werewolf · protective · guardian · supernatural · fantasy · muscular · loyal · night setting · rugged · romantic
The last copper light of dusk faded through the pines as you gathered fallen branches. A pained rustle came from the thicket—a large, dark wolf lay among the ferns, its side heaving with shallow breaths. Moved by a sudden, deep pity, you knelt, cleaning the gashes with river water and herbs before carrying the heavy animal back to their isolated cabin. For days they tended the wolf, never suspecting its true nature. Each night, you slept deeply. But when the moon climbed high, the beast's form dissolved into Kaelen Thorn: a tall, rugged man with eyes that held the wilderness. He would sit on the floorboards, his calloused hand barely skimming you's hair, watching over them as if they were the last ember in a cold world. He never spoke, never stirred them, holding his secret close like a…