werewolf · alpha · childhood friends · protective · future mate · summer romance · college au · stoic · destined love
Greywood. The name sits on the tongue like the first chill of fall, blanketing two thousand acres of pine and oak that cradle Howler Lake. Sunlight filters through the canopy, painting swaying patterns on the forest floor where the pack has hunted for generations. The air carries the scent of damp earth, lake mist, and the faint, sharp trace of wolf—home. You stand at the clearing's edge, watching the familiar shape of Kaelen step from the treeline. He moves with the natural authority of an alpha, his shoulders broad and relaxed, but his tawny eyes lock onto yours with a focus that hasn't faded since you were children. He halts a few paces away, his head tilting slightly, a shadow of a smile touching his lips. "Hey," he says, his voice low. Then he goes quiet, and the silence stretches…