Dealing With Him

VIII

"All werewolves have a bond with another," Ron started. "Professor Olson found out that in the werewolf body, there is a type of string o' that is also in yer mate's body. Only one."

"How is this important?" I asked impatiently.

"Yer said how yer hated the thought o' having a mate?"

"Correct."

"And that now yer feel as though you can't live without yers?"

Dylan grinned and I felt my cheeks go warm as I answered, "Yes."

Ron hummed.

"Yer also feel a pit o' empt'ness when they aren't with you... even if it's the same house?"

I thought about it for a minute.

"Sure, yeah."

There was a long silence.

"It says 'ere," Ron told me, "that those are the symptoms that yer don't have that string in yer body. You have somethin' much stronger."

Dylan and I exchanged looks.

"What?"

"Yer have a part of each other's soul."

My heart fell to my ass.

"That's not possible," Dylan tried to argue.

"I don't understand..." I mumbled.

"Either yer heart or yer soul; it don't really make a difference. Yer two were born with part of yer soul in each other and yer didn't realize it or feel it until--"

"We completed the mating bond," Dylan finished with wide eyes. "But how is that even possible?"

Ron hesitantly answered, "I don' know. It only happens ter one out of three thousan' werewolves. It also says 'ere that this 'symptom' also proves how either one of the mates are related ter descendants of the shadow hounds."

"What the hell are shadow hounds?" I asked.

"Creatures larger than even werewolves that lived long before werewolves did. Only so many people in the world have the shadow hound gene and, when they do, their mate gains part of that gene to complete the shadow hound bond.

"Also, this means that the connection between the two mates makes them almost inseparable, their senses change, s****l activity, and they go through a course that lasts one week. So, a pro would be that ever'time yer fight, you'll make up easily."

My hands began to feel sweaty and I looked up at Dylan. He grabbed my hands and pecked my lips reassuringly.

"What kind of... course?" I asked Ron.

"Some type er shifting course," he answered. "Both mates will go through a week o' unbearable pain while shifting into a shadow hound."

"How much longer until we have to go through that?" I asked.

"Six ter seven months at the most. It comes naturally."

I felt my body beginning to shake at the thought of seven torturous days of the shifting course. I didn't want to know what was going would happen through it.

"What are the positive outcomes?" I asked Ron nervously.

Ron hummed to himself while I could hear him typing.

"Well, for starters, your wolf is replaced with a shadow hound, yer have better senses in everythin', authority from all werewolves that aren' other shadow hounds, strong mate bond. All o' that jazz."

"And the negative?" Dylan asked.

"Yer more wanted by werewolf hunters and bloodthirsty creatures who want power is the main thing that pops up."

"And will I still be alpha?"

"Yes."

Dylan sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Ron," I said.

"Any time," Ron said. "If yer need anythin' just call me."

"We will," Dylan answered and hung up. He turned to me with an expression I couldn't identify.

"Shadow hounds?" I asked. "How the hell can this..."

I trailed off and began walking away. Dylan followed close behind me. We walked through the giant house until we opened two sets of large doors, a library on the other side.

"Look for anything related to shadow hounds," I told Dylan and he nodded, walking off in one direction.

After two hours of sitting alone behind mountains of books, I jolted up.

My full name is Aria Sparrow Harrison but people use Aria Sparrows. That is ASH. A shadow hound's initials are SH.

"Dylan," I mindlinked.

There was a moment of silence as I impatiently waited for him.

"Yeah?" He answered.

"What's your full name?"

"Dylan Spearson Hunter. Why?"

I closed my book and took a giant one with me as I followed Dylan's scent through the library before spotting him crisscrossed on a carpet, his books forming a wall with windows held by other books. I couldn't help but snigger when I saw a paper crown on his head.

"Hello, King Dylan," I said with a British accent and bowed. "I have found something about the unknown species of shadow hounds."

Dylan looked up from his book and helped me inside, placing me on his lap while looking at the book that was in my hands.

"I found something out," I told him. "My full name is Aria Sparrow Harrison. The two last names are SH. Your full name is Dylan Spearson Hunter which also have SH. See where I'm getting at?"

Dylan nodded.

"So it's because of our names?"

I shook my head.

"It's because of our first names too." I opened the book and flipped through the pages and began reading. "Shadow hounds are large dogs that can be seen outside in the real world but can also hide in actual shadows. There are different types of shadow hounds; fire, water, light, dark, and air. They control that element. The one way for you to be a pure shadow hound is to have the first letter of an element and then the last two names starting with 'S' and 'H'. For example, if someone was names Felicia Sanders Henderson, that would be one sign that she may be a shadow hound. However, that was a tradition. It's probably changed since then."

Dylan hummed to himself as he thought.

"What are the other signs?"

I flipped through the pages of the book.

"Aggression towards some, more muscle--"

"I wouldn't mind that," Dylan mumbled with a grin.

"Continuing," I said and glared at him. "Weather changes based on what the element is for emotions such as anger and sadness. It takes four months for your shadow hound to actually be controlled by you. The list goes on forever, Dylan."

I let out a nervous breath.

"What's going to happen to us, Dylan?"

He frowned and turned me around so my legs were around his waist as he held me.

"Nothing," he told me. "We are going to get through this, babe, I promise."

Hesitantly, I nodded my head and buried my face in the crook of his neck.

-----

It was three in the morning.

Dylan fell asleep long ago in his bedroom.

I'm still awake in mine with a lamp on, reading through the book I was reading to Dylan earlier while writing almost every line down. It was better to do this rather than looking for everything in the book because I could colour code it with my colourful pens.

I was trying my hardest not to wake Dylan or Owen up when I had to take pee breaks and would be reading the book then dropping it.

Currently, I was on chapter five: The Mating Bond.

If a shadow hound has completed the shadow hound bond with their mate, it only takes time before the s****l need for one another increases more and more and will keep doing so for three months before stopping and their bodies will go back to normal if both shadow hounds decide to.

They will go through agonizing pleasurable pain when not around their mate and can lead to destroying even cement if not receiving the pleasure they need.

Sometimes, the feeling goes away, however, it is more common for shadow hounds to mate much more than a regular werewolf.

My eyes went wide and I pulled my shorts up, flushing the toilet with my foot and walking out of the washroom, not bothering to wipe or wash my hands.

I was too much in shock to care.

Three months!?

"What are you still doing up?" A raspy voice yawned from behind me.

I turned around and saw Dylan sitting on my bed with a blanket wrapped around his body, head included, as he watched me suspicious.

I bit my lip to stop from laughing as his eyes squinted when the lamp's light reached his eyes.

"I'm writing notes about shadow hounds," I answered and turned back to the book and several pieces of paper with my writing on it. "It'll be easier."

Dylan hummed and I opened the book, writing down what I read in the washroom. Letting out a groan when Dylan's scent suffocated me as he slowly kissed up and down my neck, I put my pen down.

"What do you want, Dylan?" I asked impatiently.

"I want to kiss my mate," he answered tiredly.

"Are you drunk?"

He chuckled, the raspiness in his voice only making it sound sexier.

"No, love, I'm not drunk. I'm craving some kissies from my missy, though."

I chuckled and turned my head, pecking his lips.

"Now go to sleep, you have a meeting tomorrow and I will--"

"Be my assistant at the meeting."

My eyes went wide and I spun around in my office chair. Dylan's eyes held no sign of joke and I sighed.

"Why?" I whined. "I have a date with Brianna."

"And I want you to be my date," Dylan whined back. "I want to show off how sexy my mate is to all of the other alphas there. I promise we can go wherever you like afterwards. Do this for me?"

He kissed my nose and I scrunched it up, a small smile on my face.

"Anywhere?"