Ibhan's POV

I kicked myself mentally for getting myself caught in this situation. I should have trusted my gut in the morning and never ventured out here. But, here I was, trampling through underbrush with a peppy and persistent werewolf. I took the moment to study her as she able on about her pack. She had a green aura, so in tune with the world around her that she harmonised with its energy, down to the beating of her heart. That, and the fact that she was a werewolf, meant losing her was not an option.

"Are you listening?" She bad stopped walking and was looking at me with a strange expression.

"No," I adjusted my bag and looked around. The woods here were plain and ordinary.

She sighed softly and stepped back. "I'm sorry if this is all too much and I'm overwhelming you, I just want this to work out."

She looked at you with concern. I frowned at the thought that anyone would need to be concerned for me. I was perfectly content with my life.

"You're not overwhelming me, you just talk a lot." She raised a brow as I said that, another smile spreading across her face. God's, she smiled a lot.

"Talking is overwhelming, I'll try not to blab on too much."

"Where are we going anyway?" I asked and she started walking once again.

"Well, you said you don't know anything about me. Most of my life is dedicated to the pack so I figured I'd show you around." I nodded as the trees began to thin out, eventually leading to a huge clearing, stretching out for acres in all directions.

"This is quite the space you have here," I mused and she nodded.

"The pack grounds are huge, us wolves need our space," she said as she waved at a group of people sitting in the grass not too far from us.

"So," I started, hoping that some attempts at conversation would satisfy her need to know me, "what exactly does a pack do?"

She looked up at me, a slightly bewildered look on her face. "You don't know what a packs for?"

"Do I look like a wolf to you?"

"I know you're not a werewolf, but they don't teach you guys about other species back at home?" She asked and I shook my head. "That's weird, we learn about the others here in schools, at least the basics."

"Warlocks spend the majority of their lives in Ravenvein, we don't see the need to know more about the other kinds," I said matter of factly, and I saw her frown at that statement.

"Well, the pack is like a huge family. Most of the wolves in Raynor live here, though some live in the towns and cities outside the forest. We are all bound together by a pack bond, it allows us to communicate mentally with each other, and with people you're closer to, like family and friends, you can feel their emotions too."

"Sounds invasive." She laughed, a light airy sound that carried in the breeze.

"It does but its not, no one can pry into your mind, its only what you share with them." I nodded and continued to follow her as we walked through the field.

Eventually, a cluster of cabins and houses began coming into view.

"We have a couple little villages like this spread out over the clearing where we live. There's a large one up near the northern point of the pack where the royals live," she explained and I watched as she used her hands to express herself.

"You're staring," she said quietly.

"I'm studying."

"Studying?"

"I don't understand you."

She huffed and sat down on the ground, patting the place next to her. It was my turn to raise a brow but she insisted. I sighed and sat across from her, crossing my legs and making sure my robe didn't get caught under me.

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"What would you like to know?" She asked, stretching her legs out in front of her.

"Tell me about the mate attraction."

She took a deep breath and leant back on her hands, her skin soaking in the sunlight. After a few moments she looked my way again.

"The mate attraction is not unique to wolves, most species have their own version. You guys have auras, right?" She barely waited a second for my response before continuing on.

"The mate attraction is said to be based on souls. Certain souls just harmonise together in a way thats unbreakable and unlike any other bond you'll form in your life. But, that doesn't mean the bond is the same for everyone. I know many wolves who's mate attraction has resulted in them finding their best friend in the entire universe, and their lovers are someone else who they also hold dearly," she trailed off a little as she looked over the field and I wondered if she was adding that last bit to reassure me or herself.

"Auras are like that, too," I said, trying to clear the air of melancholy, the tinge of grey in her aura unsettling.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," I shifted and stretched out my own legs, "auras are bright and powerful, they tell you a lot about a person. Every aura is distinct, even for twins, but for lovers, for warlocks, wizards and witches, auras vibrate so intensely when they are in sync that it is said to mend even the most broken of spirits." I looked over at her and a smile was playing on her face again.

"What?"

"What is my aura like?" She asked, leaning forward.

"I'm not telling you."

"Oh, come on," she pleaded, "a little hint?"

I looked at her, allowing my mind to relax and view the energy of the world. The pulsing green halo engulfed her frame and I wondered if it was affecting me, if it was mending my spirit.

"No."

"Fine," she stood up and held out her hand, "we have more things to see."

I ignored her hand, not wanting to give her any more satisfaction than I already had, and stood as gracefully as I could in my robe.

"Isn't that suffocating?" She asked, and I looked her over in her tank top and leggings.

"It's quite breathable actually, it's my summer collection," I said dryly and she laughed as she started walking towards the villages she had pointed out earlier.

"You're quite the comedian, you know," she said over her shoulder.

"I've heard. Where are we going now? I've seen the pack," I called out, but she marched on.

"I want you to meet my family."

I stopped walking and frowned. Wolves were so forward and so eager. I wanted nothing to do with any of this. She stopped a few moments later as she realised I wasn't coming with.

She sighed as she came closer. "Look, I have been waiting to meet someone with the mate attraction for the last 2 years and I'm ready for this. But I understand that it's not the same for you, and that you need time, so I'm not going to rush you. Just, please, meet my family? They'd love to meet you even if it's just once," she gave me a soft smile. Her sincerity was obvious and I huffed, giving in to her twice in the same day.

"Fine, you have one hour and then I'm done with the sight seeing."

"Excellent!" She grabbed my arm and pulled my along, and I let my mind lose itself in the glow of her aura.

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

"Okay so, one more time," I murmured under my breath. Subtly pointing around the dining table, Kyda began naming her family members again.

"My dad, mum, my older sister Kalina, and my older brother Remus, and beside you is my little brother Robin." I nodded, trying to retain the names she kept feeding to me, as well as the food her mother kept piling on my plate.

"Your hour is almost up, wolf," I hissed as her parents began turning towards me once again for a question.

"So, Ibhan, please, tell us about your family back home," her mother said with the same large smile her daughter had. They both also had their hair pulled back tightly, the kinky curls meticulously contained.

"There isn't much to tell. I moved out of my home at 18, I've built my own now, I don't see much of my parents anymore, and my older brother walked into the shadows three years ago and never came back, so I've no obligations to him." I shovelled another bite of food into my mouth. The meat was tender and flavourful, an appreciative change to the berries I had been eating the last two days.

"Well, it must be nice to live alone," Kyda said from beside me, and I didnt miss the warning glance she shot to her parents and siblings. Maybe the missing brother fact was a bit much, but I wasn't one for sugar coating.

"It certainly is quiet, I don't enjoy the company of other people much." I saw Kyda hide a smirk in her next bite, but her parents looked offended.

"But you don't mind Kyda, do you?" Her mother asked cautiously. I looked at the woman beside me and she raised a brow as she met my gaze. Damn you, wolf.

"I don't know anything about her, but probably." I heard a sharp intake of breath and took my eyes away from Kyda. Her father was gripping his fork tightly and I tensed my jaw. Wolves were so emotional.

"I should be going, thank you for having me." I nodded tersely and stood up, and Kyda's sister cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh, where will you be staying tonight?"

"Somewhere in the woods I suppose," I said as I looked outside. The sun was setting quickly and I wouldn't get far before nightfall.

"You're leaving?" One of the brothers asked. I let their auras shimmer around them and saw tension, confusion and some anger tinting the air of some of the family members. I glanced at Kyda and her aura just seemed dull.

"What would you have me do?" I asked, exasperated.

"Stay the night, we have a guest room." Kyda's mother said and her father nodded. I looked at Kyda once more but she was busily picking at her food.

"Fine, just one night."