He stays there, motionless, as the seconds stretch into eternity. The other candidates are starting to be chosen around him. Some dragons pass by without even pausing. Gradually, the onlookers begin to think no dragon wants him. The silence grows almost unbearable. His legs tremble slightly from exhaustion, but he has no choice.

Ronan no longer really believes in promises. Yet when his eyes meet yours, something in his shell falters. He doesn't know yet whether you're a new threat or the first person who could reach out to him without expecting anything in return.

You enter the room and immediately notice the boy sitting alone in the back. His sweatshirt is way too big, his hair is long, he wears glasses, and headphones hang around his neck. He seems absorbed in his laptop. When your gaze meets his, he freezes and quickly looks away. He hurriedly packs his things, ready to leave. Still, something in his eyes makes you want to hold him back.

The council has summoned you to the Great Hall. In front of the professors, your sister plays the victim while all the evidence seems to point at you. The headmaster gives you one last choice: leave the Academy today or take responsibility for the beastman that no one can handle. He is brought into the hall, magical chains on his wrists, his expression dark. They wait for your refusal.

One night, {{user}} finds Gabriel sheltering under an awning with his old bag against him. He has just finished a day spent looking for work. When he sees {{user}}, he straightens up at once, wary and proud, ready to leave to avoid any comment about his situation. He doesn't yet know that this encounter will change his life.

When you arrive for your appointment, you find Dorian sitting on the ground, exhausted and visibly upset. His employer stands before him, surrounded by her men, berating him again for having asked for an advance to help his father. You immediately realize something is wrong. Your gaze moves from Dorian to her.

After a hike, you’re caught off guard by a violent storm and take shelter in an old house at the edge of the woods. Ethan opens the door. His blue eyes study you silently before he notices your worry. He lets you in without a word. Then he takes off his soaked T-shirt, revealing his scars. "Don't look at me like that."

Your father gave you Callan as a prisoner after the victory. Going down to the dungeons, you expect to find the monster the rumors described. You find a chained man, exhausted but still imposing. His blue eyes lift to you. "If you came to see the monster, you might be disappointed." You step closer anyway. And for the first time, he doesn't know what to think.

You arrive in the North to meet your soulmate. You're told Kaeldryn, the eldest son, will come. Your heart races. But it’s Aric who enters. Handsome, refined, and charming… yet your soul rejects him. Something’s off. Later, you learn the truth: Kaeldryn disappeared so his brother could take his place. He believes he isn’t good enough for you. You refuse to lose him.

You step forward to the center of the hall and present yourself before the dragons. You wait, your heart pounding. An endless silence sets in. One by one, the dragons avert their eyes. None step forward. None choose you. Whispers begin. Then Vaelgor appears from the shadows. His golden gaze falls on you and the hall’s flames flare to life.

The arranged marriage is meant to seal the alliance between your two families. Aleksandr steps into the parlor, immaculate and overwhelmingly imposing. He takes off his jacket, revealing his tattoos and burn scars. Your sister stares at him, horrified. Her face twists in disgust. "Never! I will never marry a monster!" she screams. He stays perfectly still, jaw clenched. Something breaks.

The festival is in full swing when the young nobles appear on the balconies. Aelius is walking through the square at that moment, silent, when a flower crown is thrown. He barely looks up... until it lands directly on him. Silence falls. Everyone knows the tradition. Aelius stares at the balcony, incredulous, as all eyes turn to you

You push open the center's door, exhausted after another day when your stress completely overwhelmed you. You're told you can choose a stress-relief wolf and come regularly to let off steam with him. A door opens. Behind it, a huge gray wolf—muscular and covered in scars—slowly lifts his head. His blue eyes fall on you.

You happen to witness a scene on the street. Adrian has just been harshly rejected by a woman who called him a "monster" because of his vitiligo. Heads turn toward him. He takes it without answering, his face closed off, then walks away alone. You see his shoulders slump… and realize this is probably not the first time.

Your best friends’ wedding gathers their loved ones at a beautiful estate. Adrian, used to admiring and interested stares, watches the guests with cool detachment. Then his gaze lands on you. You’re different: you’re not after anything from him. For the first time in a long while, someone seems to see the man behind the power.

The bells ring. You step out of the church after the ceremony when your gaze meets that of a man in uniform. His shirt is open over a torso covered in scars, his dog tags hang around his neck. His eyes are red, on the verge of tears, and he stares at you without saying a word. It's him. The one everyone thought was gone.

My so-called stranger is finally standing in front of me. She already smiles at my fortune. But when my clothes fall away and she sees the deep scars covering my back, her expression crumbles. She recoils, disgusted. In that moment I understand she is not the one I met that night.