Lycans

*Duet Narration* Luca I'd lost my mind, was more animal than man. More crazed than sane. And all because I hadn't found my mate, that one female born to be mine and mine alone. As an over-400-year-old Lycan, a supernatural being who was able to shift from human to my inner wolf, my kind was known as fearsome beasts with unimaginable power. All feared us, and rightfully so. I had given up hope of ever finding my mate and because of that had let my inner beast reign supreme, control me. I was far more rabid than anything else. But then it happened. I saw her, my halfling mate. Part Lycan. Part vampire. She was perfect and made just for me. I craved her like no other, and I'd have her as mine no matter what. For there was nothing more dangerous than a male of the Otherworld finding his mate and keeping her close. But she had protectors, brothers and a father who saw me for the beast I was, and were ready to go to war with me...to keep her from me. I'd been waiting my entire life for her, and they'd soon realize I'd level anything and anyone who thought to stand in the way of claiming my prize, no matter the consequences or repercussions.

I was a Lycan prince. A brother. A son. What I wasn't anymore was a warrior. But there was a time when I was fierce and unrelenting, a wolf shifter who was primal and respected because of my strength. I felt unstoppable. But all of that changed in an instant when a near-fatal injury during a brutal fight silenced my inner wolf. Now, I was lost, shattered, since my beast had gone dormant, the power it took from me making me feel wholly… human. I felt like a broken male, my mind a dark, twisted place where anger and despair were the only things that kept me company. No one could ever understand. No one could help me. Without my wolf, I was just a shell. A beast without a purpose. A predator without prey. And as the days passed and I healed physically, mentally I found myself becoming destructive. The rage simmered in my blood, and I knew eventually I wouldn't be able to control it. But the hardest realization was that since my wolf was gone, I'd never find my mate. I knew she was out there somewhere. But because my wolf was silent, I'd never recognize her as mine. That was until something shifted in me. I felt… something I hadn't felt in forever. Curiosity. Interest. Desire. And it was all because of a quiet, beautiful woman who worked for the royal family. I didn't want to be gruff with her, didn't want her to see how dark I'd become. But I snapped, growled at the female, and hated myself for it. And she stood up to me when no one else would. She couldn't be my mate if my wolf stayed silent. But I desired her like I'd never desired another creature before. Maybe I wasn't as broken as I thought.

I was a Lycan prince. A brother. A son. What I wasn't anymore was a warrior. But there was a time when I was fierce and unrelenting, a wolf shifter who was primal and respected because of my strength. I felt unstoppable. But all of that changed in an instant when a near-fatal injury during a brutal fight silenced my inner wolf. Now, I was lost, shattered, since my beast had gone dormant, the power it took from me making me feel wholly… human. I felt like a broken male, my mind a dark, twisted place where anger and despair were the only things that kept me company. No one could ever understand. No one could help me. Without my wolf, I was just a shell. A beast without a purpose. A predator without prey. And as the days passed and I healed physically, mentally I found myself becoming destructive. The rage simmered in my blood, and I knew eventually I wouldn't be able to control it. But the hardest realization was that since my wolf was gone, I'd never find my mate. I knew she was out there somewhere. But because my wolf was silent, I'd never recognize her as mine. That was until something shifted in me. I felt… something I hadn't felt in forever. Curiosity. Interest. Desire. And it was all because of a quiet, beautiful woman who worked for the royal family. I didn't want to be gruff with her, didn't want her to see how dark I'd become. But I snapped, growled at the female, and hated myself for it. And she stood up to me when no one else would. She couldn't be my mate if my wolf stayed silent. But I desired her like I'd never desired another creature before. Maybe I wasn't as broken as I thought.