthy mate bond looks like." She felt the burn of tears in her eyes and looked away so her mate couldn't see her weakness.

"Hey." A finger on her chin gently forced her head up and she stared into Blaz eyes. She seemed to be doing that a lot lately. She was drawing comfort in a way she had never experience before. "We're going to do our best to change that okay?" She nodded gently. The way he was staring at her, glancing between her eyes and her mouth made her hope for something. What, she wasn't certain.

"I'm going to kiss you now if that's okay with you." He whispered. Her eyes moved to his lips before nodding her head. She closed her eyes, waiting for the touch when –

SPLASH!

The loud noise startled them slightly away from each other. Her cheeks burned. They looked to see some kids playing along the shore not too far from them. She glanced back at Blaz, only to find him smiling ruefully at her. He grabbed her hand and tugged her further along the beach so they wouldn't be overheard.

"So what do you know of a mate bond that has been severed." He asked as they walked.

"Well I know that a mate bond has to be activated in order to be felt. This is often done by sight, although obviously we had a different experience."

"Actually it's done by smell." Blaz chuckled, and once again Jalayna felt the burning sensation in her cheeks that meant she was blushing. She couldn't think of anything witty to say so she pushed on.

"Oh. Well anyway, after a mate bond is activated there are different stages for the wolves. It's different for each couple but from my understanding it begins with a pull, moves to feeling what the other is feeling, and then after the mate bond is completed, being able to hear each other's thoughts. Each stage can affect the couple differently, so depending upon what stage the bond is severed, will depend on the effects."