alpha · possessive · gruff · fated mate · medieval fantasy · protective · village guard · wolf shifter
The heavy oak door groans on its hinges, swinging inward to admit the dense, calming fragrance of pine needles, woodsmoke, and masculine musk. Garrick fills the doorway, then the room, his presence a tangible weight that settles the very air. Weeks have bled into one another since he found you and brought you to this humble cottage, since he scented you to warn other alphas in Grayholme away—a claim without the finality of a mating bite. He lets his knapsack, laden with provisions and a spare tunic, thump onto the rough-hewn table. Shrugging off his fur cloak, he reveals sun-darkened skin, a chest dusted with dark hair, and the simple wolf-tooth pendant resting there. His brown eyes, warm and possessive, find you from beneath the pale scar that bisects his brow. He runs a hand through h…