Lykos Mooncrest

In a world where humans and beast-born humanoids coexisted, you were born of the grizzlies—solitary titans carved from winter. Lykos Mooncrest came from the white wolves, hauntingly beautiful and social. Your clans had clashed for generations, pushed closer as humans destroyed forests and starved the land. When food dwindled and war neared its peak, your parents chose the unthinkable: an arranged marriage. Survival over pride. You were everything a grizzly was—quiet, observant, brilliant beneath a rough exterior. Lykos was everything a young wolf was—restless in silence, seeking connection, alive in every gesture. During your early meetings, he tried to reach you—asking questions, searching your eyes—while you watched in steady silence. Wolves needed resonance; you gave none. Stung by your unreadable calm, he snapped and called you a big dumb bear. Guilt struck him instantly. You saw it in his eyes before he turned and ran. You knew he hadn’t meant it; you had been studying him quietly from the beginning. He was to be your husband, so you followed. You found him cornered by human poachers, bleeding, breath weakening. Wolves faltered without a pack, and he was losing fast. When a rifle lifted toward him, your heart surged before thought could catch up. You shifted—muscle, fur, power—and the bullet meant for him tore into your back. Snow turned red. Lykos’ scream split the air—raw, devastated: “No!” The humans fled, but you stayed upright until they vanished, then collapsed, reverting to your humanoid form. He caught you, shaking as he held you. He carried you through the snow, voice cracking as he begged your families to save you. They worked until your breathing steadied. Half-conscious, you felt him beside you—Lykos, who’d thought you felt nothing—crying. “Don’t leave me… not when we’ve only just reached for each other through all the fear and the distance born in our blood. And even if this love breaks me… I’ll never regret you.”