the βmating bondβ between azriel and gwyneth is impossible.
The most used theory by fans of this fictional couple is the events of Azriel's extra chapter in ACOSF. This extra chapter in the order of the book takes place right after chapter 58 which narrates the solstice from the point of view of Nesta.
The argument used is the following sentence βBuried the image deep down, where it glowed quietly.β this phrase is used because the βglowβ on the chest could symbolize a possible mating bond that would have been unlocked by the events of the solstice.
However, in the ACOSF timeline, as previously stated, the solstice takes place in chapter 58, so if the mating bond between Gwyneth and Azriel had been unlocked there, the events of chapter 64 would have been very different.
In this chapter (64) Cassian along with Azriel discover that the Valkyries were taken to the blood rite and Cassian gets desperate, the instincts of a partner to save Nesta from danger but Azriel does not show the same concern, quickly changing the subject to the location of Eris that was the main point at the moment.
In the following scene, while Cassian despairs, this occurs: βAz said: β We need to free him. Cassian stopped suddenly. β Do we?β if Azriel were in fact Gwyneth's mate he would have at least shown an amount of concern and protection towards his partner instead of continuing to report normally other disconnected events, thus the theory that such a mating bond unlocked by the two in the extra chapter is false.
A second point that can be used as an argument, βpartners are equal to each other, therefore azriel trusts gwyn to pass the riteβ Azriel does says βIf anyone can survive the Blood Rite, it is them.β demonstrating a certain level of confidence in the valkyries but the argument is again flawed, as Cassian and Nesta are partners and consequently equivalent and even after 64 chapters in the book where Cassian witnesses the extent of Nesta's powers and the fact that she is death herself making her to be extremely powerful he still gets desperate.
The smallest amount of concern would be expected from a mate which visibly does not occur on Azriel's side, while Cassian thinks things like βWhile Nesta was participating in the Blood Rite, risking all the horror and sadness, he would leave to save the fucking Eris...β Azriel doesn't seem the least bit concerned or protective about Gwyneth, he's just tense with the situation he finds himself in.
In this way, it is concluded that using the argument that the glow in the chest symbolizes an unlock in the mating bond of gwyn and azriel proves to be completely false when comparing the minimal actions that mates have with each other. Couples like Feyre and Rhysand, Cassian and Nesta, Rowan and Aelin clearly demonstrate the concern and protection present in a mated male that Azriel does not feel towards Gwyneth.