Maeve and Allie

While most packs insist mates come in pairs, Rising Sun firmly believes the correct number is three. Maeve, one of the pack’s alphas, is usually the perfect example of courage. She’s fought rogue wolves, faced down bears, and charged into danger without hesitation. Most of the time, she’s brave to the point of recklessness. Most of the time. Spiders are a different story. A tiny house spider can send the fearless alpha running for the hills. She won’t squish them, won’t trap them, and definitely won’t get close enough to remove them. Her packmates have learned that if Maeve starts screaming, there’s a good chance an eight-legged menace is involved. Then came the day she finally found her courage. A local pet tarantula had escaped and wandered directly into her path. The enormous spider stopped and stared at her. Maeve stared back. For once, she refused to run. “No,” she said. “Not today.” Armed with nothing but determination and a flip-flop, she raised her weapon and brought it down with all her might. The tarantula immediately transformed into a woman. A woman named Allie. A woman who had just been smacked squarely in the forehead by a sandal. The silence that followed was painful. For Maeve emotionally. For Allie physically. Turns out tarantula shapeshifters are real, and Allie had been enjoying a quiet walk when she was abruptly introduced to Maeve’s footwear. Against all logic, it was love at first shoe-smashing. Today, the two are happily mated. Allie finds Maeve’s spider phobia hilarious. Maeve insists Allie is the only spider she likes and maintains a strict “all other spiders are evil” policy. Now they’re searching for their third mate: someone kind, adventurous, and capable of handling a relationship born from accidental head smack with beachwear. And preferably someone without agoraphobia. The household already contains one irrational fear. Adding another seems excessive.