Chapter 1
1
Austin, Texas
There are moments in your life where everything feels great, but you know - just know - something has to go sideways next. For me, it was the moment I got my first ‘promotion’ at work - my first real job ever (unless you count grunt work with the Navy as work).
“Elo, are you heading out?”
“Soon, Chris, I have a few more emails to sort and reply to in the contact box.”
“Sounds good,” Chris grabs his sleek leather backpack and tucks his stainless steel and cork mug into the slot, pulling on a bespoke hat as he ambles towards the glass doors that lead to the hall. Esper POD is a shiny new office fitted into the original building of a department store on Congress Avenue, blocks from the capital of the prosperous, business-friendly state in the most liberal city of the state.
I’m not personally impressed with Chris’s work ethic but he gets a lot done and looks great doing it - another reason why I’m not very impressed. It’s only 1500, but traffic is terrible, I remind myself. I was so excited earlier today when he called me into his office, shutting the door behind us. You know the feeling you get when you are on the receiving end of the full attention of someone who a lot of people admire, and who seems to attract the devotion of everyone who works around them? You feel special, and that’s what I was feeling then, but then he tells me I’m promoted to the Pentagon detail - my clearance finally came through and the scout team that came by two weeks ago from HQ saw my application and put my name on the list for talent transfers. How, tell me how, this all happens to me on one day?
I’m making it on my own, but I’m aware that my family name goes before me. It’s the whole reason I started with Esper POD in the first place - they were blissfully oblivious to it when I came in and set me in a front desk and janitorial position - but that luck seems to have run out.
Anyways, the Pentagon detail! It’s what I’ve always wanted, all at once. The contact box is still in front of me, though, and my form replies are easy enough: “Thank you so much for your interest, Esper POD keeps proprietary information, well, proprietary. If you are in ATX, we welcome y’all to stop on by our show room during business hours for more information.” I cringe inwardly at the laid back, almost forced language of the form replies I’m sending back. This vibe definitely would not be a thing in DC - I’d have to adapt to a whole different pace of life. They told me I could pick any date to start, and I went and picked next week.
Walking out fifteen minutes later, anxious to start searching for a house or apartment to move to in DC. At home in East Austin, a trendy tiny home-esqe complex that is quickly gentrifying the area, I’m putting on my running gear when the familiar excitement ripples through my body. Not 20 minutes later I’m running my wolf in my parent’s hill country property. Everything is different in my wolf form: I’m a predator, which I already earned through hard work - not a female with a pedigree, though again my family lineage comes into play. My parents come from southern pack lands, rich from almost 100 years of being the top import export company trusted in North America. I know what you’re thinking - but it’s not that kind of import export business - we’re the trusted name and act accordingly. Other relatives own food brands in North and Central America - the ones that countries boast about and immigrants in other lands search for at the Latin supermarkets and run home smiling with.
So yeah, I’ve got it made, and my wolf is strong. She doesn’t look dainty or lithe either. Her build is large and intimidating, pure blue-black, with large teeth and long strides. I keep the male wolves away by looks, though my name and power may attract some. Now, running through the land, I mind-link our guards to keep others away. “I need some space, keep our pack members away.”
“Yes, Ellita.”
I’m on my last lap now, when my brother’s scents come over through a slight breeze. I use our family link, so that only they can hear me. “Gio, David, trying to improve your stealth?”
Coming out of the brush in a few moments, their wolves, similar to mine, stretch out and stop as they see me.
“Ellita, are you okay?” David asks.
“Your scent is off, how were you so careless in your run?” Gio adds.
I ignore one part and announce, “I got a promotion, but I’m leaving Austin.” I begin to stretch out as well.
“Ah, so…” David prompts.
“DC.” I reply.
Gio and David are closest to me in age, 21 and 23, but our paths in life are so different: they are devoted to our pack but more preoccupied with a family life. Several of my younger brothers are already in protective forces, choosing that as their purpose. My scent is off, I muse, I’m worried about something. My family has our own mind-link, and we can sense changes in scents down to the emotions and moods a wolf or human is feeling. My parents call us telolycans, but I don’t know of any others on this continent. I do in Europe and Asia, where traditional power structures and cabinet members that hold more power stay in power over generations.
David speaks first. “Well, then, you are leaving soon. It is what you wanted, yes?”
“Yes, but…” My wolf shakes up a bit. “Mama will be upset.”
Gio is eager to agree. “Yeah, but is okay.”
We decide to run back to the pack club house, my parents are in Seoul for a cabinet meeting, and now I have an excuse to go - to break the news to them. I love Seoul because I’ve had good memories there so I want to go back and besides - there is always interesting people surrounding the cabinet meetings. I can’t keep my wolf from picking up on the implications, “Ellita, our mate? We’re 24 and it’s time.” I smile a little. I’ve never had many crushes or spent much time thinking about mates because I knew there wasn’t much use in getting anxious about it for the sake of focusing my wolf. Besides, as telolycans, the chances of finding our fate-mate or moon-mate are slim. We make the choice to mate like humans just as often, and then any other true mate will reset and get a different one. One of the reasons for this is that the pull of our powerful bonds led to wars in prior centuries, just as greek mythologies told of nations warring over a queen. It sounds as feral as it is, so the nature of our bonds were amended and there you have it - less fighting over mates. I spend the rest of the night applying for leave, packing, and by morning my sister and I are on the first flight to Seoul.
