Bonds

Bonding

The ‘mating gland’ is a small bundle of nerves on the neck that sends a signal to the pyrene when enough sharp pressure is applied. It is not a scent gland, though most people think of it that way, and nearby scent glands WILL produce special, very strong pheremones when it is activated, called bonding pheremones.

The pyrene is the main structure of the brain associated with pack bonds. After scenting bonding pheremones, a person’s pyrene will send out a strong, undirected psychic ‘connection wave’. When the mating gland is activated, the bitten person’s pyrene will memorize the frequency of any connection waves it receives, forming a bond. (Infants need very little pressure on their mating gland to activate it, and rubbing their necks is usually enough.) If the new bond is a pack bond, as the person learn to ‘hear’ their new bond, they will slowly start to pick up the frequency of other pack bonds, usually completing connections with all pack members in less than two weeks, though time may vary depending on the size of the pack, the activity of the bonds, and the new member’s skill.

Alphas and omegas can only ‘hold’ one bond. This is usually called a ‘mating bond’, despite the fact that it can occur between any two people. If they form any other bond, the previous one will be erased. This will happen whether they bite or are bitten.

Betas, however, can hold multiple bonds, called ‘pack bonds’. Packs, and other larger family structures, require beta ‘heads’ to link them psychically together. Betas will have different limits to how many bonds they can support, and as they near their limit may start experiencing mental fog, exhaustion, memory loss, and migraines. Betas usually weaken as they get older, but, on the other hand, increased skill may mean they can still hold as many, or even more, bonds as they did in their youth. A pack bond will not erase a mating bond, nor will a mating bond erase a pack bond.