Free Trust: A Twisted Wolf Tale by Rene Folsom Page A

will.”
    “No,” I said, breaking my streak of silence. “You’re different. You’re not the same person you were before you changed.”
    “You’re right,” she said, the tears starting to fall now. They mingled with the little whiskers on her cheeks, crinkling as she spoke. “I’m even worse, because it isn’t just my appearance that’s changed. My very nature has changed. I’m a monster, through and through.”
    “Why would you say something like that?” I argued. “If you were a true monster, you would have just killed me and my father that night we met.”
    “That’s just it…” Her voice hitched, her head turning as she looked away. “I don’t know what would have happened that night if you hadn’t made that offer. When your father saw me in the road that day while I was out running, I didn’t know what I’d do. For a few moments… I truly expected to have to kill him to keep my existence a secret. And when I first saw you… I was resigned to taking two lives that night.”
    “But you didn’t,” I insisted, clenching her hand in my own. “You took my offer. You spared our lives. That proves that you’re not a monster, that you are human.”
    “Does it though?” she said quietly. “I took your offer because of my selfish desire for companionship. Filling my home with roses to symbolize the beauty I once possessed didn’t seem like enough anymore to cope… at least until you came. I may not be a murderer, but I am still a—”
    I couldn’t stand it anymore. I didn’t want to hear another word come out of her mouth about the subject. I wanted to shut her up, so I did the most logical thing at that moment.
    Grabbing her chin, I kissed her.
    Karoline was, understandably, shocked. She didn’t move as I pressed my lips against hers, unresponsive with her eyes wide open. I, on the other hand, closed mine and leaned into her, knowing that I was dead. In a brash act of foolishness, I let my whims take control of me, and I kissed her.
    Well, might as well enjoy it before she pulled back and sliced my throat open in anger.
    It took a second, but, to my shock, I felt the pressure of Karoline kissing me back. She leaned in, placing her hand on my cheek as her courage grew. I could feel the tips of her claws gently press into the skin under my ear, but I wasn’t afraid. I knew now that she would never hurt me.
    She was not a beast, despite her way of thinking. She was Karoline. That was all she needed to be to truly be beautiful in my eyes.

The Exception
    That kiss…
    The kiss that seemed to change everything between us continued to fill my mind with hope and a newfound infatuation with Karoline.
    My Karoline.
    Even though our lips hadn’t pressed together since that day, we were still thicker than thieves, eating our meals together and continuing to devour her library one amazing book at a time. She even took me out to her rose garden, where we were able to read and talk in peace. It was paradise. I even went as far as trying to talk her into publishing her books, to which she adamantly refused, saying no one wanted to read stories written by a beast.
    But a few days after that magical moment that altered my existence, she demanded to be alone, allowing me to take my book downstairs so I could stay out of her hair. We’d come so far, so the fact she was pushing me away yet again was rather disheartening. I’d be crushed if we had to start building our trust in each other all over again.
    I couldn’t help but sulk as I started a fire in the living room downstairs and settled into one of the plush chairs with my book in hand. It didn’t matter that the room was completely silent and I had no distractions to speak of, I still couldn’t seem to concentrate, my mind continually wandering to the enigmatic creature above me.
    Placing the book on my chest, I hefted my leg up over the arm of the chair and settled in, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought.
    What had I done to push her away?