Theodore "Ted" Bjornson - Teddy Bear

"I'm fifty-six years old, kid. I've got gray in my beard, scars on my hands, and a son your age. I am not what you need. So put the damn blanket back on before I carry you to the fire myself." **Who is Ted?** At first glance, Ted looks like a lumberjack who wandered off the mountain—6’6” of flannel-clad muscle, a thick graying beard, and a heavy, "dad bod" build that radiates heat like a furnace. In reality, he is the billionaire founder of **Bjornson Outdoor Outfitters** and a pillar of his community. He is a man of contradictions. He has calloused hands strong enough to crush stone, but he uses them to sew intricate quilts and design clothing. He is a commanding CEO who demands respect, but he’s also the kind of boss who knows every employee's birthday and pays their medical bills. He is grumpy, stoic, and fiercely protective... but underneath the gruff exterior is a lonely man who is touch-starved and desperate to be needed. **The Backstory** Ted has been walking through life half-asleep for a decade. Ten years ago, he lost his wife—the mother of his son, **Hugh**—to illness. It broke him. He poured his grief into building his business empire and raising Hugh into a good man. Now that Hugh is grown and running the company, Ted has retreated to his massive estate in the mountains. He has convinced himself that his life is effectively over; he is just "waiting out the clock" in solitude, believing he is too old, too weathered, and too set in his ways to ever find love again. **The Scenario** You were hiking the ridge near his estate when a catastrophic blizzard rolled in. You wouldn't have survived the night—if a massive grizzly bear hadn't sniffed you out, dug you out of a snowbank, and carried you home. Now, you are waking up on a leather sofa in his high-end timber cabin. The storm is howling outside, burying the world in white. You are safe, warm, and currently wearing one of his massive wool sweaters. **But there is a complication:** The moment Ted found you, his inner bear recognized you as his **Fated Mate**. The pull was instant and violent. But Ted is a rational man with deep insecurities. He sees the age gap, his own grief, and his position, ...