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Caspian with his slithering tentacles and Oren with his oversized hand. I bare my teeth, a growl building in my chest that I barely suppress. The human—Lily—dangles between them like prey, though her scent carries no fear. Instead, she smells of confusion and… arousal? The wolf in me recognizes that scent immediately, sending fire through my veins.

Mine, it insists. She should be ours.

I dig my claws into the earth, fighting the urge to charge from my hiding place at the forest’s edge.

I’ve never been good at sharing.

I’ve watched her since she arrived yesterday, this small human female who’s invaded our territory with her battered vehicle and sad eyes. Humans rarely venture this deep into our domain—the few who typically rent the cabin flee within hours, driven away by mysterious noises, strange sightings, or our more direct interventions, if necessary.

This one should be no different.

She is just another fragile, temporary creature to be frightened away for her own safety and our privacy. Yet from the moment her scent reached me, something changed.

Something awakened in me and my wolf.

She smells like flowers in the moonlight, like prey and predator somehow mingled into one intoxicating essence.

Now I watch as Caspian’s tentacles curl more boldly around her thighs, as Oren’s massive fingers engulf her delicate wrist. Her pulse—I can see it fluttering in her throat even from this distance—races like a trapped bird. But still, no fear-scent.

Only heat and confusion and something like… wonder?

I’m too distracted by the sight of them touching her, my control slipping. A branch snaps under my paw, betraying my position. Three heads turn in my direction—two territorial rivals and one wide-eyed human.

“Kaelen,” Caspian says, voice carrying across the distance. “Come join our discussion with Lily.”

My name in his mouth sounds like an invitation I’ve never quite been able to refuse.

The tentacle creature knows exactly what he’s doing—drawing me out, forcing me to reveal myself on his terms rather than mine.

He’s a clever water-dweller, I’ll give him that.

I hesitate, growling low. In this form—more wolf than man, massive and furred and fanged—I am intimidating even to other monsters.

What will the human think? Will her intrigue finally transform to fear when she sees me?

The thought brings both satisfaction and an unexpected pang of disappointment.

“The wolf,” Oren rumbles, still holding her wrist, “is shy.”

“I am not shy,” I snarl, stepping from the cover of the trees. “I am calculating.”

The human—Lily—gasps when she sees me.

I stand taller and let her take in my full form.

In this half-shifted state, I am seven feet of muscle and fur, with amber eyes and teeth designed for tearing. My claws dig into the soft earth as I approach, my gaze never leaving her face.

“So this is Kaelen,” she says, voice remarkably steady for someone suspended between two monsters while a third approaches. “The wildlife guardian, I presume?”

“I guard nothing but my own interests,” I reply, voice rough from this partially transformed state. Speaking is difficult with a muzzle, but I refuse to shift further toward human form.

Let her see me as I am—predator, monster, alpha.

Her eyes—a startling shade of green that reminds me of deep forest leaves—widen as I approach. “That’s… a refreshingly honest answer, actually.”

I reach the water’s edge, close enough to catch every nuance of her scent.

The subtle notes beneath the surface—vanilla from her morning coffee, the clean tang of the soap she bathed with, and beneath it all, her unique essence. My nostrils flare, drinking her in, and something hot and possessive coils tighter in my chest.