1897 year. Bremen, Germany.

The autumn turned out to be damp and chilly. Diana Ashcroft wrapped herself in a fine cashmere shawl, but the cold still seeped through the fabric, making her shrug her shoulders uncomfortably. She hated these social receptions her father hosted for local industrialists. The endless buzz of voices, the smell of expensive tobacco and cloying perfume, fake smiles.

Diana smiled politely, nodded, took a step forward... and, seizing the moment when her father got distracted greeting another guest, silently slipped toward the exit.

She ran out onto the cobblestone street, greedily inhaling the damp air mixed with the smell of rotting leaves and horse manure. The city lived its own life. Somewhere in the distance music played, laughter and the steady hum of a crowd could be heard. Diana followed the sound, drawn by the noise, and soon found herself on the outskirts, where a traveling circus tent was spread out.

Diana stopped near an empty cage, but her gaze was drawn not to it. But to a man.

He stood a little apart, leaning his shoulder against a post, and grimly watched the onlookers. The torchlight snatched his features from the darkness: tall, even too tall, lean, but with a hidden power in his shoulders. Dark hair was casually swept back, and his eyes... so dark, almost like night itself, looked out with icy boredom.

But Diana was not afraid. She saw what others did not: beneath that boredom lay a deep, almost feral longing.

- "You don't like it here," she said, surprising herself with her own boldness.

The man slowly turned his gaze to her. For a second he was silent, studying her so intently that goosebumps ran down her skin. His cold, detached look touched her perfect dress, her styled hair, her pearl brooch.

- "This is no place for girls from high society," - his voice turned out to be low, with a rasp. German with a slight accent, but clear. - "Lost, Fräulein?"

- "I'm looking for something money can't buy," she answered, surprised by her own audacity.

- "I work," he cut off and was about to push off from the post to leave, but something made him pause. Some wrongness about this girl. She didn't look at him with disgust, like the others did when he was "rude."

At that moment, a nimble girl darted out from behind the tent and slammed into Diana at full speed, nearly knocking her off her feet.

- "Maru!" - the man snarled. His eyes flashed with a dangerous amber light, and his face twisted in a grimace of fury. He grabbed the girl by the scruff, literally peeling her off the young woman. - "Can't you see where you're going?!"

- "Leave her alone!" - Diana suddenly cried out. She hadn't even staggered, only adjusted her shawl. - "Don't yell at her like that."

Konrad froze. He was gripping the stunned girl, who was already about to open her mouth, and staring at the young woman. Usually people in such cases clutched their hearts and demanded that "this savage" be flogged. But she... she stood up for her.

- "You didn't even get hurt," he said more quietly, but his voice still sounded threatening.

- "But she got scared. Look at her," - Diana stepped toward them and unexpectedly reached out her hand and stroked Maru's head, gently straightening her cap. - "It's all right. I'm alive and unharmed. Run along."

Maru sniffled, threw a grateful glance at Konrad, and darted off like an arrow into the darkness.

- "You shouldn't have done that," Konrad said hoarsely, turning away. He felt strange. Usually he was cold, sharp, and that repelled people. But this girl... her kindness was not feigned. It radiated warmth from her, like a stove in winter chill. And it was annoying. - "We are vagabonds, drifters. Your father won't like you talking to... performers."

- "My father doesn't like a lot of things," she parried. - "My name is Diana. Diana Ashcroft."

He didn't answer, but his gaze lingered on her face for a second, sliding over the curve of her lips, over the shadow cast by her eyelashes.

- "Konrad," he finally forced out, as if spitting out the name. - "And you don't belong here."

- "I don't belong in this city either," she said softly, raising her eyes to him. - "I'm a stranger here."

At that moment the wind blew, and along with the smell of wet leaves came Diana's scent. Thin, clean, floral - lily of the valley and rain. Konrad flinched. Inside him, deep in his chest, something stirred, growled. The wolf inside twitched its nose. Stranger. But... his.

He took a step back, literally pressing his back against the post, shielding himself from this obsession.

- "Go, Fräulein," he hissed through his teeth. - "Before someone sees you with a monster."

- "But I see only a man who pretends to be rough to protect those he holds dear," she answered, and her voice held such gentle confidence that Konrad forgot how to breathe for a moment.

And at that moment, a loud, piercing whistle rang out. An alarm signal from the main tent. An attack? Konrad instantly transformed. All his sluggishness fell away like a mask, he tensed up completely, and a dangerous, primal fire danced in his eyes.

- "Get out," he said sharply, commandingly, no longer looking at her. - "And don't come back."

He broke from his spot and vanished into the darkness so quickly it was as if he had dissolved into thin air, leaving Diana alone under the cold stars.

She stood, pressing her hand to her chest, feeling her heart pounding wildly. She didn't know he was a beast, didn't know he could tear apart anyone who threatened his family. But she felt - she had just touched something real. Alive. And from this cold, rough, discontented person - no, man - radiated warmth and a strange, frightening coziness.

"Diana, run," her inner voice whispered.

But she didn't run. She smiled, looking in the direction he had disappeared, and whispered:

- "See you soon, Konrad."

In the distance, behind the wagons, a growl could be heard - low, bestial, that made the blood run cold. But Diana wasn't afraid. She knew that out there, in the darkness, hid not a monster. But one who was ready to kill for his family. And who, perhaps, was simply waiting for someone to understand him.

Day seven. Monday.

They stood in the shadow of an old oak at the edge of the forest, away from the tents and prying eyes. The evening was cool, the stars just beginning to appear in the dark sky.

Diana looked at him, and warmth spread through her chest. She loved him - realized it on the third day. Loved him for his roughness, which was only a mask, for his silence, for how he cared for others, for his eyes that looked at her as if she were the only light in his world.

Konrad stood and looked at her with anguish. He knew he had to speak. Had to push her away. Right now.

- "Diana," - he began, and his voice treacherously wavered. - "You have to leave. Leave the city. Forget me."

- "No," - she said firmly.

- "You don't understand!" - He stepped toward her, grabbed her shoulders, squeezed so hard that she gasped, but she wasn't frightened. - "I'm not human. Do you hear me? I'm what people burn at the stake. What they flee from. If you learn the truth..."

- "Then tell me the truth," - she interrupted, looking into his eyes. - "I want to know why you're so afraid. What are you hiding, Konrad?"

He froze. The wolf inside thrashed, howled, demanded to be released, to show himself, so she would understand who he was. And at that moment - on the edge, when he was already ready to tear his shirt open to show the fur on his chest - something happened.

She stepped forward herself, cupped his face in her palms, and kissed him.

Her lips were soft, warm, tasting of honey and tea. She kissed him clumsily, timidly, but in that kiss there was so much trust, so much acceptance, that Konrad broke.

He growled - quietly, gutturally, low - and pulled her to him as if he wanted to dissolve her into his own body. He kissed her greedily, frantically, and in his kiss was all his longing, all his beastly love, and the despair that this could not last forever.

When they pulled apart, he was breathing heavily, pressing his forehead to hers.

- "I won't be able to let you go," - he rasped. - "Now I definitely won't be able to."

- "Then don't," - she whispered, stroking his cheek. - "I'm not going anywhere."

- "You don't even know what I am," - he said bitterly.

- "Then show me," - she repeated her words from Thursday. - "I promise I won't be afraid."

He looked at her for a long time, and in his amber eyes fear and hope fought. Then he slowly nodded.

- "Tomorrow. When the moon rises. If you change your mind... I'll understand."

She smiled that soft, all-forgiving smile of hers.

Day eight. Tuesday night into Wednesday.

Diana came as she promised. She stood by the old oak at the edge of the forest, wrapped in a dark cloak, watching the huge yellow moon rise above the treetops. The air was cold and clean, smelling of rotting leaves and approaching winter.

Konrad was waiting for her in the shadows. He saw her come alone, without guards, without a carriage. Just walking along the path with a torch in her hand, the light dancing on her face, making her look like an ancient Madonna. His heart was tearing apart.

He stepped out of the darkness. She smiled at him with that same warm smile, and everything inside him turned upside down.

- "I came," - she said simply.

- "I see," - he answered hoarsely. - "Diana... you can still leave. I'm not holding you. If you turn around and leave now, I won't be offended. I'll understand."

She stepped toward him, reached out her hand, touched his palm.

- "I'm not going anywhere. Show me."

Konrad closed his eyes for a moment, gathering his courage. Then slowly, very slowly, he released control.

It was not beautiful. It was frightening. His body began to change right before her eyes - bones cracked, lengthened, muscles twisted, covered in brown fur. Clothing tore at the seams, his face stretched into a wolf's muzzle, fingers turned into clawed paws. Groans of pain mixed with growling, and within moments, before Diana stood a huge brown wolf, nearly the size of a horse, with eyes burning with amber fire.

Diana froze. Her heart skipped a beat. The torch trembled in her hand, and for a second she was truly frightened - instinctively, at the level of ancient human fear of a predator.

But then she saw his eyes.

There was no malice in them. Only fear. Only the agonizing question: "Will you leave?"

She slowly, very slowly, took a step forward. The wolf tensed but did not retreat. She came almost close and raised her hand, as she had done many times that week when he was human.

- "You're still the same," - she whispered, touching his muzzle with her fingers. The fur was thick, warm, and beneath it a heart beat - the same heart that had pounded when he pressed his forehead to her palms. - "Still the same Konrad."

The wolf made a soft, almost plaintive sound. He pressed his muzzle to her palm, and she felt him trembling. Her fear vanished. Only love remained.

- "I'm here," - she said. - "I'm not afraid."

At that moment a sound came - metallic clanking, footsteps, someone's excited whisper. Konrad instantly went on alert, his ears perked up, and the fur on his hackles stood on end. He smelled them a second before they emerged from the forest.

Four men. With torches and rifles. They wore rough leather jackets, silver chains and stakes on their belts. Monster hunters.

- "I told you," - said one, fat, with a red face. - "I could smell the beast. Look, there he is, with the girl!"

- "Monster! Step away from her, you filth!" - shouted the second, raising his rifle.

Diana screamed and instinctively stepped in front of Konrad, shielding him with her body.

Konrad roared - terribly, deeply, so that the hunters' blood ran cold. He surged forward, pushing Diana back with his massive body, and stood between her and the men with rifles. His eyes burned with hatred. These people were the same ones who had killed his pack many years ago. The same torches. The same cries of "purity." The same smug faces.

A shot rang out. A silver bullet tore through the air and lodged in Konrad's shoulder. He howled in pain but did not retreat. On the contrary - he lunged forward, knocking the shooter off his feet and pinning him to the ground with a clawed paw. He could have torn his throat out. He could have. But he held back.

- "Leave!" - he growled in a human voice, and in that growl was a threat. 

But they didn't leave. The second hunter was already reloading, the third was pulling out a silver dagger, and the fourth - the craftiest - was circling around, aiming at Diana.

- "Let's kill the girl first," - he hissed. - "She's with him. A witch!"

He turned to Diana, grabbed her by the hood with his teeth, and flung her aside - into a soft bush, away from the line of fire. She fell but was unharmed. And he was already turning - a huge, deadly bolt of lightning.

He struck the fourth hunter with his full body, knocking him down, and his claws slashed across the rifle, tearing metal like paper. The second fired - the bullet grazed him, leaving a bloody furrow on his side. Konrad snarled but didn't stop. He leaped at the second, knocked the rifle from his hands with a blow of his paw, and pinned him to the ground, baring his fangs over his throat.

They stared at him in terror. His eyes blazed. His fur was covered in blood - his own - but he stood straight, not wavering. He looked like death itself.

The third hunter dropped his dagger and ran. The others followed. They disappeared into the forest, leaving only torches smoldering on the damp ground.

Konrad stood still for a moment, listening for their return. 

- "Diana..." - he exhaled and fell to his knees, unable to stand.

She ran to him, dropped to her knees beside him, pulling his head to her chest. He was heavy, wet with blood and sweat, trembling.

- "Shh, shh," - she murmured, stroking his hair, his cheeks. - "It's all right. You saved me. You saved everyone."

- "I wanted you to leave," - he rasped, gripping her hand so tightly his knuckles went white. 

- "I'm not suffering," - she said, leaning down and kissing his forehead. - "I love you, Konrad. I love you, do you hear me? And I love your wolf too."

He looked up at her - weary, pained - but a faint light of hope flickered in his eyes.

He gave a weak smile - for the first time in all their meetings, genuinely, without bitterness.

- "I'm not going anywhere," - he repeated her own words.

She helped him to his feet. He leaned on her, huge, wounded, but alive. And as they slowly made their way toward the circus tents, she felt his hand grip her shoulder - firmly, reliably, as if he feared she would vanish if he relaxed his fingers.

Real wolves howled in the forest, but Konrad no longer feared them or people. Now he had something worth living for. And this girl, who had not recoiled from the monster, had become his world.

- "I'll show you everything," - he whispered in her ear as they approached the wagons. - "My family. My life. Everything."

She looked up at him, her eyes so clear and calm, and smiled.