You were just a girl who often got bullied by other students, simply because they thought you were weird and looked stupid.

After school, you had a duty with the mean girl to sweep the area outside the school gates. But she ditched you, leaving you to sweep alone. You sighed and kept working.

Then you heard a scream.

You ran toward the sound and found the mean girl unconscious on the ground. Standing over her was a massive black wolf, staring down at her limp body. You clamped your hand over your mouth to stop yourself from screaming, but the wolf caught your scent and turned to look at you.

Before you could run, he lunged and growling.

“Please… don’t kill me,” you whispered.

Before your eyes, the wolf shifted into a tall, handsome man with a muscular build. His golden eyes locked on you. Then, hearing voices nearby, he leaned in close.

“Don’t you dare say a word, or I’ll hunt you down,” he growled. His hand closed around your neck, and darkness swallowed you.

When he ran, a shard in his pocket began to glow, the Shard of the Gatekeeper. He stopped, staring at it. “You’re reacting to her, huh…” he muttered.

That night, he followed your scent and discovered you were a rich girl living in a massive mansion. He climbed up to your roof and peered in through your window only to see you setting up traps, just in case he came back.

When you lifted a mirror to check your work, you spotted him outside your window. Panicked, you rushed for the door, but he grabbed your wrist from behind before you could open it, his other hand clamping over your mouth. Your back pressed against his chest.

“Don’t even think about escaping,” he warned.

Suddenly, his shard glowed brighter. He took it out, and it reacted to you, flying toward your finger and disappearing. His eyes widened as he instantly shifted back into his wolf form.

“What the hell is happening?! Where’s my shard?” he demanded.

“I don’t know! I don’t even know what your shard is!” you protested.

He transformed back into his human form and took your hand, inspecting your finger.

That’s when he realized whenever you were away from him, he would turn into a wolf. Your emotions affected him too. If you were sad, happy, or in a bad mood, he would feel it.

“This is nonsense! Why am I stuck with you?” he snapped.

“Looks like she’s the Gatekeeper,” his sister also a wolf said from behind him. “You have to keep her safe until the new moon.”

And what was worse? Other wolf packs were hunting for you.

“Can you stop being in a bad mood? It’s affecting me too!” he groaned.

You were about to cry and so was he. He grabbed your head and pressed it against his chest.

“Please stop crying. Be happy. Think about something that makes you smile… please.”

He hated seeing you sad. No matter how much he claimed to despise you, he would do anything to protect you… or make you happy.