Mara turned her head so she was looking back at Marx. She had been curious about the bond ever since Trixle had mentioned it.

"I would like to know more, yes." Mara said, trying to hide the full extent of her curiosity. 

"Well," Marx started. "There are a couple steps to it."

"What would those steps be?" 

Marx sat quietly for a moment, trying how to best describe what had to be done in order to start the process. 

He leaned down to whisper in her ear once more. "Blood." 

The way he said it made Mara shiver and her nose wrinkle. What did he mean by 'blood'? Was it like the blood oath she had taken when she joined the High Council?

"What do you mean blood?" Mara asked, not able to hide her slight disgust. 

"The blood that runs through our veins is part of what makes us, us." As he spoke, Marx's left hand grabbed Mara's, turning it so her palm was facing both of them. He ran his fingers lightly across her skin, following the bluish tint of her veins as he spoke. 

"It's like our life force - our essence - everything that is us moves through here. The mate bond is essentially combining two essences, two beings, two souls, into one." 

Mara watched Marx's hand move along her wrist, felt his gentle caresses against her skin, as his words hypnotized her. 

"Wolves are carnivores creatures by nature, surviving off the meat and blood of weaker animals." The sudden shift in Marx's tone made Mara feel self-conscious about her exposed veins. She knew Marx would never do anything to harm her; but talking about blood and weaker prey made her nervous. There was no way she would be able to win against a wolf, especially one as large as a werewolf if it decided to turn on her.

"So it's only fitting that blood be in the process. It's been said that the joining of the blood of mates starts the link of a strong bond. To mingle the two in an inseparable way, linking the two people together. Once the bond is formed it cannot be undone." Marx sat silently, letting the information soak in. 

"That sounds... permanent." Mara said after a long moment. 

Marx let out a low rumbling of laughter. "Yes, it is permanent. Once the bond is formed there is no going back."

"Is there ever any going back, even before the bond is formed?" Mara wondered aloud. After giving into her feelings and giving them a chance, Mara couldn't even dream of going the other way. Wherever she went in the future, she had assumed Marx would always be right beside her. She couldn't imagine anyone being able to walk away from their mate once they had found them. 

"Believe it or not, it has happened before." Marx said gravely as if reading her thoughts. "It doesn't happen often, it is extremely rare, and often times those who have parted fall into a depression." 

Mara cringed at that, wondering how someone could put themselves through that much pain. 

"What does the bond mean exactly?" Mara asked trying to shift the subject away from the devastating thought.

"Like I said, it is like joining the two souls. There are some abilities that come with it as well." He started. "Like the familial bond, you can speak telepathically."

Mara snapped her head around quickly, remembering the day back in the Scantlen castle. She had sworn Marx had spoken directly to her that day without saying anything out loud. 

"You did that." Mara accused him. 

Marx nodded. "I was able to do it for a brief moment, yes. I wasn't sure if it would work, less than a fourth of a percent of people are able to communicate before the formation of the bond, but I knew I needed to try."

Mara started to bite her nails, thinking about what that could possibly mean. Did that mean their bond was strong already without starting it?

"You can also sense each others emotions. Not in the sense that you can feel them full force, but you are more aware of each other."

Mara bobbed her head as she continued to bite her nails. 

"Mara, I don't want to push you into anything you aren't ready for." Marx trailed off. 

Was she ready for it? Was she ready to form her bond with Marx and never look back? The answer was that she wasn't sure. She couldn't imagine ever leaving him, but she also didn't know if she was ready to take such a big leap yet. She was still in high school for crying out loud.

Though when Mara took a look at her life, none of it seemed to follow the normal pattern, how many high school girls were about to leave to defend the world they lived in? Could she really use the fact that she was still in high school to keep her from following what her heart was telling her was right?

"You said there were multiple steps, how many are there?" Mara asked before she let her mind answer her own question. 

"Two." Marx said it hesitantly. 

"And what exactly is the second one?" 

"It's like the... consummation of the bond. The sealing element I suppose you could say." 

Mara was glad she wasn't looking at Marx anymore. A deep red blush crept up into her cheeks, heating her skin to an uncomfortable temperature. She focused on his even breathing, she wasn't sure how he could be so calm talking about something like that. The very thought instantly made her think of the other night in Marx's room when they had gotten carried away.

Mara wondered what Marx was thinking. She wondered if that same animalistic glow had taken hold of his gaze; she couldn't turn to look though.

"When does the second step have to happen?" Mara asked out of curiosity. 

"Not immediately." Marx said, and Mara silently sighed with relief. "Until it is solidified with the consummation though, it is considered raw. It can sometimes be unpredictable, I'm not really sure on the details of that myself." he admitted. "But after you seal the bond, everything acts as it should." 

The two sat silently for quite a while; enough time for the sun to start it's descent, hiding behind the walls of the school. Mara shivered as the blowing wind became cooler and Marx wrapped his arms around her tighter. 

"Marx?"

"Hmm?"

"I want to do it. I want to start the bond."

Mara thought she could feel the shift in him. As if in that moment, with those words she had made him the happiest person in the world. 

"Do you really mean it?" He asked, half expecting her to change her mind. 

"Mara nodded and another shiver went down her spine from the chill of the cooling night. 

"Do you want to go inside? You would probably b-"

Before he had been able to finish his sentence, Mara had transported them back inside landing in the middle of his room. They took in the empty state of the room, the only source of light coming from what little sun was left in the sky. The dark oranges and purples filtered in through the window. 

"How does this work exactly?" Mara asked. 

"There are two different ways, one is more intimate than the other." Marx explained. 

"What are those ways?"

"The first would be to make the cut, draw the blood and place the wounds together." Marx said, clasping their hands in the way it would work. 

"And the other?" Mara asked, her voice slightly hesitant. 

"The other." Marx's voice got lower. "You still draw the blood, but you drink." 

Mara could see Marx's eyes go darker. As a witch, she wasn't entirely sure what the sharing of blood entailed, but from the look in his eye it was something strong. She swallowed hard and met his dark gaze. 

"Alright then." Mara said holding her hand out. 

"Are you sure?" Marx asked making sure Mara felt in no way pressured into doing something she didn't want to do. 

Mara's response was taking her finger and drawing a line down her wrist. Within seconds a small dark line started to appear. Marx held out his and Mara did the same to his own wrist, the line of blood slowly making its way to the surface. 

Mara could see the glow in his eyes again as he hesitantly reached for Mara's bleeding wrist, taking it gently in his hand. She did the same with his, taking a deep breath as she brought it closer. 

They had their eyes on each other, moving in sync as the blood made contact with their mouths. At first the taste disgusted Mara, a metallic taste that filled her mouth. She nearly pulled away, but then something changed. 

She could feel a stirring deep inside, like something had been awoken and suddenly she didn't want to stop. As Marx's blood worked its way through Mara's system she felt as if it was unleashing something deep within and Mara was excited to find out what it was. 

Mara became hyper aware of Marx, she could sense everything about him. The feeling of his arm in her hands, his lips pressed to her wrist, and the beating of his heart. Every pump it took to push his blood through his veins until it made its way past her lips.

Her eyes closed and behind her lids she could see Marx there, as if the image of him was burned into her mind. His form started to blur and Mara tried to focus in on it, but the more she tried, the blurrier it got until it melted and changed. Standing in the place of the human Marx, was his giant, brown wolf, her wolf. 

He lifted his head to the sky and let out a long howl, causing the same sensation to stir deep within again until she finally felt it break loose. A wave of energy washed over Mara, hugging her body in its tingling warmth like the feeling she got wherever Marx touched her. The hairs on her arms and neck stood on end. 

It was a similar feeling to what she got when her powers built up inside of her, ready to be used only warmer and more intense. It felt like the rays of sun in the summer, heating up her body until it reached an almost uncomfortable temperature.

Mara didn't even realize when she finally let go of Marx, she was too lost in what was going on inside. She felt dizzy, and Marx guided her to the chair. Once she sat down, everything started to shift back into focus.

Mara could see Marx breathing heavily and she knew he had been affected just as much as she had. She just to think of a way to describe what she had felt, but no words seemed sufficient enough.

"I saw your wolf." Marx said, his voice barely a whisper.

"What?"

"Your wolf, I saw it."

Mara's head was still spinning and she had no idea what he was talking about. She didn't have a wolf, she was just a witch.

She knew Marx could see how crazy she thought his words were.

"You have werewolf in you." Marx started. "That means you technically have a wolf, and I saw it. You are a white wolf." Marx said a lopsided grin plastered on his face.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Mara asked confused.

"It means you are my special white wolf." He whispered and kissed the back of her hand.

Mara wondered if he had seen the same thing she had behind closed eyes, if he had seen her shift into the wolf as she saw him change. Something about the thought of a wolf inside scared her. She had just become used to the idea of the powers that were within, but now she had to consider the thought of an animal taking up residence inside of her.

A feeling of happiness washed over Mara and she started grinning like an idiot without even knowing why. When she tuned back in to Marx, he had a similar expression, and that's when she had remembered what he said earlier. They would be able to sense each other’s emotions. 

"What was that exactly?" Mara asked.

"The bond forming, I think."

"You think?"

"It's not like I have ever done it before." Marx chuckled. "But I'm pretty sure that's what it was. It was..." Mara could see him try to find the right word, a word good enough to describe the experience, she watched as his brow wrinkled and his lips pursed. 

"Amazing." Mara finished for him running her thumb over his brow, smoothing it out before resting her hand on his cheek.

"Yeah." He said smiling. 

Mara laughed lightly and leaned over kissing Marx's cheek. 

A sharp pain shot through Mara's whole body. She doubled over clenching her fists and her jaw as it ran through her.

"Mara? What's wrong?" Panic ran through Marx and Mara could feel it mingling with her own. 

"It hurts." She cried out. 

"What does? What hurts?" Marx voice cracked as he watched Mara drop to the ground on her knees. 

"My hands." Mara gritted out. "My jaw. It hurts Marx, what's happening?"

Mara cried out as she opened and closed her fists, it felt like someone was ripping her nails and teeth out one by one and she didn't know why. 

Marx paced around her, not sure what was happening or what he should do. He watched Mara withering on the ground and he cringed. He could feel her pain, not what she was feeling, but that she was feeling it and it hurt him. 

Mara hissed, biting back another scream as she stared down at her hands. She could see something under her nails trying to force its way to the surface. She felt something similar in her mouth, like something sharp was trying to force its way out. 

"What's happening to me?" Mara asked again, nearly yelling.

"I-I don't know." Marx choked out. He knelt down beside Mara resting a hand on her back when he saw her fingers, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing. 

Blood started to flow from the ends of her fingers as whatever was under the surface pushed its way all the way though. Mara cried out loudly and looked at her hands. Mara's nails had been replaced with long claws and the pain started to ebb away. 

Mara felt her mouth where the pain had also began to subside and she found elongated teeth that almost felt like fangs. 

"Marx, what is this?" Mara asked, but she wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"I... think you're shifting."

"I'm what?" Mara shrieked.

"You're shifting, Mara." 

************

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