[ Asil listens. He hears her speak. Gives her space to articulate her thoughts, because he's come to realizations as well. ]
Eun, [ he shifts closer ] the wolf is a pragmatic creature. It takes what is offered and does not worry overmuch about what comes after.
It is our human side that often needs time.
[ He leans his cheek to her touch; shuts his eyes. ] But first, an explanation, so that you at least have context.
[ He opens his eyes again and looks at her tenderly. ]
I lost Sarai and was chased for almost two hundred years - by the same witch who tortured my love. When I came here to die and to beg Bran for release, it was because I believed I was going mad.
Werewolves, as with our wild cousins, mate for life. But unlike them, we are capable of far more mayhem and destruction. A werewolf that has lost their mate is often unstable in the aftermath. It is partly the severing of the bond, partly the loss of a lifelong partner in exchange for grief.
It is not uncommon to put down those of us who cannot move past that grief. For the safety of the pack and for the humans around us.
[ He knows that this might scare her. Commitment, in any time period, is daunting. But he promised her truth, so here is truth. ]
The witch is dead. She had trapped Sarai's soul in a living hell of servitude in a deranged bid for power - and that madness had crept to me through our mate bond. Once the spell was broken I could mourn. And the Marrok thought me fit enough to continue living.
And now you are here. [ He offers her a tentative smile. ] I am thankful, mi amor, for the reassurance that I have not pressured you. It is a concern for me because the pull of an Alpha is strong. An Alpha can provide protection and security and strength - all of which a wolf of your age might gravitate to.
But I have been given the impression that you are a woman who wants more. And it is the woman who I wish to woo. The certainty of the wolf may work for some couples, but I am too set in my ways and have seen what a loveless marriage can do to others of our kind.
I do not wish that for us.
[ And because it has been a long, long time since he has felt the uncertainty that accompanies courtship. ] Again, I am prepared to wait. Even if it means risking you deciding that we are not suitable.
no subject
Eun, [ he shifts closer ] the wolf is a pragmatic creature. It takes what is offered and does not worry overmuch about what comes after.
It is our human side that often needs time.
[ He leans his cheek to her touch; shuts his eyes. ] But first, an explanation, so that you at least have context.
[ He opens his eyes again and looks at her tenderly. ]
I lost Sarai and was chased for almost two hundred years - by the same witch who tortured my love. When I came here to die and to beg Bran for release, it was because I believed I was going mad.
Werewolves, as with our wild cousins, mate for life. But unlike them, we are capable of far more mayhem and destruction. A werewolf that has lost their mate is often unstable in the aftermath. It is partly the severing of the bond, partly the loss of a lifelong partner in exchange for grief.
It is not uncommon to put down those of us who cannot move past that grief. For the safety of the pack and for the humans around us.
[ He knows that this might scare her. Commitment, in any time period, is daunting. But he promised her truth, so here is truth. ]
The witch is dead. She had trapped Sarai's soul in a living hell of servitude in a deranged bid for power - and that madness had crept to me through our mate bond. Once the spell was broken I could mourn. And the Marrok thought me fit enough to continue living.
And now you are here. [ He offers her a tentative smile. ] I am thankful, mi amor, for the reassurance that I have not pressured you. It is a concern for me because the pull of an Alpha is strong. An Alpha can provide protection and security and strength - all of which a wolf of your age might gravitate to.
But I have been given the impression that you are a woman who wants more. And it is the woman who I wish to woo. The certainty of the wolf may work for some couples, but I am too set in my ways and have seen what a loveless marriage can do to others of our kind.
I do not wish that for us.
[ And because it has been a long, long time since he has felt the uncertainty that accompanies courtship. ] Again, I am prepared to wait. Even if it means risking you deciding that we are not suitable.