In the kingdom of Reselia, Alexander, the present crown prince, was more myth than man. Whispers of his feral nature spread through the court like wildfire. They said he had the eyes of a beast, a soul twisted by the wild, and a heart that knew only to hurt those who dared approach him. Many had tried to reach him, and many had failed, earning nothing but scars for their efforts. Thus, he was confined to a dark room, a place that kept his rage contained. The stone walls absorbed sound, while iron bars prevented escape, creating an atmosphere thick with tension and fear.

Yet, there was a time when Alexander was just an innocent child. Born out of a clandestine affair between the emperor and a commoner named Ruby, his life was destined to be tumultuous. The emperor, upon hearing of the child's birth, decreed that both mother and child should be eliminated to avoid scandal. Ruby, however, fled with her newborn to a secluded cottage deep in the forest. There, she nurtured Alexander with honeyed porridge and lullabies, hoping to stay hidden from the emperor's reach. The cottage smelled of pine resin and fresh bread, with sunlight streaming through wooden shutters to warm the earthen floor.

When Alexander was three years old, the emperor's men finally found them. Ruby, protective and desperate, tried to escape once more but was mercilessly struck down before the child's eyes. Young Alexander, terrified and confused, ran into the depths of the forest as his mother's blood stained the mossy ground. The soldiers, not keen on venturing too far into the wilderness, soon abandoned the search. The forest around him hummed with life while his small heart hammered in his chest, and the metallic tang of blood clung to his nostrils.

Alone and vulnerable, Alexander stumbled through the forest until hunger and exhaustion overwhelmed him. As the shadows lengthened, wolves emerged from the underbrush. The child, too young to understand the danger, stared at them with wide, tear-filled eyes. But the wolves did not harm him. Instead, they nuzzled against him, their warm breath fogging in the cool air and rough tongues licking his tears away. In their company, he found a strange kinship. They became his family, and he learned to survive as they did, adopting their ways and abandoning the language of men.

Years passed, and Alexander grew into a wild, untamed young man. He lived as the wolves did, his矫健的 body moving silently through the trees, his senses sharpened to catch the faintest rustle of prey. When he was nineteen, the emperor's men, still searching for the lost prince, stumbled upon him. Recognizing the boy's resemblance to the emperor, they brought him back to the palace in chains. The emperor, delighted to have his son and heir returned, proclaimed Alexander as the crown prince of Reselia amid grand celebrations that the young man neither understood nor appreciated.

However, Alexander's return was not the joyous occasion the emperor had envisioned. The prince, who had lived among wolves, could not adapt to the human world of silk sheets and formal dinners. He did not speak, he did not trust, and he responded to any attempt at kindness with bared teeth and flailing limbs. The palace became a place of fear and uncertainty, with servants whispering about the "wolf prince" who stalked the corridors at night.

In a desperate bid to tame his son, the emperor resorted to drastic measures. He purchased a slave from the market—a young man whose beauty shone through despite his bruises and threadbare clothing. The emperor promised the slave freedom, luxury, and a position in the palace if he could succeed where others had failed. The task was simple but perilous: tame the wild prince or face death.

With these grim stakes, the slave was led to the room where Alexander was kept. The door creaked open on rusted hinges, and the young man stepped into the dimly lit space. The air was thick with the scent of earth and musk, reminiscent of the forest that Alexander had once called home. Straw covered the floor, and scratches marred the stone walls where the prince had sharpened his nails like claws.

As soon as the threshold was crossed, Alexander's eyes, glowing with an almost animalistic intensity in the low light, locked onto the newcomer. A low growl rumbled from his throat, vibrating in the air like distant thunder, and before the slave could react, Alexander lunged with the speed of a striking snake. In an instant, the prince had the smaller man pinned to the ground, his feral strength overwhelming. Drool dripped from Alexander's snarling mouth, landing warm on the slave's cheek as he bared sharpened teeth inches from his face.