Easter~
The moment Jacob stepped toward me, my instincts took over. I dropped low to the ground, ears flattened, my muscles trembling like a bowstring pulled too tight. Every nerve in my body screamed, Run! Run now! Get away! But my paws? They stayed glued to the earth. Frozen.
Not this time.
Jacob didn't rush. He knelt down slowly, like I was a wild thing ready to shatter. His hands never lifted too high, and his voice—soft, steady—was like warm rain on dry soil.
"Easter," he said again, like he was calling me back from the edge of a cliff. "There's something I need to tell you. And I need you to really listen. Please."
I couldn't speak. Couldn't even growl. I was panting hard, chest heaving from both the sprint and the emotional hurricane tearing through me. But I didn't run. And I think… I think that was all the permission he needed.
He exhaled. Slowly. Measured. "I'm not human, Easter."
My ears twitched.
Oh. No kidding.
