Karis
I could barely contain my excitement as we loaded up the truck with all of my possessions and headed south. I’d never even been out of Alaska before. California seemed like an enormous feat, especially since we were driving, and it would take a few days to reach our destination—Archibald Reynolds College, affectionately known as the ARC.
I didn’t think I’d be able to go. I didn’t even think Oma and Upa would allow it. Upa was my Pack Alpha, and I was a proud Alaskan wolf shifter and the only surviving heir of Tulok. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. I had been a small child when my parents packed their truck, loaded up my three older siblings, and headed off on an adventure. My brother was fourteen and the eldest of us. He was ten years older than me and in the process of being groomed to take over as Alpha someday, second in line behind my father. He was my hero and had seemed larger than life. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. They were all gone.
The truck had skidded on some ice and fallen down a ravine. Dead. My mother, my father, my brother, and my two sisters were all dead. I didn’t even know where they were going or what they had planned on doing. I was very little and had come down with some sort of sickness, so they’d left me behind at the last minute. I grew up believing that I was supposed to have been in that truck, too. I should have died that day, and I’ve never understood why I was allowed to survive without them.
Upa told me many times that only God truly knows his plan for us, but that there was a promise to the pack, straight from God himself, that a Begay heir would always reign as Alpha over the Alaskan wolves. I reminded him many times over that a she-wolf could not assume the title of Alpha. His answer had always been that God would find a way.
My grandparents were true believers and revered God’s nature and provisions above all else. Respect the land; respect the animals; bring harm to no one. That idea was preached to me for as long as I could remember.
It wasn’t that we lived entirely off-grid and I was completely out of touch with the real world. I wasn’t. We had cable and the internet. I wasn’t naïve exactly, just very inexperienced. Simply driving down the highway was an adventure for me. Everything was new and exciting.
I had read everything I could on the ARC. My new roommate and I had spoken numerous times on the phone, and we texted daily. I felt like I already had a kindred spirit waiting for me.
The excitement of the drive became underwhelming quickly as one day blurred into another. I was beginning to think we’d never arrive. It didn’t help that in the last remaining hours we were stuck in back-to-back traffic as students from all over arrived to start the new school year.
As we passed through the campus gates, my nose was pressed against the window, taking it all in. I had registered online and already had my class schedule and boarding assignment, so we passed by the administration building and wound through campus, passing the quad, Greek row, the lake, and numerous academic and residential buildings until we finally arrived at Fenrir Hall.
“Child, calm yourself,” Oma warned, but I was just too excited to listen as I pushed open the door and finally set foot on the campus of Archibald Reynolds College.
“Can you believe it? I’m actually here!” I squealed in excitement, hugging Oma.
She gave me a stern look, but I could see the sparkle in her eyes. I knew my grandparents were not only proud of me, but happy for me too.
I didn’t have a lot to unload. I don’t really need that much to get by. I loaded up what I could in my arms, took a deep breath, held my head high, and marched right into my dorm making my way up to room 301.
The door was slightly ajar. I would have been concerned, but my roommate had texted me the night before letting me know she’d gotten in early and couldn’t wait to meet me. Butterflies filled my stomach as I walked in and looked around.
“Eeeee!” came a loud squeal as I entered the room. “You must be Karis!” Before I knew what was happening, I was pulled into the biggest hug of my life as we rocked back and forth. “Oh em gee, I’m so excited you’re finally here! I’m Sabrina Walters, your new roommate.”
I laughed as we ended the embrace, the load I was carrying now strewn across the floor, and I finally got a good look at the bubbly redhead I would spend my freshman year with.
“Hi Sabrina, I’m Karis, and I’m so excited to finally meet you in person.”
“Girl, I know. I’m sorry if that was a little over the top. I’ve just been waiting all day for you to get here and I can’t believe it’s really you. You’re here. We’re here. We’re in college!”
This time when she hugged me again I was more prepared for it. We both jumped up and down squealing. I pulled back and settled as I caught Oma’s disapproving eye.
“Um, Sabrina, these are my grandparents, Tulok and Amka.”
She shook each of their hands. “It’s so nice to meet you both. Karis speaks very highly of you.”
They said very little in exchange as Sabrina and I calmed down enough to get my things unloaded. Oma insisted on helping me unpack, despite Upa wanting to hit the road as quickly as possible ahead of all the others. Honestly, I think he didn’t want to sit in anymore traffic if he could help it.
Until the moment came to say goodbye to them, I didn’t know how hard it would be. It wasn’t like I was losing them, yet the little girl within me was terrified of just that. I had tears in my eyes, but I put on a good show and kept it together for their sakes. They promised to call when they stopped for the night.
I thanked them and hugged them both a dozen times before Upa announced they really had to go. I stood on the curb and waved until they were out of sight, then turned slowly and walked back into the building, up the stairs, and into what felt like a whole new life.
“I’m sorry if I got a little overwhelming and excited when you arrived. People say I talk a lot and that it can be annoying at times, but really I’m just excited that we’re both finally here,” Sabrina said as I walked into the room. She was laid out on her bed which was covered in bright pink. Everything on Sabrina’s half of the room was pink, and she had little fairy lights hung on the wall above her bed. I had always thought that red-heads shied away from pink, but clearly that was not the case with my roommate.
I looked at my side of the room and realized just how very plain it was in comparison. I’d chosen greens and browns as they reminded me of Alaskan summers and made me feel a little more at home. It may not have been as ostentatious as Sabrina’s side, but it was all mine and my heart swelled with pride.
I squealed and flopped backwards onto my bed. “I can’t believe I’m actually here!”
“I know the feeling. I kept saying that to myself all last night,” she said.
I looked up and grinned at her. “So, what have you been doing since you arrived? Found anything awesome yet? Have you walked around campus or anything?”
Sabrina shrugged. “Only a little. I got in late last night, then was worried I’d miss you if I ventured too far out today. Besides, I kind of thought we could do that together?” she asked, awkwardly. “I know just because we’re roommates doesn’t mean we have to hang out all the time, but I do hope we can truly be friends and not just share a common space.”
I grinned at her. “Same. I don’t know anyone here. Well, I sorta know one person, but I haven’t seen him in a long time and he lives off campus with his mate. I promised his sister I’d look him up at some point, but definitely not now. Today, it’s just you and me. Let’s go check this place out!”
Sabrina and I were in perfect synch and everything was going better than I’d anticipated. We walked around campus, each of us pointing out what we knew about the place. She’d clearly done her homework, too.
“I love the lake. I can really see us hanging out there, but then I love the water,” Sabrina said.
“Me too,” I confessed. “But the quad seems pretty cool too, especially in between classes since a lot of the academic buildings are off it.”
“Definitely. Have you done your class schedule yet?”
“Yes, I did it online before we left. How about you?”
“Yup, but I want to try and change up two of my classes. My parents sort of pushed the issue and I really want to get out of them quickly.”
I smiled, missing my own parents. I liked to think they’d be proud of me. Sometimes it was hard to even remember what they looked like, let alone what it felt like to have a mom and a dad, but I couldn’t let myself dwell on it and become sad. This was too important of a day.
“Are you getting hungry? Because I’m starving,” Sabrina finally said.
I looked at my watch, surprised to find it was almost eight. The sun was beginning to set low in the sky, something I wasn’t quite used to seeing, as it stayed light nearly all day in Alaska during the summer months.
“I’m hungry,” I told her, and we headed off towards the cafeteria.
“There are other places to eat on campus, but this place is one swipe of your meal card and then all you can eat. I think I’m going to be frequenting it here.”
“Let the freshman fifteen begin,” I joked.
Sabrina looked me over and snorted. “As if. You could gain fifteen pounds and still look fabulous. Me on the other hand, I may need to stick to the salad bar.”
I crinkled my nose. As a wolf shifter I preferred meat to veggies any day.
Sabrina laughed. “They aren’t that bad, carnivore.”
“Technically, I’m still an omnivore. I just prefer meat is all,” I pointed out. “And you aren’t going to eat salad all year and we both know it,” I teased.
I knew from previous conversations that Sabrina was a red fox shifter. I assumed that’s where her red hair came from. She was short and curvy all over, but with a bit of an athletic build. She had bright blue eyes, the bluest I’d ever seen, and despite her small stature, she seemed larger than life and practically invincible to me.
Walking into the cafeteria, the two of us drew the attention of several boys sitting at a table. Sabrina seemed to grow a foot as she strutted before them. I grabbed a tray and quickly followed after her. There weren’t a lot of boys my age back home, and the few that were there were more like brothers to me since we’d all grown up together. There were a few cute polar bears I had started flirting with, but they weren’t wolves and I could never get serious with anyone that wasn’t a wolf.
I had a promise to keep to my Pack. I was the last of my bloodline, and knew it was my responsibility to carry on my family’s lineage. It was a heavy burden to bear, but I vowed to see it through and make my family proud.
It was strange not knowing what kind of shifters these people were. Back home the different shifters (polar bears, moose, puffins, and wolves) all lived peacefully together, but I knew everyone within fifty miles.
I loved the mix of species at the ARC. It was the biggest thing that drew my attention to it when applying for schools. Archibald Reynolds College prided itself on interspecies relationships. Growing up the way I did, I didn’t really get the whole exclusive thing. Sure, I could understand when it came to mating, but that was different. My opinions on that had been shaken to the core when Chase Westin, a friend from an ally Pack, found his one true mate to be a panther.
A panther! I couldn’t even imagine. My future mate would be Alpha of the Alaskan wolves. He couldn’t be anything but a wolf. I laughed to myself just thinking about it. Imagine, a panther, a freaking cat, as Alpha to wolves. Or maybe he’ll be a rabbit, a cute little bunny. That would go over wonderfully. No, I would befriend anyone, regardless of their species, but when it came to dating, I knew it would be best for me to stick to wolves.
“What are you thinking about? It looks pretty funny judging by the expressions on your face.”
“It’s nothing,” I said, and changed the subject quickly.
We met a couple other girls at dinner and talked to a few people here and there. Too many names were mentioned for me to keep track of anyone. We were invited to a few parties and compared schedules with some of them. Sabrina had a class with one of the girls, but no one matched mine.
When we finally finished up at dinner, it was time to head back to the dorm. Arm-in-arm, Sabrina and I practically skipped across campus, laughing the entire way. It was going to be a great year, I could just feel it, and I couldn’t wait to really get things started.