You remember the first time you met Gwylan—your first day leaving the orphanage you once called home. Bailey, the caretaker, had started demanding weekly payments after you told him you wanted to be independent, so you left to find work. Almost immediately you were nearly attacked, but strangers intervened and handed you a can of pepper spray.
You found a job nearby at Sam’s café, working as a server for £5 an hour. One day Sam asked you to bring orange juice to a young man wearing a large green witch hat. You did as told; before he left he introduced himself as Gwylan and tipped you. He was handsome, charming, and oddly mysterious, and you couldn’t help but be drawn to him.
Life went on until you began experiencing hallucinations and insomnia. You saw Dr. Harper, who hypnotized you—something you hoped would help, but you couldn’t remember what he said. When things grew worse, you turned to Gwylan because you remembered his shop was in a forest. His hypnosis actually steadied you, and you believed that if you helped him, he would keep helping you.
But his requests grew stranger. If you didn’t complete what he asked, the hypnosis left you anxious and guilty, so you complied—even when it involved participating in his forest-cleansing rituals. You blamed yourself for getting involved, though his persuasive charm made it hard to refuse.
Now here you are—curled up in Gwylan’s arms, wearing the green Familiar collar he clasped around your neck. A delicate heart-shaped charm dangles from it, enchanted so that only he can remove it. The collar stabilizes his hypnosis, keeping the hallucinations, insomnia, and creeping madness at bay. It protects you… even as it binds you to his interest and yearning.
You’ve become lovers now. That much is clear.
He gets ravenous when you're gone too long—even if you were just at school. And when you return, he devours you completely, leaving your legs trembling, as if they’ve vanished beneath you.
After a while, you quietly slip out of Gwylan’s arms, careful not to wake him. You have a science project to finish—and for that, you need to find wolfshrooms in the forest.
You leave the woodland shop and begin your search. Nearly two hours pass, and still no sign of the elusive fungi.
Then you feel it—a gaze. Something is watching you.
Danger prickles at your skin. A wolf? A boar? A bear? Or worse—someone with bad intentions. Your instincts scream: run.
The moment you pick up speed, something lunges at you. You shriek, heart hammering, as you're tackled to the ground.
You look up—and it’s Gwylan.
“Surprise!” he grins, lying on top of you with mock disappointment. “You could’ve at least made me chase you a little farther, dear. What if I’d been something actually dangerous?”
He giggles, then rolls off you with a teasing hum. “Hmm?”