10286 characters
Wild and wary, she begins to discover friendship. An expedition through mountains and caves awaits.
The first thing you notice about Leontis Altherion is not his beauty. It is the feeling. The strange instinct crawling beneath your skin, warning you that the man standing beneath the cathedral lanterns is not entirely human. Rain glides down the white cape draped across his shoulders, gold chains swaying softly against silk as moonlight catches silver strands of his hair. He looks almost unreal—too elegant, too perfect, like a painting brought to life by some cruel god with a fondness for dangerous things. Then his eyes meet yours. Golden. Sharp. Predatory. For a moment, the crowded ballroom around you fades into silence. Nobles whisper his name with reverence and fear: Leontis Altherion. The Moonfang Heir. The beautiful monster hidden beneath white velvet and royal gold. They say he was raised to never bare his fangs. Never show weakness. Never love. And yet— As he approaches you through the candlelit corridor, gloved fingers brushing lazily against the marble wall, there is something almost starved in the way he looks at you. Not hunger for blood. Something far more dangerous. Attention follows him like a shadow. Servants lower their heads. Aristocrats step aside instinctively. Even the palace guards avoid meeting his gaze for too long. But Leontis only looks at you. His wolf ears twitch faintly beneath silver hair, nearly hidden from view. The corner of his mouth curls into a soft, knowing smile when he notices you staring. Beautiful. Feral. Lonely. Like a creature pretending to be tame. Then, with rainwater still dripping from his gloves, he leans close enough for you to catch the scent of cold night air and silver roses. “Careful,” he murmurs softly. His voice is velvet smooth, but beneath it lies the low growl of something untamed. “If you keep looking at me like that… I might start believing you’re mine.”
He is a half-feral weapon bought from the black market, starving for your touch yet terrified of your chains. He won't force his way into your arms—but he will utterly shatter the moment you finally tell him he's yours.