Episode 1
"Hurry up! I swear you're one of the slowest people I know! Don't you realize you're a wolf, not a sloth!"
My best friend, Sophia, shouts at me as she paces my bedroom. She's practically buzzing at the possibility of finding her mate. Today is her 18th birthday and so she's determined to get to school as soon as she can.
"Maaaaaaaaan, youuuuu, neeeeed, tooooo, chillll" I respond, imitating one of those sloths from the movie zootopia! I crack up laughing as soon as the words are out of my mouth. She barely cracks a smile though showing me how truly stressed out she is.
Once a wolf turns 18 they can officially find their true mate. A true mate is a gift from the moon goddess, the story goes that when you are born the goddess has plucked your strand of spirit from her great river of life. She untangles your soul from all those surrounding it and cuts the string halfway through and releases you into the world to be free. The other half of your soul strand may already be in the world or you may have to wait for it, but at the age of 18, you'll be able to feel that missing piece when it is near. They will fill your body with warmth, smell like your favourite things, and fill your mind with peace. If you can find the other half...when you come together you will find your best friend, partner, true love, and constant champion.
The catch is, if you're not close to each other you won't find them, and once you find them you still have to accept them and vice versa. Both mates must be over 18 in order to find each other and both mates must willingly come together to unleash the power of the bond. Most bonds offer a mind link giving the other the ability to communicate without words and find each other over long distances. Truly rare and powerful bonds however offer more, they offer strength, speed, a mind link, and healing abilities. There hasn't been a mate bond like that in decades though.
We graduate in 2 weeks and we will be moving home to our pack territory in Alaska. Sophia and I barely knew each other before coming to school together but we quickly bonded when we were placed together as roommates 4 years ago. Now we are essentially inseparable, She's actually the alpha's daughter of our pack so for her finding a mate is incredibly important. She will one day take over as gamma of our pack along with her mate and her middle brother as beta and finally her eldest brother as alpha. Packs thrive when their leaders are all mated and happy. Currently not one of them has a mate.
My parents are pack warriors, they're not considered overly powerful but they're not considered weak either. Pack hierarchy is based around strength and dominance. It all stems from our wolf ancestors, In the wild when only the beast was in control and there was no glimpse of humanity in sight. The pack would travel as a unit with the strongest wolves on the outside leading the charge and the weak, young, and old were to travel in the middle so they could be protected. In our current society, this tends to separate the strongest from the rest of the pack due to their daily activities of leadership. This is why Sophia and I never really got to know each other until we moved away for high school.
Sophia squeals and throws herself on my bed as I sit on my floor in front of the mirror putting the finishing touches on my makeup.
"Oh my god, Evie! What if I meet my true mate today? I think I would keel over from joy, I could take him home with me and together we would help my brother rule...ugh, just think! How exciting!" Popping up as she speaks she eyes me in the mirror noticing I'm done with my makeup. Moving to my closet she literally throws a pair of jeans at me along with a long sleeve henley that ties around the waist and marches to the door.
"we're leaving in 5, I'm not waiting any longer."
I can't help but roll my eyes at her idyllic view of a true mate but for her sake, I truly hope she's right in her imaginings. Sophia is one of the kindest, most generous people I've ever met and she deserves all the best things in life. Laughing to myself, I wander after her. out the door in hopes of finding her true match.
