The two of them were gauging each other's reaction. They were both Alphas, kings of their domain and non of them was willing to back down, no room for submissiveness . The only left option was for them to compromise.

"Fine then, you can do whatever you both do while feeding, while I do whatever we both do while kissing " Daniel declared at last when he couldn't stand Asher's devious ways.

Kissing without touching was like giving him ice-cream and being asked to chew it instead of licking and sucking it , savouring the feeling slowly and letting the rich flavour explode in his taste bud.

It was the worst form of torture - what could he do without the touching? - place a chaste kiss on her cheek ? impossible.

"Fine by me " Asher gave him a cheeky grin making Daniel question how his wolf has being able to take this till now without exploding.

" You've made the fourth rule already , so it's my turn again " Daniel reminded the vampire and this time he didn't gloat at him , having known Asher always has a way of making the feeling mutual.

"Please block the bond while making out with my mate, I don't need to feel emotions that aren't elicited by me " Daniel articulated sternly.

Asher pursed his lips thoughtfully. Though the trio of them had the right to access the bond exclusively and can bring up some sort of wall in their mind so that their emotions can't be felt .

But the Alpha male as the more dominant and supposedly stronger partner has the power to block both his and his mate's access to the bond. And since there are two Alphas, they both have the power to block the bond at will.

Asher cringed "Trust me, I don't want to feel or know about your lustful rendezvous either way " he said earning a meaningful glare from Daniel.

"So we both agree that the bond can only be manipulated for that purpose only " Asher concluded and added another rule to his paper.

Though most supernatural creatures aside from coyotes, kitsunes and goblins often stay true to their words but you can never be too sure especially when it involves vampires from the Raven clan, which is why a legal agreement is drafted as well.

"My rule then : Please refrain from using 'my mate ' until she finally chooses one of us . But at the moment, refer to her as ' our mate ' " Asher stated.

It kept getting on his nerves whenever Daniel uses that singular possessive pronoun " my " instead of " our " - it made him feel neglected, not part of the picture. Yes, she was originally meant for Daniel but that was the past and this was the presence.

Asher has no assurance he would be chosen , but at the moment he has a right to her as well. Moreover, he has waited for her for hundreds of years, so he won't give up on her that easily.

Daniel's eyebrows furrowed deeply , the use of "mine" was already ingrained in his mind the moment he set his eyes on his mate.

But now he has to reorient his mind, force his wolf to accept something that wasn't second nature to them, something that has never happened throughout history - It would be one hell of a fight convincing his wolf.

Daniel breathed " I can't promise you that but I'll try "

Asher gritted his teeth " This is a contract Daniel, I don't need your trying but your word " He insisted.

Daniel closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to control the anger that was close to surfacing " You think I'm not trying my best?"

"And you think I'm fooling around? " Asher shot back.

Daniel wanted to sass back but sighs instead

"Fine, I give you my word then " he agreed at last with deep lines appearing on his forehead .

Suddenly he added " You can go ahead and make the rules while I'll opine on it and make necessary adjustments where needs to be. I'm mentally exhausted " Daniel confessed massaging his eyebrows.

Asher's eyes widened and shone , genuinely surprised. Was the kiddo asking him to make the rules? Well who could blame him , he was mentally exhausted too. He never imagined finding his mate would bring this much hassle.

" Fine then " He accepted and started " Next rule : No marking during this trial period "

Daniel shot him a dirty look " That's unfair, she has already marked you.... "

"Which she did with no knowledge of all this dramas and besides I haven't marked her back which you of all people should know how torturous it is for me right now "

Of course he of all people knows that, how could he not know that, Daniel mused. Marking someone without sealing it with the full-on mating was like giving someone an everlasting sexual arousal.

Marking though a culture observed strictly by werewolves than any other supernatural creatures is achieved by biting one's mate in the place between the shoulder and neck which leaves a mark forever, serving as a reminder to the others that the mate is taken.

Werewolves once done with the mark and mating has open access to the mate's thoughts and can even respond to them.

Although vampires mark their mate too and seal it with the full mind-blowing sex but it doesn't grant them the power to begin to read their mates thoughts as granted instantly in a werewolf's case.

And yes for both species, sealing the bond between mates makes them become drawn to each other, increasingly harder to resist each other while literally impossible for them to live apart .

Which is why Asher suggested no marking - marking could easily lead to mating - which could mess up and confuse her thoughts and emotions. Lia needs to have a clear head when making her choice.

" Fine then " Daniel grudgingly agreed.

" So can I come in now? " A voice said from outside and the both looked up only to see Ben stick his head out from the entrance.

"Ben " Asher breathed " He should've known "