Lycaen Claiming

REFERENCE BLOOD BY NIGHT – PAGE 75 | REFERENCE THE ROOT OF MAGIC – A BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE ON THE HISTORY OF MAGICAL BEINGS AND MANKIND | INFORMATION COMPILED FROM VARIOUS SOURCES AND INTERVIEWS.
The Claiming of a mate happened when they shared each other’s blood and they both bit one another. Not just any bite. There was one certain bite a Lycaen gave when he/she Claimed someone as mate. A certain chemical released through the wolf’s fangs that forever bonded one to the other and genetically changed each. It was near orgasmic, which is why puberty stayed responsible for when claiming occurred in the old days.

Many teens tried to Claim one another due to how incredible it felt for two deeply bonded individuals to do it in the moment. But that was against Viktor’s law. He made specific laws to protect all Lycaen and many had adopted his rules across the country.

For centuries the laws he made were clear. Until old enough for both individuals to comprehend the consequences, no Lycaen may Claim another. It was with great responsibility two entered such a sacred bond. The laws were set in place to protect them. To protect humans. To protect their lineage.

It changed the two Lycaen. It gave them more of a chance to became pregnant too. Without it, Lycaen didn’t have children as easy. The marriage of the two bonded through their bites was a finality to it all.

Since the beginning of their kind, a disease raged through a Lycaen’s bloodline. They called it anything from a wild ones disease, to the wilding disease. A fear remained of two Lycaen giving birth to a werewolf who turned. The Lycaen became crazed, and eventually the wolf gave way to the creature inside, never returning to human, losing all humanity that once existed.

If two individuals separated before the Claiming completed or another interruption happened, one of the mates—rare but it happened both could too—forgot and caused the other suffering. If that happened, the pull between them grew into deadly results.

Viktor [Knox] always recommended Claiming occur when both parties were assured they would stay by each other’s side and accepted what happened thoroughly. It was a life-changing event.
They were nearly immortal creatures and yet they still were their very human counterparts. They had to grieve through the process of change or dangerous consequences ensued. It took a few hours, a day, or up to a week. Too many who’d been Claimed then left alone to handle the changes on their own, without the Claimed partner, had been lost to madness. Others turned rogue, never able to settle down. Some of those took far too many risk taking behaviors with their lives, intent on filling that urge to mate not dealt with.

Brothels didn’t mind those Lycaen coming by until the customers killed all the women or men inside because they still lusted for the one they’d Claimed. The hunger that stayed for their Claimed mate caused a Lycaen to go dark with too little ease. They were prone to the wildling disease.

Mating eased that problem after a Claiming. Another reason Viktor forbid teenagers from engaging in such activities. The offspring risked the wilding disease or turning rogue. It’d be like setting rats or bunnies off into the wild and then trying to cage them all and train them to behave. He didn’t believe teenagers should have children, even if it meant Lycaen had fewer babies per year. He took his responsibility seriously in creating a heathy and strong lineage that lasted for centuries. The Lycaens respected him due to those beliefs.

Kylarra [Knox] had studied similar things for vampires, only they drank each other’s blood. They shared it beyond just a small amount. The Lycaens got off easy as far as births were concerned. Vampires had less chance of having offspring. Werewolves didn’t consume blood, or each other’s blood. They had no need. They survived off of food. Lycaen blood didn’t taste horrible, mostly pungent like coffee when it went rank. The taste grew harsher as they aged.

But they didn’t drink blood for the sake of it, at least none of the people Kylarra encountered did. Werewolves didn’t mind eating hearts though. It wasn’t just the nutritional value. Wolves of ancient time believed part of the soul resided inside the heart and considered it an added strength to devour a heart. Kylarra had never grown fond of either of those things. She didn’t think she’d ever enjoy the taste of another’s blood, and held no intentions to try.

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Find out more in BLOOD BY NIGHT –  COMING SOON!