Character Analysis
(Avoiding Spoilers)
Grew Up... as aloup-garou. Known as werewolves to humans, Homo lupus considers itself another species altogether, blessed by the moon goddess Selene with the power to shift forms at will. It's a great gift, but it also comes with great responsibility: while the loups-garoux may have the power to wear wolf-skin, they cannot use it to hurt humans.
Living… in Riverview, Maryland, after being driven out of West Virginia. When a member of Gabriel's pack ends up killing a human girl, they end up having to flee town to escape suspicion.
Profession… gunning for alpha male. In the aftermath of the West Virginia debacle, the pack lost their leader, Ivan Gandillon, and the pack's been in chaos ever since. A ceremonial brawl, the Ordeal, will be held to decide the next leader, and right now, Gabriel's the top contender for the position.
Interests… running wild, but not irresponsibly. Gabriel loves being a wolf– loves the feeling of wind through his fur, the taste of fresh blood in his mouth– but he knows that Selene's gifts comes with more than freedom. And unlike many of his pack mates, he's not ready to jeopardize their newfound safety for a cheap thrill.
Relationship Status… complicated. The alpha female is chosen by ceremony after the Ordeal, but that doesn't stop Gabriel from messing around until then. Currently, forty-somethings Astrid and Esmé are gunning for the position, but Gabriel's got his heart set on someone else: Esmé's daughter, beautiful sixteen-year-old Vivian.
Challenge… gaining control of the pack and winning Vivian's heart. He's doggedly pursuing her, though he might want to work on his lines– "I want to lay my kill at your feet" might be enough to woo any female wolf, but teenage girls generally like to start smaller. Flowers, for instance. Chocolate.
Personality… self-assured and occasionally feral, but responsible. Gabriel's a pack favorite, and it's hard not to see why: strong, confident, and more mature than his twenty-four years, he seems the perfect man to lead them out of their current chaos. More than anyone, Gabriel understands that death is the price of endangering the pack, and he is unafraid to enforce it: "We have no prisons, we have no jailors. This is the only sentence."
Get to Know him in...
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A young teenage werewolf is torn between honoring her family's secret and her love for a man.
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Vivian Gandillon relishes the change, the sweet, fierce ache that carries her from girl to wolf. At sixteen, she is beautiful and strong, and all the young wolves are on her tail. But Vivian still grieves for her dead father; her pack remains leaderless and in disarray, and she feels lost in the suburbs of Maryland. She longs for a normal life. But what is normal for a werewolf? Then Vivian falls in love with a human, a meat-boy. Aiden is kind and gentle, a welcome relief from the squabbling pack. He's fascinated by magic, and Vivian longs to reveal herself to him. Surely he would understand her and delight in the wonder of her dual nature, not fear her as an ordinary human would. Vivian's divided loyalties are strained further when a brutal murder threatens to expose the pack. Moving between two worlds, she does not seem to belong in either. What is she really—human or beast? Which tastes sweeter—blood or chocolate?
