The Mating Rules

I nod understandingly, ‘so you document everything that happens in our lives?’ I confirm.Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

Luella shakes her head, ‘not everything, could you imagine how much room those tomes would take up? You mortals are always doing something! No, we just document important moments, like wars, the birth of important people, when something happens that is once in a lifetime’ she adds, raising her eyebrow at me.

‘Like a wolf getting two mates’ I sigh, watching the old woman tilt her head, ‘that is why you are here.’

‘Yes and no’ she replies evasively.

‘Well which is it?’ Caden huffs, ‘yes or no.’

Luella steels the Alpha with a pointed glare until he backs down again. ‘Yes, it is unusual that you are mated as a threesome’ she replies calmly, ‘and yes it has been documented, but no, that is not why I am here.’

I’m starting to lose track of the conversation, ‘so why are you here?’ I ask again.

The old woman straightens up, ‘well that requires more back story my dear’ she says firmly, merely flicking her gaze at my Alpha mate when he g****s grumpily.

‘To begin with, the entities were happy to watch their creations live their lives, not interfering in any way. They studied each group avidly, interested in how they would interact.

After a few millennia, each entity started to see issues with their creations. The Vampires were wiping out other species, as, due to already being dead, they had no souls to lead them, and being without life, were unable to be stopped by conventional means. With no beating hearts, they had no empathy, and the fact they only needed a few drops of b***d was immaterial, they had no conscience to tell them that their prey had a life and should be coveted. Instead, they would drink them dry without a second thought as to where their meals would come from once all lives were gone.

The humans, it turned out, were a power hungry species. The weakest of all the beings, they were the ones that most craved strength and the domination of others. They would fight among themselves, waging great wars and would kill anything that they deemed a threat.

The mystical creatures were meek, and stayed in hiding, unable to fight the more aggressive members who shared the Earth with them, so many were killed because they were not built to fight. As quiet beings, smaller than all the others, they were easy targets and were almost decimated by the other three groups.

Finally, the Werewolves and witches. They were strong but they didn’t mix well and would kill their own kind as well as others. Unlike Selene’s plan, the two species became enemies, and a huge wedge of distrust was forged between them.

The entities were saddened, their shiny new world was in disarray, and they needed a way to get them all to co-exist without annihilating each other.

Cyfrin, rather than make his creatures more aggressive, he gave them powers. What you all like to call, magical abilities? Some got the ability to fly, others the ability to blend in with their surroundings, but each was cloaked with an essence that would make predators of the other species overlook them, allowing them to live peacefully unless they chose to show themselves.

Thana, worried about her creations wiping out the children of her friends, gave her creatures a curse. They could only walk within darkness when she knew that most living creatures would be secure in their homes, fast asleep and safe from her monsters.

Selene as a peaceful entity, wanted her children to be softer, more caring so she created the Mate Bond, giving each wolf half a soul that would yearn for its other half, drawing the two together, their souls being forever bonded through a mark on the neck. She believed that with love, the wolves would become calmer, less aggressive and easier to live with.

She spoke to the other entities, who agreed that her gift could be spread across the entire realm, meaning a wolf could be mated to any other creature if that being had a personality that the Goddess felt would bring out the best in her creations. As she had weakened the wolves emotionally, she also weakened the Magic casters physically. They developed the same weaknesses as their human counterparts which meant they would be less likely to pick a fight with others, but their magic could still protect them if they needed it too.

Finally, Ilya looked upon his own children and was unsure how to help them become a better version of who they were. They were weaker than all others, and had no powers that would affect their behavior, he didn’t know why they behaved as they did. After careful deliberation, he felt that maybe they needed a purpose, something to strive for, to encourage them to care for each other as he had intended.

He looked upon the Moon Goddess’ garden, a place she designed for when it was time to call her children home, and from that study, an idea was born.

He designed his own space, somewhere for the souls of his humans to go to once they left the earthy plains. He worried though, that just an eternal realm was not enough to encourage his offspring to become better. So, he instilled in them, a belief. An understanding that they would receive a reward for a life dedicated to being good and kind, he also created the fear of an eternal punishment for a life led by selfish greed, hoping that this would help guide his charges away from destruction.

He also decided that as humans were afraid of all the magical creatures and that led them to hunt and kill them, that he would remove their existence from their minds. He believed that if they were mere imaginative creatures to his creations, that maybe they would feel less threatened and evolve into better versions of themselves.

Thus, the other creatures became nothing more than stories to the human world, fables handed down through the generations and told around camp fires by adults, for the enjoyment of young children.

Things did improve, each species finding their place in the world, and though there were quarrels of all sizes, nothing of any magnitude that would threaten the world, or cause the extinction of the beings that inhabited it.

The other three entities were satisfied to back away from their children at this point, and only fleetingly observed from afar, but Selene had grown attached to her offspring and dedicated time to making sure that they were thriving and following her wishes.

One day, as she watched, a young she wolf found her mate, a werewolf, weaker than herself. The she wolf was unhappy with her gift. Rather than seeing that he was her perfect other, designed to complement her in every way, she felt that the Goddess had slighted her, given her a punishment in fact and she refused to allow her mate to mark her.

Selene watched in sadness as the male wolf craved after his mate, writhed in pain as she touched others, the down side of one soul split between two bodies. It turned out that as they were connected, each could feel when the other tried to bond themselves with someone who did not belong to them.

The male werewolf suffered for many years, his half soul withering away until his wolf could no longer take it and faded away, leaving his human part broken, unable to heal as he too succumbed to death.

The Goddess, unable to bear seeing another wolf suffer due to her gift being so harshly treated, altered the bond she bestowed upon all wolves, and gave her children the right to reject her gift completely, severing their bond rather than be tied to someone who didn’t appreciate what they had been given.’

‘The history lesson is great and all, but it doesn’t explain why you are here’ Caden cuts in grumpily.

Luella’s gaze snaps to his as she scowls at him, ‘I’m getting there pup. Now sit back and be quiet, you talk too much.’

I smothered a giggle at my mate’s affronted look, Caden is not used to being put in his place. From the slight shaking of Hadley’s shoulders, I’m pretty sure that my warrior is enjoying watching the pushy Alpha wolf being put in his place as well.

‘Now where was I?’ Luella huffed, ‘I’m an old woman, you can’t interrupt me or I get lost and have to start again.’

‘The Moon Goddess giving us the right to reject our mates!’ Caden shot out quickly, obviously worried that the Seer would indeed start her story again.

‘Oh you do have a use’ Luella mused, eying my mate, ‘good to know you are not just a pretty face.’

‘Um, thank you?’ my Alpha replies uncertainly, not sure if he was being paid a compliment or being insulted as I continue to try and smother my giggles with my hand.

The warning growl from beside me tells me that I wasn’t very good at disguising it.

‘Laugh as much as you want, baby’ the Alpha growls low in my ear, ‘that will just make the punishment that much sweeter when I get you to myself later.’

I squeeze my legs together tightly, already well accustomed to Caden’s punishments, of which I have had many in the last seven days. I refuse to look back at him, knowing he’s smirking at me, and instead try to focus back on the woman in front of us.