THE CHOICE

Sharp claws rip at my jacket, his long canines digging into the fabric, shredding the material, going straight through to my sweater and pants, the cotton falling away with each slice to reveal the flesh underneath. I turn my head, not wanting to watch, a lone tear trailing down my cheek as I give in to the Beast. I had hurt him, rejected him, ignored his pleas when he begged for my help, my help to contain the animal within, and I shut him out, locked him up, caged him. I’ve destroyed him!

Knowing that there’s nothing left but to wait for the inevitable. I move my right arm, which was free from the wolf's body, and raise my hand so that it’s resting on his coarse fur at the back of his head.

I lick my lips and take a shattered breath, allowing my fingers to entwine themselves within his thick coat. I slowly move them up and down, a final gesture of tenderness before he kills me.

I know that if his Beast kills me, it will destroy him if he ever gains his humanity back.