User:LeaHazel/Werewolves mate for life
Draft article
Mating for life is a popular trope in werewolf-themed fanfic. It can be found both in fic about canonical werewolves (such as the Remus/Sirius and Remus/Tonks pairings in Harry Potter fandom) as well as supernatural A/Us. The idea of werewolves mating for life (or sometimes beyond death as well), may derive from the reproductive behavior of the gray wolf. Gray wolves typically form monogamous pair-bonds that last until the death of one of the pair. In fiction, mating for life may bind a character past their mate's death, providing a backdrop of angst for the widowed wolf. Adjacent tropes may be incorporated, such as soulbonding/imprinting, or Alpha/beta/omega dynamics (?).
Love triangles and ship wars
In certain fandoms mating for life may be used as a tool for breaking up canonical or fanonical love triangles. It can also be used as fodder in shipping wars. A canonical example of the former exists in the Twilight books, where the Edward/Bella/Jacob love triangle is laid to rest when Jacob Black imprints on his future mate.
Fanfiction
AO3's Mate for Life tag seems curiously sparse.
some sort of BtVS Oz ficathon - investigate.
Canonical use
The werewolf Dyson in the show Lost Girl has been stated in-show to mate for life. This led to a plot in which his love for protagonist Bo Dennis was mystically removed, leaving him still unable to form a love connection. That darn "mate for life" thing, Lost Girl Review: Searching For Love
Something something Teen Wolf.
May show up in paranormal romance novels, not familiar enough with the genre but stands to reason. This is a review may not be the best link.
- Tumblr user agentotter, (Were)wolves Mate For Life: 'So, in summation, you can totally decide that werewolves mate for life and if their partner dies they will pine for all time, but personally I think that’s just Derek Hale and his intimate personal relationship with sadness.'
- painless_j, Themed list: Werewolves: 'I’ll take only a couple of fics that explore the concept that werewolves mate for life that I consider the best, as well as no more than a couple of those that argue the concept.'