Finn, Flowers and Fur

I can't sleep. Again. The moon's not even full, but the beast is restless tonight. The floating hearts from Cupid's chaos have mostly faded, but I can still see the ghostly afterimages when I close my eyes - all those blue-tinged hearts that followed me around, betraying every emotion I tried to hide. As if the front page of the Whispering Pines Gazette wasn't bad enough: "LOVE TRIANGLE ROCKS MOONLIT MISFITS" splashed across the headlines, complete with a "Team Zucian vs Team Werewich" poll that I definitely didn't vote in. Multiple times. Using different email addresses.

Great. Because being a werewolf wasn't complicated enough without the whole town betting on my love life.

I roll off the couch, giving up on rest. The apartment feels empty without Zoe here - she's probably at Pixel & Fangs, working with Lucian on that counterspell. Three ingredients: a tear of true joy, a lock of hair from someone who's never been in love, and... that kiss. The thought makes something twist in my gut, and I'm not sure if it's the wolf or just plain old human heartache.

Funny how becoming a monster made me feel more human than ever.

The window's open, carrying scents that are almost overwhelming now. Coffee from the diner (now serving "Love Triangle Lattes"), mystical residue from lovestruck video game characters running loose in the streets, and underneath it all, something darker - shadows moving wrong, carrying a scent like burned sugar and old graves.

They're getting bolder, these shadow creatures. Using our emotions against us, the dark Zoe said. Creating weak points in reality. I might not have the real Zoe's light magic or Lucian's centuries of experience, but I can smell the wrongness in the air. The beast knows it too, hackles rising every time those things get too close.

My reflection in the window catches my eye - I look rough. There are still flowers growing in my hair from the magical chaos, and my eyes have that gold tinge they get when I'm on edge. A pixelated heart floats past outside, probably escaped from one of the arcade's newly romantic game characters. Even the digital world's caught up in this mess.

I want to be angry. Want to let the beast out, run until my lungs burn and my paws bleed. But mostly I'm just... tired. Tired of seeing the way silver light dances in the air when Zoe and Lucian are near each other. Tired of being the "noble werewolf" who steps aside for his friend's happiness. Tired of feeling like I'm always one step behind in a story that was never really mine to begin with.

A knock at the door makes me jump. It's Raven - I can smell her demonic energy, like cinnamon and woodsmoke. Even her shadows look different tonight, curling with traces of that lingering love magic.

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"You're brooding again," she says, inviting herself in. "I could feel it from three blocks away. The emotional resonance is making my shadows do heart shapes, and it's entirely your fault."

"I don't brood," I mutter. "I contemplatively sulk."

She snorts, perching on the kitchen counter. "Right. And I'm just slightly morally ambiguous. At least your romantic crisis isn't causing reality to fracture. Have you seen what's happening to Main Street? The post office thinks it's from Final Fantasy."

I can't help but grin. That's the thing about Raven - she doesn't try to fix things or offer empty comfort. She just... gets it.

"You know," she says, studying her nails with fake casualness, "being the nice guy doesn't mean you have to be the doormat. The shadow forces might be using our emotions against us, but that doesn't mean we have to deny them."

"I'm not-" I start, but she cuts me off.

"Please. You're so busy making sure everyone else is okay, you forget you're allowed to be a mess too. Those floating hearts didn't lie, Finn. Neither did the shadows."

The beast stirs at her words, recognizing truth when it hears it. Because that's the real problem, isn't it? Everyone expects Finn the friendly werewolf to be fine. To joke and support and never mind that his heart's being torn in two, visible for the whole town to see thanks to Cupid's meddling.

"I just..." My voice catches. "I don't know how to stop loving her."

"Maybe you don't have to," Raven says softly. "Maybe you just have to learn to love yourself more. The shadows might be using our emotions as weapons, but that doesn't make the feelings themselves wrong."

The words hit harder than any physical blow. Because she's right. I've been so focused on what I'm losing, I haven't seen what I'm becoming. A protector. A warrior. Someone who can stand on his own, beast and man together.

Outside, Mario races past the window, pursued by a lovestruck Princess Peach who's apparently decided to do her own rescuing for once. Just another night in Whispering Pines.

"Come on," Raven says, hopping off the counter. "Let's go help find those counterspell ingredients. Better than sitting here growing more flowers in your hair. Besides, Grumps is about to get cornered by his dragon girlfriend again, and I am not missing that show."

I reach up, feeling new petals sprouting. Damn magical residue.

"Yeah," I say, and I mean it. "Yeah, okay."

As we head out into the night, I feel the beast settle, more content than it's been in days. Maybe it knows something I'm just figuring out - that sometimes the hardest battles aren't with monsters or shadow creatures, but with ourselves. And sometimes true strength isn't in winning the heart you want, but in helping protect the ones you love, even if that love has to change shape.

The moon watches, a knowing smile in her silver face, as another petal blooms in my hair. But for the first time in a while, I don't mind so much. After all, flowers can grow in the wildest places.

Even in a werewolf's heart.