Chapter 21

Treasach had been trying to help Nia come to terms with their situation for hours. He wasn't making much progress, and he was at a loss on how to help his mate. Nia's pacing prevented her from sitting down and resting. So, on top of worrying about her fear of bonding, he was worried about her health.

"Mo shearc, what can I do to help you?" Treasach pleaded with her.

"I need time. I know it is the one thing you cannot give me, but that doesn't mean I don't need it. God," she sobbed. "A few days ago I was preparing for a life of solitude with only the possibility of becoming Aunt Nia to the children I hoped Jacks, Jenna, and Zoya would have, but now my plan doesn't apply. My plan didn't account for werewolves. I didn't ask for this. I wasn't looking for some handsome Irish man to claim me."

Treasach wanted to pull her close, to comfort her with his touch, but he couldn't help but feel like she was rejecting him.

"No," Nia cried. "Treasach, that is why this is so hard. I didn't plan for my handsome Irish man, but I definitely didn't plan for love. There was no room in my life for a grand love affair. I don't understand it, but I think I am falling in love with you, and I don't know how to slow myself down. My rational side and my irrational side are playing tug-of-war with my emotions. None of this makes sense, and now I only have two days to come to terms with it. I don't want you to feel like I don't have feelings for you because that would be a falsehood. I do, however, want you to understand that I am completely and utterly overwhelmed."

Without a second thought, Treasach moved to gather Nia in his arms. He was pleased when she instantly relaxed. "Hell of time for our mental connection to open up, wouldn't you say, mo shearc?"

"Oh my gosh, I didn't even realize. Wait. Did I respond to your thoughts?"

He nodded, "I never openly expressed my fear of rejection, but you picked it out of my thoughts."

"Well, that's interesting. Maybe my panic forced our bond open or something."

"Speaking of panic, are you doing any better now?"

She seemed shocked, "Yes, actually, I feel a little more in control of my emotions. I don't really know why though."

"That would be one of the perks of having a mate. My touch soothes you, as yours soothes me. I know that scares you, but you admitted you were falling in love with me anyways. You should probably know that in just a few days, I am in love with you. I skipped the falling. I sort of dove in love with you. I know that scares you, but I want you to understand that I love you so much. I wish nothing more than to give you the time you need to come to terms with our relationship, but I will not risk your life to do it. You are too important to me, and it is my job to protect you, even if I am protecting you from yourself.

"I promise you that, once we complete the bonding ritual, my love for you will only grow stronger. I also promise to give you all the time and space you need to come to terms with the rest of our relationship. However, I should warn you that the ritual is intense and will most likely magnify any desires you have for me physically." Nia looked appalled. "Love, I do not say that to be crass. I only want to prepare you because I know for someone as smart as you, understanding and knowledge help you feel better about situations that are otherwise out of your control."

Nia took a moment to collect herself and to comprehend all Treasach had divulged. She realized that understanding something did actually make her feel better. Research had gotten her out of many uncomfortable situations, and it had helped her recover from loss more than once.

She turned to the man who had placed his heart in her hands, "When you say bonding ritual, what does that mean?"

"I want to tell you, but I fear it may frighten you. Would you rather hear it from me or a female of the Scottsboro pack? I know none of your friends have completed the ritual, but Maeve and Adara would happily answer any questions you have."

Nia blushed, "Uh…I actually would rather keep this awkward discussion between us. I promise to hear everything before I freak out."

"Okay," Treasach took a deep breath. "The ceremony starts off with us exchanging the ancient vows of wolf mates. After this, some couples choose to share vows they wrote for each other in addition to the mandatory traditional vows. It's just an option, mo shearc. We can always skip that part or save it for a later date. The next thing that usually occurs is that the male gives the female a gift, something that represents his commitment to her. It is my understanding that the modern practice is for the male to give his mate a ring of some sort."

Nia thought about what Treasach was telling her, "That really doesn't sound that bad. I don't know why you were concerned about me having a panic attack."

"Love, I wasn't done," Treasach sighed. "What I have yet to divulge is the part of the ritual that applies more to our wolf sides. I guess in our case that would be my wolf side."

"Okay… What exactly happens?"

"We have to…uh…you will bite my neck. I will return the action. After that, the ritual is complete and we are not only emotionally connected, but our souls become one."

Nia snorted, "You are kidding aren't you? I thought you said you were a wolf not a vampire. And what is this soul business?"

"We didn't do a very good job explaining the mate thing to any of you. At least, I don't think so. Werewolves only have one mate because their mate is the one who holds the other half of their soul. To be whole, we need each other. It explains why it is difficult for mates to be apart for extended periods of time."

"Okay, I can accept that I guess, but this whole neck biting thing is a little weird. Will it involve breaking the skin?"

"Actually, we will consume a little bit of each other's blood. Before you panic, realize that this is supposed to be a very pleasurable experience and not meant to be nauseating. I know it is a lot to accept, but we need to do this soon. I would prefer tonight. That would give you time to adjust to the changes in our bond before I get stuck in meetings all day with the alphas."

"Okay, let's say that, hypothetically, I come to terms with all of this craziness. What do we want to do about the second and third things on your list?"

Treasach fought to conceal his smile, since he didn't want her to think he was laughing at her, but he was happy she wasn't panicking. "I would actually prefer that we did our personal vows at a later date, like maybe a wedding."

"A wedding?"

"Yes, Eamon suggested it actually. He thought, coming from the human world, maybe a wedding would help you accept the permanence of the mate bond. Only, I do not want to rush it. This is something I want to give to you since you have already been willing to give up so much for me. I want you to have this human rite of passage. It's actually something a lot more mates have been doing as they accumulate human friends. They like to include them on their special day, and I think the males enjoy it because it takes their mates out of the dating pool in the eyes of humans as well." Treasach saw that Nia had tears in her eyes; he was worried she was getting overwhelmed. "Nia, mo shearc, what is wrong?"

"Sorry," she wiped her eyes. "The thought of a wedding just overwhelmed me a little bit, but don't think I am upset. I guess the best way to explain it is that my joy overwhelmed me."

"I don't understand, love."

"I always dreamed about having a wedding of my own, but I gave up on that dream when I became resigned to live out my days alone. I also enjoyed your passion about giving me the adequate time to plan the wedding I want."

"So, you do want to marry me?" Treasach asked with a grin spreading across his face.

"Maybe a little," Nia couldn't stop the giggle that escaped. "I also like the idea of having time to write my vows. I don't think I could put together anything decent by tonight."

Her reply gave him hope, "Mo shearc, are you saying what I think you are saying?"

"I don't know, Treasach, am I? You can read my mind after all," Nia replied with a smirk.

"Yes, I suppose now I can."

Love, do you really want to do the ritual tonight?

No, but I want to be with you, so there is really no reason we can't do it. I'm still a little freaked out about the blood swapping. I guess I thought we would start with swapping spit first.

Treasach snorted, "Did that just cross the mind of my innocent little mate?"

"You don't think Jenna and Jacks are best friends with me for my extraordinary good looks do you?" She replied jokingly.

"Well, I had hoped not, but I wasn't expecting anything like that from you. I guess we still have lots of things to learn about each other. Luckily, all of the learning can be done later because you are not about to back out of this now that you have agreed."

"So we have addressed the personal vows and blood stuff. That leaves us with the traditional vows and the gift stuff. Am I going to read a piece of paper of something?"

"Yes, actually, the Alphas usually give the vows to the couple, but only when the Alpha male has found his mate. Until, then the vows are entrusted to the highest ranking mates. In my pack, my parents still keep the copies of the vows since I was still unmated, but that doesn't really matter since we are going to have to use copies from this pack. I'm assuming Maeve and Liam have become the caretakers, but I will need to ask Kael. They should be back from lunch soon. Do you want to rest for a while before then?"

Nia shook her head, "I'm tired, but I'm not really used to sleeping much. So I won't be going to bed anytime soon. Besides, we have one more detail to discuss. The gifts. Am I supposed to get you a gift as well?"

"No, mo shearc, it is supposed to be symbolic of a wolf's ability to provide for their mate. It is the humanized version of it. That is one part of the ceremony you do not need to worry about at all."

"Well, I guess that's a plus," she exhaled deeply. "Wait, where did Kael go?"

"Oh, Eamon texted me to let me know your friends would not be barging in anytime soon. The four of them went to meet Jacks's parents for lunch to reassure them of the girls' wellbeing. Apparently, my cousin thought it wise to immediately inform them of their daughter's kidnapping, so he needed to prove they were in tip-top shape."

"Tip-top shape?" Nia laughed. "I'm glad they are feeling so well."

"Hush, do not make fun of my vocabulary, love."

"Oh, fine, ruin all of my fun," Nia complained before sticking her tongue out at Treasach.

He chuckled, "Why don't we go wait in Kael's office?"

"If you insist, though, the idea of walking down there seems like so much work."

"Well, I imagine after all of that pacing, walking anymore would seem agonizing."

"Ha ha, you think you are so funny, don't you?"

"On occasion, yes, I do. Anyways, I can always carry you down there. As I am sure you have noticed I do rather enjoy that."

"Yes, believe it or not, I have picked that up in the short amount of time I have spent with you."

Before she could say anything else, Treasach had scooped her up into his arms. He told her that she would not be walking to the office, and she knew better than to fight him on it. She had used their mental connection to see that Treasach was still worried out of his mind. He worried about the side effect of her vision. He worried about her health. Most importantly, he worried about what would transpire later in the evening. She really wanted to say something to ease his fears, but she knew there was nothing she could do to make it better. Nothing she might say would ease his fears.

Mo shearc, that helpless feeling that you are experiencing, that is what I was dealing with the entire time when you were unconscious from your vision. That is why I am so desperate to complete the mate ritual. If that happens again, I wasn't to know I am doing everything possible to help you.

I didn't even think about that. Really, she hadn't, and his confession had obliterated any doubt in her mind about going through with the ritual. Don't think this means I am cool with being a vampire for the evening.

I would never confuse my gorgeous little seer with a bloodsucker, he winked at her as he delivered his compliment.

Nia squeaked as a blush covered her face. Rather than facing her mate, she decided to hide under his chin, resting her head on his shoulder.

Just get to Kael's office already.

Your wish is my command, love.

Hope this update makes up for some of the gap time between chapters 19 and 20 :). I hope you guys like the direction I am taking this. As always, please review. I really do appreciate them. Shout out to Fruitqueen for her reviews! Hoping to have another chapter up soon.