Chapter 2 - Sophie

Standing in my childhood bedroom in Paris, I considered canceling my flight for a Valentine’s Day mate gathering in Silverclaw. My father insisted I wouldn’t meet my mate if I stayed in Les Hurleurs Sanctifiés, the pack I grew up in. At twenty-one, I was well past the age when many wolves find their mates; friends had found theirs by eighteen or nineteen. My mother encouraged me, saying the bond was worth the effort. So, as Valentine’s Day approached, I gave in and booked my flight to Portland, Oregon, the nearest major airport to the Silverclaw Pack in Washington.

It all made sense on paper: attend the mate gathering, meet wolves from other packs, and perhaps walk away with the partner fate had promised me since birth. In my heart, though, I was nervous. What if it turned out the same as all the other mate gatherings? What if I left, still feeling that lonely ache in my chest? I pushed away the thought as best I could.

The flight was long—from Paris to Amsterdam and then to Portland. Despite my attempts to sleep, my wolf, Jacinthe, was restless, sensing something ahead. During the layover at the Amsterdam airport, I grabbed a coffee while anxious questions buzzed: Would I find my mate? Would they like me? My parents claimed the mate bond was unmistakable, but I had no personal experience to confirm that.

I remembered my time with the Bloodmoon Pack, where I worked as a nanny for Rohan Rock’s twin daughters. I formed lasting memories with Rohan’s younger sister, Evie, who had been warm and kind, though I never felt a mate bond with her. After our summer together, life moved on—I returned to France, and Evie started university in Portland. I hoped to see her during my visit.

Upon arriving in Portland, exhausted and groggy, I headed to baggage claim, where everything changed. An exquisite scent overwhelmed me, cutting through the airport’s usual smells. My breath caught as Jacinthe surged to attention, urging me to scan the crowd for its source.

‘Mate…’ Jacinth growled.

The single word rumbled from my wolf, jolting every nerve. My heart jumped so violently that I nearly dropped my carry-on. I sniffed again, zeroing in on that tantalizing fragrance. My mission to find Rohan or my suitcase vanished from my mind. Nothing mattered except following that scent. My pulse thundered in my ears as I pressed forward, weaving around travelers and overhead signs.

Then I saw her—a slim figure, warm brown hair cascading around her shoulders, rummaging for something in her coat pocket as she checked the arrivals board. She looked older than I remembered, which was no surprise; she had grown up in my absence. Even from across the terminal, I felt an instant jolt of recognition and disbelief. Evie? How could she be here—and how on earth could she be the one exuding that mesmerizing, feminine-wild fragrance?

Her head swiveled as if she sensed my stare. Our eyes met, and electricity crackled between us. In that second, the world around us seemed to shrink to a pinpoint. My breath caught painfully in my throat. Could my old friend be the very mate I’d spent years searching for?

I forced myself to speak over the bustle of travelers. “Evie,” I called, voice almost drowned out. Yet her gaze lit instantly as though I were the only sound she could hear.

“Sophie,” she breathed, color flooding her cheeks. She took a hesitant step closer. I could almost taste her floral rain scent, which grew stronger with every inch she closed. It made my heart flutter wildly.

I set my carry-on down, my hands shaking. I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Evie’s face. She was taller now, with the delicate arch of her brows and warm, steady eyes. The freckles on her cheeks only deepened her natural beauty. My wolf howled with pleasure, urging me closer.

I swallowed, voice quavering with shock. “This is… I don’t know how to—” Emotions whirled inside me, half delight, half incredulity. “Evie, I’ve missed you so much, but this… your scent is different. I—it’s drawing me in.” Tears burned at the edges of my eyes. “Are we… mates?”

Evie seemed equally spellbound. “Yes,” she whispered. “I think so. I—I can’t believe it. But I know it. My wolf recognized you the moment I stepped into the airport.”

The tension shattered with a rush of joyous laughter—part sob, part relief. I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around her. She pulled me into the solid warmth of her winter coat, her heartbeat hammering in time with mine. My wolf exulted, the emptiness I’d felt for years crumbling away like a broken shell. She was mine. I was hers.

Eventually, I pulled back just enough to see her face. I brushed my fingertips across her cheek, marveling at the glow in her eyes. “Your hair’s a bit longer,” I murmured, smiling shakily. “But everything else… that same glow… it’s all you, Evie. The same girl I remembered, only more beautiful.”

She swallowed hard, tears glinting. “You look incredible,” she whispered, resting her hand on my shoulder. A shiver of desire raced through me. “I’ve spent the last few years imagining how you might’ve changed. It’s like you stepped right out of my dreams.”

We exchanged a trembling laugh, our emotions almost too big to fit in our bodies. The airport noise gradually returned, reminding us of the crowds pressing by on either side. Evie cleared her throat, stepping back. “We should probably get out of here. I just—there’s so much to say.”

I nodded, wiping moisture from my eyes. “Yes, let’s. My luggage—” I remembered belatedly that my suitcase still circled on the carousel. We hurried over, and Evie hefted it onto a cart, her movements deft but charged with underlying excitement. Every passing second, the mate bond pulsed between us, a heady mixture of comfort and electric current.

Once outside, the February chill of Oregon stung my skin, and a dusting of slushy snow clung to the sidewalks. Evie led me to an older sedan, our gazes flicking toward each other with giddy smiles. We loaded my things into the trunk and slid into the car’s relative warmth. The heater coughed to life, blowing air that smelled faintly of dust and upholstery. Yet beneath it, I caught that same floral-rain note that marked her presence.

We sat for a moment, neither of us quite ready to speak, just staring. Evie’s cheeks were rosy from the cold or maybe from exhilaration. “I… I never dared hope this would be the case,” she admitted softly. “I came to pick you up expecting to see an old friend.” She huffed a small laugh. “My parents and brother teased I should go to the Silverclaw gathering, too. I was dreading it—I thought it would be another failed attempt for me to find a mate. I never knew it was you all along.”

A surge of warmth spread through my chest. “I only came because my parents insisted on the mate gathering,” I said. “If I’d known… I could have saved thousands of euros on plane tickets and hours of travel.” I tried to make light of it, but my voice wobbled. “I’ve been lonely, Evie. And all this time, maybe our paths were meant to cross again.”

She blushed, twisting the key and guiding the car onto the snowy ramp that led out of the airport parking. “I’ve been lonely too,” she confessed in a near whisper. “I tried not to think about you too often, telling myself it was just a childhood crush. But it never really went away.”

My heart soared. Memories flashed of those evenings in the Bloodmoon home, playing quiet lullabies for the twins, with Evie perched nearby, strumming a guitar or listening intently. I’d never realized how significant those moments were until now. The mate bond turned them from fond recollections into pieces of a larger, inevitable puzzle.

She paused at a stoplight, her hand drifting to mine on the console. The intimacy of her touch made me shiver pleasantly. “I have a small apartment near Mount Hood,” she said. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to stay with me or head straight to the Silverclaw event. I guess we can figure it out on the way.”

I squeezed her fingers. “I want to be where you are. That’s all I know right now.”

Relief washed over her as she drove onto the highway, merging into traffic with city lights flickering like distant fireflies. A comfortable silence lingered between us, broken only by questions about her music studies and life in France. Yet, beneath the small talk was an unspoken truth—we were mates.

We wound along roads lined with evergreens and snow as we left the city behind. I stole glances at Evie, noting her jaw’s gentle curve and poise. We stopped at a coffee stand, where she grabbed a hot chocolate while I fought my jetlag with an espresso. Back on the road, the night deepened under a velvety indigo sky, but I felt cozy and safe as if our car was a cocoon on the way to a shared destiny.

She turned to me at a red light, her eyes dancing. “Are you still going to the gathering?” she asked softly. “I won’t be offended if you want to. I know you came all this way.”

A laugh escaped me. “It feels silly now. I already found what I was looking for. If you want to drop by to see your pack or old friends, I’ll go with you. But I’m not sure I need a formal introduction to my mate anymore.”

Evie reached across the center console, intertwining our fingers. “Then we can decide later,” she said, smiling. “For now, let’s just… enjoy this.”

Soon, we arrived at a modest complex by tall pines. Evie parked by a flickering streetlamp, and we entered the brisk air. I helped carry my suitcase upstairs. The narrow hallway smelled of old carpet, but I didn’t mind; anticipation buzzed through me.

Her apartment door opened to a cozy space with a small couch, a worn rug, and a music stand. A guitar leaned against the wall, and a cello case rested nearby, filled with Evie’s comforting scent. She switched on a lamp, filling the room with a warm glow.

I set my suitcase down and turned to her, the silence thick with promise. My wolf, Jacinthe, purred in contentment, and I took a cautious step forward, my heart pounding in my ears.

Evie seemed to sense the same pull. She closed the distance, sliding her arms around my waist. Her expression brimmed with astonishment and happiness. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she whispered.

I nestled against her shoulder, inhaling the floral rain scent that now felt like home. “Me too,” I murmured, tears prickling my eyes again. “This is everything I never dared hope for.”

She tightened her hold, and we stood in the hush of her apartment while winter raged outside. The Moon Goddess had guided me across the globe to the friend I’d never truly let go. We would navigate my parents’ expectations tomorrow, though I doubted they anticipated my mate would be a woman. For now, all I cared about was the comforting thrum of our bond.

Eventually, Evie drew back, brushing her thumb along my cheek. Her brown eyes glowed with unshed tears and quiet conviction. “No more lonely nights,” she said softly as if reading my thoughts.

“No more lonely nights,” I echoed, a smile trembling on my lips. With that, we closed the final space between us, letting everything else disappear. In this small apartment at the foot of Mount Hood, I was exactly what I’d been searching for: my mate, my missing piece, my forever.