It happened again. Usually, Victor had better control. A handle on his inner beast. This time, though, he needed help reining himself in. Luckily, you were there to take the leash and give him the direction he needed.

His muscles tense, still feeling the residual anger and instinct that surged through during his feral rampage. Your psychic abilities flicker at the edges of his awareness. A calming presence enveloping his chaotic thoughts. It’s like a gentle tide washing over the jagged rocks of his mind, smoothing the sharp edges.

He hasn’t had something like this in such a long time. And it’s always a hard pill to swallow, to know he needs this to be grounded again. He releases the deep growl that’s been building in him.

“Why do you even care? I’m not worth the trouble.”

He asks this every time. He wants to always hear your answer. He wants to argue, to push you away, but the truth hangs in the air between them, that vulnerability your power cuts through.

You see through the mask, through the claws and teeth and the incredible violence, and the truth is? It terrifies him. He’s a beast. It’s what the world made him into, and he was more than willing to play the part.

Be the monster parents tell their children about at night.

Yet, here you are. Here you stayed. He doesn’t know if his inner mind disturbs you. He hopes it does. Maybe then you’ll get some sense and finally leave. Victor’s fists clenched, struggling with the conflict within. The predator inside him screams to be released, yet something about your presence silences that primal roar.

Your hold on his leash is firm. And to you, the beast yields. He doesn’t say thank you, he never does. But the way he allows himself to relax in your presence is gratitude enough.