“Becoming a wife of a human male merely needs consent, but becoming a mate of a divine beast requires both consent and compatibility,” Yula added. “The initiation of the mate’s bond–the marking itself–is life-threatening for the female. The female has to show that she has the potential of carrying the magic of the divine bloodline by surviving the male’s marking.”
Ember had a realization. “So that was why Elder Leeora told me that I survived the marking and now I am His Majesty’s mate.”
“Yes, Miss.” Yula nodded.
Silence filled the chamber as Ember digested the shocking things she learned today.
“Does being mates have anything to do with me being attracted towards His Majesty’s scent?” she asked after a while. “Every time I am near him, I feel like… like I lose control over myself and I don’t know what exactly happens to me.”.
This was the thing that troubled her the most. Though she liked Draven’s scent, it bothered her that she was acting unlike herself. She felt fear for the unknown urge controlling her body.
Yula nodded again. “Being able to smell the unique scent of your mate is one of the most obvious changes and the most important aspect of sharing a mate’s bond. Only a mate can smell–or rather, recognize that particular scent on your other half and it’s the same for your partner. In your case, Miss, you say you are attracted to the King’s scent. His Majesty can also smell your unique scent and feel the same as you do.”
For some reason, her body trembled at the thought. “But why?”
“Remember how I mentioned ‘marking’ is the initiation of the bond? It means the bond is created but is not complete yet. The significance of that unique scent is mainly to lead the couple to consummate the bond between them. The magic of a bond is something one cannot resist regardless of will or strength, and though some mates try to avoid consummation due to their circumstances, in the end, it is bound to be fulfilled. Being lost in the scent of your mate is the reason for that. The scent will grow stronger and stronger until you give in to your urges and complete the bond through consummation.”
“Consummation?” Ember asked. She knew she heard it from the High Elder, but at that time, she didn’t think much about it.
“The bond has three stages–marking by the male, survival by the female and the consummation by the couple–and fulfilling those three completes that mate bond. In your case, Miss, you have passed the first two stages and what remains now is consummation.”
Ember felt like the elf was trying to dodge something. “What exactly is the consummation and how does it work?”
“Umm…” Yula wondered how to make it easy for this naive girl to understand. “Well, if I am to explain it using human logic, you can consider the first two stages of the bond, ‘marking and survival’, as the wedding ceremony for you and His Majesty, while the third stage as the wedding night.”
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