Over and over, the beast told me to go to Addie. I knew why. I was starving without her. This body required the kind of energy that only she could give me. I wanted to find a way to live without her, though. This life wasn’t sustainable if I had to go to her to recharge my batteries every night.
It is sustainable. Love her. Please her. Protect her.
“You don’t get to tell me who to love,” I growled at my own beast.
The beast stood firm, though. It growled in warning. I could do that, too. Our disagreement left us at an impasse. I tensed, waiting for the wolf to try to seize the reins from me like it had for the past weeks. It made no move, which left me even more unsettled.
I glanced back at the house. What the beast wanted was inside.
Though I didn’t want to love again, this comforted me more than I expected. Maybe I wasn’t running around, hurting people after all.
At least, that’s what I hoped.
I retreated from the dark wilderness. Not because I wanted to go back to Addie. I had to make that clear, even as I approached the door to her room, so I could check on her.