The professor turned to Sven, "what topic have we picked today?"
Sven looked at Karn who gave him a subtle nod. Sven asked, "I have two very different subjects I am curious about."
The professor encouraged Sven to continue and the Sven looked at Karlene. "For one, I am curious about hypnotic abilities and another subject I am interested in is mates."
The class cooed at Sven and gave Karlene some suggestive looks. The unaffected Karlene stared back at Sven with sad eyes. From the looks of it, Sven had opened up to Karlene about his insecurity. She knew little about the subject which made her curious. Finding one's mate was a highly regarded blessing in the supernatural world. It was one of the fields of study, people knew little about because there were very few cases of study. And everyone had their own thoughts on it.
"Two very different subjects. Very well. We will talk about them both. One today and another on Monday."
The professor turned to the rest of werewolves and asked, "of the two, what do you want to learn most about."
The class hollered, "mates", "mates", "mates." When everyone had calmed down, someone called, "mating" and everyone laughed.
"Who knows what a mate is?"
This time around the class was ready to interact, even eager to be pointed at. When the professor did not point at anyone, the wolves raised their hands. Ash was impressed at the professor's ability to control the class swiftly.
He picked one person who answered, "mates her your partners but instead of you picking them, the moon goddess picks them for you."
"Isn't that like your parent picking a mate for you? Why is it that none of the mated pairs have ever been dissatisfied with each other?"
The wolves went into deeper thoughts. Ash felt greatly lacking, not knowing much about the matter expect from her vampiric lessons from the depressed loner on her island. A raven haired girl answered, "my mother says that the moon goddess knows all and sees all, so knew knows us better than we know ourselves. So she grants us the person who is like a piece of a puzzle that we are, as creatures. With a mate we fell complete, we become mature."
Karlene added, "maybe the mated pair is never dissatisfied with each other because there is all kinds of magical things involved like connection of emotions, of mind or heart. Even if someone wants to be dissatisfied, the knowledge and insights into another person's life, mind body and soul is a powerful thing to attract another person. Even if it is not attraction, it can be mistaken to be so because two people end up knowing each other on a deeper level, on a soul level."
The professor clapped softly. "that is some great insight. As the leader of the MoonBlessed and a member of the Sanguine Knights, he must have seen at least a few mates in his lifetime. I have heard he has spent his lifetime trying to find mates for himself and his children. It is considered a great blessing and a celebratory event in any tribe or race to find your mate. It is awarded with rank and status."
Karn asked, "doesn't that corrupt the purpose of finding a mate? If we ask for a mate from the moon goddess for the wrong reasons, would be be considered a good thing?"
The professor nodded, "it is a good line of thought."
the raven haired girl scowled at Ash before asking Karn, "if the moon goddess chooses to bless someone abitious with a mate, it would someone suited to the ambitious person, someone who's support and understand the ambition. they will be two pieces of a puzzle, when put together capable of accomplishing anything. This is also one of the reasons, the mates are often awarded with great status, which puts them on a path to achieve greater things."
The professor intervene. "here, I must stop you all. While what we are discussing is true, there is another angle to this, no one has thought about."
The class fell silent, all eyes as eager as Ash's heart. The professor looked at each one of them and asked, "when someone finds their mate, how do they start? Do they suddenly one day start hearing the other person's thoughts? Feeling their emotions? Or do they start confused with why they are feeling a certain way despite having a normal day? Does the magic lead them to be pulled together or does the unidentifiable pull between them depends when they form a closer bond?"
The class fell silent. None of them had an answer. None of them had felt it themselves. The professor spoke, "of all the tribes present here today, the Raven coven has the most mates. In your tribe mostly those with magic or abilities on the chaotic side are admitted. Your tribes dedicates themselves to moon worship like no other and thus have been granted with most mate blessing of anyone known. It has given the Raven coven a sacred status and a revered place in the committee, if not the knights."
The girl's back straightened. "Most people who find their mates see a change in their magic, in their abilities. Many of them calm down, some even go on to become more chaotic. But it is always those who have always wanted to make peace who settle after finding a mate and those who want to get more powerful become more powerful after the mating."
Like the rest of the class, Ash drank in every word from the raven haired wolf. Ash had read about all the tribes that spread across the globe but since she had little to do with them, she had yet to memorize them all. No wonder she did not know the Blood Mooners or the Raven Coven. As moderators, her family only ever talked with the Sanguine Knights. The committee behind them was an internal matter, the moderators were not privy to. The only coven she did know in the committee was the one her mother came from.
The professor took over from there. "I want all of you to find a pair of mates in the university or the nearest town and interview them to the best of your abilities. Also compile a list of all the famous couples in power now and find if they are mates or not."
"There are many pairs in power that are not mates. The leader of the Knights, for example. Both husband and wife are knights."
The professor nodded. "true."
Sven asked. "They are a happy couple. What if one of them find their mates suddenly?"
The professor laughed. "They won't. here, we are forgetting the basics of the matter. Finding one's mate is moon blessing. A blessing is something good you, a gift from the goddess of your dedication and work. If a pair is happy in their union, neither would they require such a blessing, nor will they ever get one. Because for them, such a discovery would not be blessing at all."
Ash noticed how often Sven and Karlene looked at one another. There were problems between them but none of them wanted or needed a mate. They were happy with each other.
The Raven coven's wolf raised her hand. "I want to share something."
The professor gave him approval and she talked directly to Sven. "I have known people in my own tribe, living alongside each other for years before the moon blessing came upon them. We haven't talked about this in our tribe but it can be understood as such- we are not born with mates and by moon goddess' blessing we cross each other's paths. It is more like we were born and we grow and develop and walk our own paths. When the time is right or when two people are right and in need of each other, or ready to grow together, the moon blessings infuses them with an ability of awareness about each other."
"Finding one's mates is one of the most obscure and sacred branches of study. All kinds of creatures, even those who do not worship the moon goddess find mates. It is also said that over time when the races have drifted apart, more and more inter-racial mates can be found which brings the community together again." Another wolf spoke up. He looked more timid than the others and had Sven's red hair with paths of black, cropped shot on his head. "My father found his mate after my mother died and she is a great mother to me and my siblings. My father has dedictated his life to working on the research of mates. He works closely with..." the boy looked at the raven haired girl, "their tribe too."
The girl nodded in agreement.
The professor smile encouragingly. "Thank you for speaking up. Can you give us more insight on the magical aspect of the matter rather than the social and political aspects?"
The wolf braved everyone's eyes on him and said, "it has been studied that the emotional bond is more subtle in the beginning. What comes first is an ability of awareness. Some people like the witches are highly self aware and pick up their internal conflicts first while the wolves, more grounded in their bodies take a little more time to figure it out. It also varies from person to person and race to race."
Sven leaned forward, "what is this emotional bond?"
"It is said that mates usually start out by feeling what the other person is feeling when they are in a close proximity to each other. This proximity is mostly based on the reach and extent of one's abilities."
Ash found the detail a little confusing. Sven must have shown that confusion too, for his friend explained, "you know how my father can only repel transform on the full moon ever since my mother died? His reach and extent of transformations had shrunk to a certain event. So when my, now mother, passed by him like usual, he felt nothing but he felt it loud and clear on the full moon. My mother is a more powerful siren. Her song has the capacity to go over for miles. So she came looking for him from miles away. It also so happens that her siren song never affects him. An ability to defend from hypnotic attacks, a blessing he never know he had until then."
Karn asked curiously. "do you have the ability to defend from hypnotic attacks as well?"
The boy nodded. The professor took over from there, "thank you. We will talk again and I expect great insight from you when we talk about hypnotic abilities on Monday."
The boy sat a little straighter after that.
Sven and Karn exchanged a look that made Ash curious. The class ended soon after as everyone around them shared stories of people they knew or have heard of, and the extent of their abilities and meetings. However, the class was already getting restless. None of the stories were as interesting as the first one.
Eventually, the professor reminded them of their assignments and dismissed the class.
Karn and Sven with Karlene rolling her eyes behind Karn, pulled Ash into a corner at the end of the corridor. Ash felt a great number of eyes on them. The raven haired werewolf was louder than others. "What do they even see in her? All three of them, even Karn is so taken by her."
"Isn't she like a princess or something? From a remote island."
"I heard she was supposed to marry into MoonBlessed but refused."
"A human princess into the werewolves. That can't be."
"Maybe they are mates."
Silence fell over them. Ash knew if she could hear it, they could too. Karn gave her an uneasy smile and Karlene tiptoed over her brother's head. "They aren't."
Ash looked behind her and the raven haired girl ducked her head, red in the face. She was adorable. Ash hoped Karn could return her crush. She was also from a prominent family so it wouldn't hinder their future.
"Can we talk about me now?" Sven turned their attention back.
Ash looked between the three. Something had happened between Karlene and Sven that was keeping Karlene away from Sven. But whatever it was, shouldn't have much to do with her. Maybe it was their way of trying to include her. It was better to finish this conversation early than be roped into going to the meeting room. She had a strong desire to go already but knew better than to act on it.
Sven said, "yesterday, we found out that Karlene has no mate."
Ash had the urge to give Sven a deadpanned face. All this trouble for nothing. But if so, why was Karlene not all over him. She looked at Karlene. "That's good news?" She wanted to ask but it came out as a question. Karlene shook her head. "He was hypontised to believe it and for some reason the first thing my brother said after we broke his hypnotism was that we should tell Ash. Like what can you do?"
Ash looked at Karn who gave a nod of confirmation. "That's not what I meant but that's what I said. If hypnotism is involved, we just narrowed down the poll of suspects."
"How do we know they are not isolated incidents?" Sven asked. Ash knew Sven was talking about Bree, her and this incident but they were talking about Vance and the photographic mail. Karn found himself unable to speak for a moment. So Ash took over.
"We don't. They could or could not be. We are still looking for witches and warlocks but now we just need to pay extra attention if someone proficient in hypnosis pops up."
Sven's mouth hung open a little too dumbly. Karlene smiled at him fondly. As if sensing it, Sven looked back. Karlene turned to scowl at her but Ash smiled, having caught the exchange. She was beginning to see why Mayra loved it so much.
"Did the breakup snap you out of it?" She asked Sven. Karlene shook her head. "Akiye did. She figured the hypnosis, the trigger, and everything we have been looking at was only to mislead us. There was blinking pattern to it. I am not sure how it works but we will find out Monday."
Akiye? She helped Sven?