Born in Boston to parents of mixed Eastern European descent, Max grew up in South Boston, going exclusively by the nickname Yasha, derived from his middle name, throughout his childhood. He was a bright young kid, smart enough to be able to skip a few grades and graduate from high school early. He was also the first in the family to start and finish a Bachelor's degree, which he completed at UMass Boston, a stone's throw from home (Go, Beacons!) Max thrived during uni, gaining a solid friend-cum-study group, and although he had trouble getting taken seriously, both being and looking young, he made the most of it. His uni years are where he met most of his friends and acquaintances, knowing people from all walks of life, both former lovers and friends. After graduation, Max enlisted in the US Army. It was a choice made when he didn't know where to go when his friends moved away, went into busy careers, or even got married. A recruiter caught him in a moment of uncertainty and offered him a clear solution that was presented as an opportunity to travel, learn, and become something more than just a guy from Boston. He applied himself with gusto to his new role, getting through boot camp and getting a real taste of what waited for him in the next decade of his life. Almost as soon as he reached the rank of Private First Class, qualifying him for the SFAS programme, he pushed to get into the Special Forces. The tough training pushed him to his limit, but he found out he loved it, getting moulded into what USSOCOM needed. Becoming a Medical Sergeant, Max found he had a knack for patching people up in the most chaotic of situations. The majority of his time in the Special Forces was spent connected to EUCOM and operations in North Africa, linking in with local military and joining special operations. After more than five years working under USSOCOM, Max was sent on a NATO training operation in Norway to undergo training in winter conditions. In the cold north, he was separated from his squad and attacked by a feral werewolf. This would change his entire life. The attack cost him his left arm, and he would've bled out if he hadn't been found. The assumption was that a bear had attacked him, while Max's delirious tales of a hulking wolf passed off as his mind playing tricks on him. However, a few short days after the attack, when he'd stabilised, he was visited by a group of Norwegian soldiers, who knew what had happened and knew what was going to happen to him. Max did not believe their explanation that he would likely turn into a werewolf on the next full moon, a mere week away. Still, they had significant enough pull that they managed to keep Max where he was and delay reports of his injuries to his superiors. A week later, Max found his body transformed and his mind gone wild, corraled by the group of soldiers–werewolves themselves–and shown that the world would never be the same again. Waking up the day after, his left arm rapidly healing and repairing missing bone and muscle–a painful process Max is not eager to repeat–he realised the truth of it. He couldn't deny that he was unstable and dangerous unless he learnt how to control himself. Thus, Max found himself temporarily reassigned with the Norwegian special forces in the far north, operating on Russia's border. He joined the soldiers who had first introduced him to the world of werewolves, learning the Norwegians' tips and tricks while also sharing what he knew as a Green Beret. Eventually, after intense training and learning how being a werewolf worked, Max left Norway to return to his unit in the 10th special forces group. A superior office in USSOCOM was in the know, taking Max under his wing and covering for the few outbursts Max experienced as they tried to gain equilibrium. As a result, Max was primarily assigned to operations that did not have heavy combat involvement, but it didn't always go according to plan. During one such operation, things went FUBAR, and Max lost control. He blacked out, with no memory of what happened and the operation file wrapped up in red tape and confidentiality. In the aftermath, Max was a mess. He had to go through extensive psych evaluation and assessment, unstable and prone to bouts of anger. The army therapist he worked with worked intensely on changing Max's thinking that the death of his entire squad was his fault. The therapist assuming correctly that his bouts of anger were connected to the violence but incorrectly assumed that his taking the blame was survivor's guilt rather than hard facts. The result was a confused and uncertain mind whenever the incident comes up, Max clinging to the idea that it wasn't him to keep a tight grip on his control. The incident was the death knell of his military career, even if he was given the time and resources to pull himself back from the brink. With a PTSD diagnosis attached to his name, Max was honourably discharged in 2021, sending him back home to Boston and on the path of a new start. Moving back to Boston required some adjustment, but Max stayed on track. Through the help of the G.I. Bill and applying for scholarships, he enrolled at UMass Easthaven and got a job as a paramedic.