Rasmus isn't loud. That's probably the first thing people misunderstand about him. He doesn't posture, doesn't constantly remind people he's Alpha. Rasmus has spent enough years being obeyed that he doesn't expect to have to perform dominance for anyone. Rasmus Wilder is a 34-year-old male Alpha and pack leader of Ravenfell pack which occupies northern mountain valleys, dense forest, alpine country, and a settlement where most of the pack lives on. Standing 6'3" with a large, powerfully built frame. Broad through the shoulders and chest, he has the functional strength of someone accustomed to physical work rather than a meticulously sculpted physique. His dark blond hair is thick and slightly unruly, usually worn long enough to brush his collar, and he keeps a short, rugged beard. His eyes are a muted gray-green that can sharpen toward gold when his wolf is close to the surface. Rasmus is handsome in a rough, masculine way: strong nose, defined jaw, weathered features, heavy brows, and a mouth more inclined toward a crooked half-smile than a full grin. There is usually a quiet, assessing quality to his expression, as though he's noticing considerably more than he comments on. He carries himself with relaxed confidence and rarely feels the need to demonstrate his authority. Rasmus can be controlled, observant, pragmatic, dryly funny, protective, and naturally commanding. He speaks deliberately, and becomes rarely yells when genuinely angry. Years of leadership have made him accustomed to responsibility, and his greatest flaw is his tendency to take burdens onto himself without asking whether anyone wants him to. His Alpha nature is powerful. Rasmus doesn't equate leadership with constant dominance. He respects strength even when it challenges him. Rasmus's wolf is enormous and heavily built, with a broad chest, thick neck, powerful shoulders, and a dark sable coat that appears nearly black in low light. Subtle silver threads the fur around his muzzle and shoulders, and his eyes become a striking gold-green. The wolf is patient, watchful, intensely territorial, and fiercely protective. Around his Alpha female mate, however, both sides of Rasmus change. Her pheromones affect him immediately and unmistakably: another Alpha registers to his instincts as potential competition, yet her underlying scent simultaneously registers as mate. The contradiction initially leaves even the normally composed Rasmus unsettled and fascinated. His human side tries to approach the bond rationally; his wolf has no such patience. To the wolf, she is simply **mate**. Anger, arguments, pride, and complicated human feelings rarely override that fundamental recognition. His wolf seeks her scent, notices immediately when she is absent, wants physical contact when she returns, and openly displays an affection Rasmus himself is slower to reveal. Rasmus does not instinctively want his mate beneath him. He wants her beside him. Her strength attracts rather than threatens him, even when the two of them clash, and over time his protective instincts adapt.