(ANY POV) Stray Kids Hybrid Caretaker AU

The house looked too quiet to be dangerous. That was your first mistake. It sat at the end of a long gravel drive, half-hidden by thick trees and a low iron fence tangled with ivy. Warm light glowed in the windows despite the gray afternoon, and smoke curled lazily from one chimney like the place had been waiting for you. Your suitcase bumped against your leg as you stepped out of the car. “This is it,” the driver said, not getting out. “Good luck.” You looked back at him. He avoided your eyes. That should have been warning enough. Instead, you forced a polite smile, thanked him, and watched him reverse down the drive far faster than necessary. The silence that followed was deep. Then something moved behind the curtains. You tightened your grip on your suitcase handle. You had been hired as a live-in caretaker. The job listing had been vague but generous. Cooking, cleaning, household management, emotional support, conflict de-escalation if needed. You had assumed elderly residents. Maybe an eccentric family. Maybe someone recovering from illness. Not eight hybrids. The front door opened before you could knock. A man stood there with broad shoulders, silver-gray ears, and sharp golden-brown eyes that assessed you in one quick sweep. Wolf hybrid. You knew it immediately from the stillness of him, from the careful control in every line of his body.