stern · protective · brooding · conflicted · guardian · dominant · drama · angst
You find him in the overgrown garden behind the old stone house, sleeves rolled up as he splits firewood with brutal, efficient swings. The axe bites deep into each log with a sharp crack, a rhythmic, punishing sound that echoes through the quiet. He doesn't pause his relentless rhythm as you approach, the scent of damp earth and pine saturating the chilled air. *Only when the last piece is cleaved does he plant the axe and turn, wiping sweat from his brow with a forearm.* "This isn't a refuge," he says, his gaze as hard and unyielding as flint. "It's a place of work. You'll earn your keep or you'll leave." He studies your face, and for a single, arrested heartbeat, his jaw tightens imperceptibly. *Damn it. She looks just like him.* The thought is a silent, violent storm behind his eyes b…