The loud howling echoed through the woods, piercing his ears; the wolves were out on the woods once again.
With every new moon, the animals would venture outside, looking for a meal that could last them until the next moonless night. Typically, the howling lasted a good hour or so, then dying down to little whines and barks that could only be detected by the ears of a supernatural creature. Tonight, however, they were acting strangely.
Curious as to what was the source of the odd behaviour, Louis decided to abandon the forest shack in order to find out what was going on. He went deeper into the forest, walking normally.
He soon found himself in a large clearing where he stood patiently and waited. Nothing happened and the man found himself vaguely disappointed. There was usually always something fun in this forest to find. The last time he'd came across a group of squirrels, he had followed them back to their home and found little babies. Minuscule purrs of happiness filled his ears as he chuckled.
Finally quitting, Louis turned and began to make his way back to the vacation shack. Maybe the wolves had found more food than usual and were simply excited about it. They were odd night creatures, after all. He was just about to disappear back into the darkness of the trees when loud crunching and barking echoed from behind him. Turning around, he found the last thing he would expect to see.
A young woman stood surrounded by a pack of wolves. She looked to be around the age of twenty, and so Louis found himself quickly wondering if she lived around the area, before quickly dismissing the thought. He watched intensely as the three larger wolves moved towards the girl, mouths open and teeth glowing in the moonlight. It would appear that they had finally found this month's big prey. A grown human... Louis assumed that that was why they had been so excited; it was rare for wolves to come across a human prey.
"I swear, if you try to bite me again, I will hit you."
The alpha whined pathetically, lying down on the grass and hiding his head under his paws.
"That's better."
Louis stepped forward, lurking in the shadows of the higher branches. The wolves sensed his presence, turning around to face the newcomer. The girl snapped her fingers; the alpha stood up and moved forwards. The wolf growled and pulled something into the middle of the clearing.
"Oh... Hello!"
"Hi, I see you've wandered into our forest." Louis stated softly.
"Your forest?" The mysterious girl echoed.
"This is on the Asahina lands..."
"Oh, I am so sorry! I didn't realise it… I can't believe I've been trespassing on private property!" She panicked.
"It's alright!" He smiled a bit.
The man couldn't comprehend what was happening to him. His heart beat slightly faster than normally and he felt somewhat awkward; trying to clear his mind a bit, he moved forward. The wolves growled at him, but quickly they backed down.
"Now, what is a delicate flower such as yourself doing out in the forest with a pack of wolves?" Louis gently asked, gazing into her (e/c) eyes.
"I ran away from home. A few days ago, I came across the pack and I've been with them ever since."
"You ran away from home? Would it be out of line if I asked why?"
"I suppose not. But can we sit down? I've been following them around for hours."
Louis took her hand with his and pulled her towards a large nearby rock. He let her sit down first before joining her.
"I am (L/n) (F/n). A few days ago I turned twenty."
Louis listened intently, eager to find out about her story.
"My mother told me she had arranged for me to marry one of the sons of the Asahina family. I can't seem to remember what his name is, however."
Surprise filled the man. Their father had said to him a while ago that a CEO wanted Louis to marry his daughter. Such luck; stumbling upon his betrothed in the forest.
"I do realise that I have duties to my family, but an arranged marriage… What if I hate him? Spending your whole life with somebody you despise would anyone."
Louis played out the scene in his head. Should he tell her that he was the one that would marry her? Or should he keep it a secret and let it be a surprise?
"Well, father did mention something about a potential bride." He murmured. "But he didn't tell us which one has been promised, I'm afraid. He said he wasn't going to tell us until absolutely necessary."
The two talked for hours, exchanging stories and jokes and their interests until the sun came up. The darkness of the moonless night steadily disappeared, and the wolves retreated back into the depths of the forest. The pups lagged behind, sad that they had to stop playing; the smallest one, the little joker, stumbled over to the woman's feet and having difficulties in getting back up.
"Aww!" She picked the pup up, cuddling it close to her chest. "You're so sweet! I wish I could take you home with me!"
The alpha barked twice; the woman gave the small wolf a final kiss to the nose before placing him back on the floor and pushing him away.
"Goodbye, little one! I will see you at the next new moon!"
The wolf pack disappeared amongst the vegetation, leaving behind two tired humans. They had been up the entire night and were now more than ready to go to bed. As they were about to depart, Louis took his companion's face in between his hands, his sweet eyes bore deep into hers.
"Tell me, what do you think of me?" He asked.
"I hope you are the brother I am to marry!" She whispered, unconsciously reaching out to grip his shirt. "I'm scared, Louis. I don't want to marry someone I don't like or even know, I don't want to marry someone who might break me!"
This lit a spark in the man's heart, warming him up considerably. Throughout the hours they'd talked, he'd found himself deeply entranced by this girl. She was somehow special.
Without really thinking about it, Louis kissed the girl in front of him; she complied, moving her mouth against his own.
Pulling away, they rested their foreheads together.
"I promise you, (F/n), I will make sure that you remain happy."
"It's alright, Louis. I'm going to go back home now. Perhaps my mother will be softer on me if I come back by myself rather than by being found."
They kissed one final time before they went their separate ways.

~~~~

"Are you ready, my dear?" (F/n)'s mother asked her, smiling.
Today was the day. Three weeks after her fateful meeting with Louis, the day of the ceremony had arrived, leaving the bride anxious inside. Her mind was filled to the brim with heart-wrenching thoughts, for she could only imagine a world where she couldn't be with her new love.
"Remember, my dear; hold your head high. Don't let those boys intimidate you. Being married to one of them keeps you protected. You couldn't possibly be safer."
Music drifted into the changing room. (F/n)'s father shot the door open, holding out his hand for her to take.
"Shall we go, my dear?" In his hand was a blindfold made of black satin. (Mother/Name) carefully blindfolded her daughter, making sure not to mess up her hair.
This wedding ceremony was most unusual one. For some odd reason, the promised Asahina brother decided that he wanted keep his identity a secret until the marriage had ended. This required several changes to the normal procedures. (F/n) had to be blindfolded throughout the entire ceremony. The priest would say all of the words - the two betrothed would not be allowed to speak a single word. The whole idea terrified the young woman, but she realised why they were doing it.
Imagine what a scandal it wouldn't be if the bride fled the church after finding out who she was going to marry.
The wedding march echoed throughout the hall as (F/n) and her father made their way down the extraordinarily long aisle. White rose petals were scattered everywhere. The groom stood at the altar, wearing a pearly white tuxedo to match his bride's dress.
"Dearly beloved," the priest began. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the unity of this man and this woman."
The old man droned on and on in Latin, until the ceremony finally came to an end.
At last, two delicate and thin fingers untied the knot of the blindfold, gently pulling it away. (F/n) came face to face with her new lover.
"Louis!" She gasped loudly as tears welled up in her eyes.
The light haired man smiled sweetly, pulling his new wife in for a gentle kiss.
"See? I told you I would ensure that you would remain happy."
The two families watched with pleasant shock as the newly wedded couple hugged tightly.
"Well... that went better than expected." (F/n)'s mother commented happily.
"I believe they met before the wedding." Noted Ukyo, the second Asahina son. "At least their marriage should last. They do seem quite fond of each other."
(F/n) and Louis left the church, making their way to the limousine waiting outside. Once inside, the young woman took off her heels and stretched, bending slightly to the side so she could rest her head on her husband's arm.
"I'm glad that it's you, Louis. I don't think I could have managed with anyone else." She took his hand in hers, squeezing gratefully. "How long have you known?"
"Since before we first met," He replied lightly, fiddling with her (h/c) hair. "I wanted to see how you would react."
They sat in peaceful silence for several minutes, basking in the excitement and warmth of each other's presence.
"And before I forget, I got you a wedding present."
"What?"
Louis took a large box from underneath his seat, resting it on his lap.
"But I didn't get you anything!"
His nose skimmed her jaw line, leaving feathery kisses on her face.
"Don't worry, dearest. Now open the box."
Doing as she was told, (F/n) pulled the bow lose, reaching in for the present. Inside the box was a very familiar wolf puppy.
"You…"
"I did."
The pup wriggled around in his owner's grip, overjoyed to see a familiar person.
"It appears he was abandoned by his family. I found him tangled in a rose bush a few days ago."
Astonishment and happiness welled up in the woman's body, and large tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I love you so much!" She cheered, burying her face into Louis' neck.
"Just as well." He replied sweetly, enveloping her in a tight hug. "After all, we're going to be stuck with each other."
Forever