Chapter 31 –– Mating Ceremony

A month after Noam saw his last suitor during the Redfyre Carnival, Chieftain Nura announced that her firstborn son's mating ceremony was about to take place very soon. She invited everyone in the village as her guests, as well as some of her acquaintances from other villages, including Dawoud's and Moshe's families.

For the past month, Noam had been exchanging letters with his suitors. Despite his suitors' eagerness to wanting to see him as soon as possible, Noam did not feel the same way. Rather, he enjoyed his time writing to them without having to meet them in person. Noam thought that their absence made his heart grow fonder for them, something he found quite romantic.

Meanwhile, Noam's mothers–– Varda and Chieftain Nura–– were busy arranging the mating ceremony for their firstborn son and Noam's brother, Yeshua. A week before the binding day, Yeshua's soon-to-be in-laws came to spend a week in their house to help them arrange all the necessities for the mating ceremony. This was the first time the parents from both sides met each other, something usual in Hyaena Village.

Noam finally met his brother's in-laws for the first time. They are Efraim and Faiz from Parae clan, the same clan as their daughter. They own a well-known blacksmith shop at the corner of the village. They were the ones who provided Talia with tools and weaponry during her time in the military where she met Yeshua. Upon arrival at the chieftain's house, they gave them a custom-made shield using premium materials as the dowry. Yeshua's mothers humbly accepted the gift and gave them something else in return. They gave Talia's fathers some high-quality silk fabrics which they got from Varda's parents who owned a silk production house. Both of them were very pleased with the gift that they gave to each other and prayed that the wedding would go just as planned.

According to the customs of the Hyaena Village, a week before their binding day, the soon-to-be mated couple was not allowed to neither see nor talk to each other. In addition to that, each of them had to spend the week living with their in-laws while preparing for the wedding. That is why, Yeshua was assigned to sleep upstairs with Talia's fathers while Talia had to sleep downstairs with Yeshua's mothers. Noam stayed in his room just like usual, but he was assigned to make sure that the couple did not interact with each other during this period of the mating ceremony. The couple may meet once again on the binding day.

A week had passed and the binding day that everyone had been waiting for finally arrived. The binding ceremony was conducted at one of the village's matchhouse* near the village's square. The ceremony was led by a local mate-binder** who happened to be an old friend of Chieftain Nura and Varda who bound them for their mating ceremony years ago.

Everyone gathered in audience, including Moshe's and Dawoud's families. They were invited along with some people from their respective village. Dawoud came with his parents and little sister. Amal also came to attend the ceremony, invited personally by Noam himself. Meanwhile, Moshe came with his mother, step-father, and step-brother, Aaryn. They were some of the few people invited to the binding ceremony, along with friends and relatives of the couple and their parents.

Talia stood in front of the audience along with the mate-binder, waiting for her mate to arrive moments later. According to the customs of Hyaena tribe, as a matriarchal society, a woman was expected to wait for her mate who will walk down the aisle with his mother in his hand during the binding ceremony.

"Let us invite the groom to the room."

The mate-binder invited the groom-– Yeshua–– to enter the room with his mother–– Chieftain Nura–– walking down the aisle with him. Right in front of him, a flower boy scattered some flower petals on his way to meet his mate. This role was given to Noam as the groom’s little brother. Even though this was not his mating ceremony, he finally got the chance to wear the white loose-fitting and long-sleeved thobe that had been prepared for him months ago by his mother.

After Yeshua arrived in front of the audience, his mother and little brother left him to their seat at the very front frow, along with Varda and Talia's parents. They watched as the binding ceremony commence.

“We stand here in the sight of our foremothers to witness the union of two mated souls: Yeshua of clan Mukhat and Talia of clan Parae.”

Yeshua and Talia were facing each other, staring deep into each other's soul. They intertwined their tails during this whole process. The mate-binder finally began the ceremony that everyone had been waiting for.

"Mated couple, please recite your vows."

Yeshua and Talia recited their vows at the same time, with their voices overlapping each other.

"Felixia. Caninus. Oursus. Mustela. Rodentia. Lapinus. Hyaena."

They recited the names of the seven founders of the realm to plea for their blessing. This part of the vow remained the same everywhere in the realm, with just a difference in the order of mentioning the names. The last name mentioned is the place where the ceremony is conducted.

"I–– Talia of clan Parae–– take you–– Yeshua of clan Mukhat–– to be my fated mate. With these vows, I shall be bound to you, from this day, until the end of my days."

"and I–– Yeshua of clan Mukhat–– accept you–– Talia of clan Parae–– to be my fated mate. With these vows, I shall be bound to you, from this day, until the end of my days.”

The couple finally finished reciting their vows and it was time for the final act of the binding ceremony.

"You may bite your mate."

Yeshua and Talia hugged each other and took a bite at each other's necks using their fangs, while having their tails intertwined with each other. The bites left some marks and dripped some blood out of it. This tradition was unique to Werebeasts as it carried a significant meaning, both physiologically and culturally.

When Werebeasts bite each other's necks, their pheromones will get altered so that it could only be recognised by their own mated partner. This means that others' pheromones will not induce a person's of a mated couple heat or rut cycle. This is especially true to alpha-omega couples, since they are more sensitive to pheromones than betas.

However, in reality, a lot of factors can come into play in regards to this "locked pheromones" concept. Recent studies show that cultural and physiological differences between tribes also affect their attitude towards pheromones–– even their pheromone levels to some extent. For example, neck-biting act usually results in lower yet more stable pheromone levels between mated partners. For Lapinus tribe, however, they actually got their pheromone levels boosted after the neck-biting act. This what makes them gain the reputation as the most fertile tribe of the realm, with the highest percentage of successful pregnancies.

In the case of Yeshua and Talia, since they are both betas, betas are in general inherently less likely to be affected by pheromones compared to alphas and omegas. Thus, the neck-biting act is more cultural to them than physiological. This act is considered as a “sacred act” between couples to ensure that they would not mate with another who is not their mated partner. Regardless of how it affects them physiologically, Werebeasts continue this tradition that has been passed down to them for generations as a way to honour their ancestors.

After the mate-binder announced them as mates, the couple exited the room while holding hands and intertwining tails. The audience on their sides stood up and gave a round of applause as they walked out the room. Some of them also threw some flower petals at them to give their blessing. The mate-binder then congratulated the parents for their children's successful mating ceremony.

Once the binding ceremony was over, they all returned to Chieftain's Nura's house for the mating reception. The couple got on a special carriage decorated with flowers and ornaments, while the rest of the crowd walked together toward the house.

The mating ceremony was finally over.