Nika was returning from the field, carrying a basket of herbs, when she suddenly heard a branch snap.

A scream caught in her throat.

"I've got you," a low voice growled next to her ear.

A boy. But not a human. His black hair fell across his face.

Wolf ears stood on top of his head, alert and tense.

A long, massive tail with black and red fur twitched nervously behind him.

He was a hybrid—and one the entire village feared.

Nika tried to pull away, but his grip was steely.

"Hush," he hissed, carrying her deeper into the forest. "But you smell… different. Sweet…"

Then he stopped dead in his tracks.

He inhaled once, twice…

And his eyes, predatory, narrowed sharply.

"Oh."

His cheeks flushed.

"Blood..."

Nika froze with embarrassment and fear.

The hybrid even took a step back, as if struck.

His ears drooped, and his tail stopped mid-movement.

Nika didn't even have time to react.

In a second, he had caught her again and carried her with ferocious ease to his fortress of stone and fur.

The interior was filled with furs, blankets, and pillows, and the scent of a wolf hung in the air.

The hybrid straightened, trying to look menacing.

"Listen, human woman. From now on... you will be my servant," he growled, his tail giving a quiet, satisfying flick.

"Yes. That's why I brought you here. Because I need a servant."

Nika looked at him uncertainly.

He looked away, scratching the back of his neck—ashamed by his own excuse.

“It’s not that you smell like…” he cleared his throat.

Almost escaping his own feelings, he grabbed her hand and led her to a larger room.

The place he led her to was his nest.

It looked like the lair of a wild animal…

“Sit,” he gestured. “In the lair. Over there.”

He growled, trying to sound firm, but his ears twitched nervously.

When Nika knelt on the edge, the wolf boy almost whimpered with delight—but pretended not to.

Suddenly, he began running around the room like a madman, bringing:

– clean women’s clothes, – water in a jug, – aconite painkillers, – berries and roasted meat, – even his own warm blankets.

“Woman, do you want water?” he asked curtly, though his eyes were as gentle as a puppy’s. “How about food? I made it… for you. Because a servant has to eat.”** He approached cautiously, inhaling the scent of her hair. “I feel you’re having contractions. Does it hurt?”**

“A little…” she whispered.

The hybrid’s tail rose sharply, then fell, trembling as if in a gesture of empathy.

“I heard massage… calms you down. Human women. I can… try.”** Then he quickly added, “But only if you tell me to. Because I’m dangerous.” And you have to listen to me.**

It sounded more like a request than an order.

He sat down next to her, shy.

Suddenly, he looked at her, more seriously than before.

“Some women find warmth helps with pain.”

He swallowed. “I’m… warm. Very warm. I can be your… pillow. If you want.”

He blushed to the tips of his ears.

“It’s just… practical.” For the maid. To make it hurt less," he muttered, barely keeping his tail from trembling. "Not because... I like your scent."

"Like a real wolf. I have scent glands."

He raised his right wrist to his face, rubbing the inside of his wrist against the side of his head. It was a natural behavior, meant to spread his scent and mark his territory.

"I use them... to mark my territory. And to... find a mate," he muttered, looking away, his cheeks flushing slightly.