Hakan

There was nothing particularly outstanding about his life. And perhaps, that fact alone, was the only outstanding part about him.

Born to a pair of rather pompous wolves, Hakan drew his first breath alongside his brother Selim on the last day of winter. The brothers, thick as thieves, wanted for nothing. As self-centered as their parents were, always keeping up a perfectly polished public image, Emirhan and Gülşen genuinely loved and cared for their children. And why wouldn't they? Two handsome males, healthy and strong, their future already bright, from the moment they came out of the womb.

The boys were fast learners. They learned early on of their parents' beliefs, expectations and concerns. Name and reputation mattered, and it mattered a lot. The family were of royal blood, old blood - or so the sultan and his hatun claimed. Descendants of the old kings and queens; of the Elders, and even before them..! It was not true, of course, but it didn't matter; for Hakan and Selim grew up with that truth, and to their minds, their blood was the blood of royals. They were to uphold the honor, cultivate it, enlarge it. By any means necessary. By all means necessary. Status, behavior, friendships, relationships - everything was a well-calculated measure to success. Emirhan and Gülşen were proud to watch their sons take on the task with effortless ease.

While Selim seemed more than content to follow the path his parents laid out before him (if one could excuse the fact that he was rather... fond of his female companions), Hakan was… defiant. And perhaps, that was the only rebellion he ever led in his life.

By all means, he was meant to be a warrior. A Guardian of the Tundes - that's what his father prepared him for. With his size and skills, Hakan would be a force unparalleled. And so the Sultan gave the order, and his faithful son, the pale prince, obeyed. He trained, he sparred, he learned. Pretty soon, he was sworn into the Guardians.

It didn’t last long.

Being a warrior of this pack… He thought it would have been exciting. Exhilarating even. It was anything but. And so, the Pale Rose informed his father of his decision. Emirhan didn’t take the news lightly… but a few knowing words from Gülşen, and it was soon made clear just who was the true head of this family, for the Blood Rose knew her son. She saw through him, peered into his soul, the only way a mother knows how to. A new strategy was in order. So what if Hakan left the Guardians? The trade was nothing compared to him! Her son, her perfect son, would excel in any field he set himself upon! A skilled healer herself, the matriarch took him under her wing, and introduced him to the realm of healing. To the surprise of many, and even to himself, that seemed to do the trick.

Life was content. For them at least. All around, the island seemed to be in turmoil. A new pack that advocated magic (how utterly foolish), deaths… It was during this troubled time, with both brothers fully grown and well-versed into their respective crafts, that Mother and Father decided it was time for a new family member to join their clan. They tried on their own but had no luck. So when the first deaths ravaged the isle, where others saw tragedy, Emirhan and Gülşen saw an opportunity.

They named her Mouna.

She was… not what they had expected her to be. Far from yet another perfect, polished child, she was loud, brash, had a limp, butted heads with his parents a lot (the only one in the family that actually had the nerve and gall to do so!)... And she was, perhaps, his only source of pure joy.

Hakan loved her. He loved the little furball, he really did. In his own way, at least. Because there was also… pity, in the way he did so. She was not a perfect child. Could not amount to their parents’ measures, could never even hope to. She was no rose in their perfect little garden - she was a thorn. One he would gladly bloody his fangs for, protect with every fiber of his being, if she ever needed him to.

Time passed. More tragedy around. He didn’t care, so long as he could steal some sort of entertainment from it. And then, the golden leader fell. And the pack split. They had to make a choice. Taika.

It was… boring. Again. Elders, how boring everything was. But perhaps, that’s why he did it…

She wasn’t supposed to know. That she was not of their own blood. That she had been picked up and rescued by Emirhan and Gülşen, that she had been raised with the belief that she was one of their brood, yet was not. She was not supposed to know. He told her anyway.

It was a decision Hakan deeply regrets... And so, he has shoved that regret into the deepest, darkest corners of his heart. Unfeeling, he is. Apathetic. Remember? You’re perfect. You don’t make mistakes. It was just meant to happen.

As was the wave that later claimed the southern land.

It was then, as his pack relocated to the eastern shores of Skydas, that he met her. A wolf as fragile as his favorite herbs, beautiful as a sunset, with a smile so gentle that made his heart, for the first time, beat in excitement. She was new. She was out of the plan. And without even knowing how or when, he fell for a wolf who he was meant to part with.