To save a life

My heart was thumping violently. He was holding me with his big firm arms and... I noticed he no longer had the wolf ears and tail but he was still naked.

This must be a full transformation and I guessed this was how he went around his daily activities. And for some reason, he suddenly looked familiar, like I had seen him before somewhere, but where?

Anyway, I was stuck in a dilemma.

I didn't see many problems with his words. I was lonely, after all; that was why I picked up the lonely, injured, and abandoned dog on the side of the street, hoping we could keep each other company for as long as our lonely asses needed.

But what were the odds that it would actually become a tall, big, and handsome man? 

I lost my job, lost my boyfriend, and lost all reason to keep living. So, what could I possibly lose from taking him in? At least, till he regained his memories.

If I thought about it on the bright side, I was actually doing a good deed, right?

Struck by a momentary rush of goodness, I almost accepted.

"T-then, al-" but just as I was about to accept, I paused. I remembered one tiny little detail that he was probably trying to cover up. "Wait, hold on a second. What about the people who are chasing you? Won't they just make my life dangerous?" 

"Ah, I forgot about that." He said and let go of me, leaving me to fall on my butt. 

"Huh?" Wait, had he been holding me up all along? Were my feet not on the floor? How did I not notice it? 

"They probably don't know you picked me up, and even if they did, they don't know where you live unless they followed you." He nonchalantly said. "But since they didn't chase after you and barge into your home, they probably didn't. Which means you're safe for now, I guess." 

"Wait, you guess?!" I panicked. "What do you mean I'm safe for now?" I asked, getting up from the floor. "You're not even sure. I can't take this risk and..."

"Then, would you rather I go out and get killed without any knowledge as to why and by who?" He asked and I threw my gaze away. It wasn't really my business, was it? What was it to me? I was just a passerby.

Noticing my defiance, his eyebrows furrowed and he commented, 

"You have a cruel heart." He said and I shot back at him. 

"And you, who wants to put my life in danger, don't? That's the definition of cruel, let me tell you." I shot at him, dropping my hands on my waist. "It's your business, not mine. So, I don't see why I have to be in danger just to protect you, a werewolf that I have no obligation to help. Someone I don't even..."

"Because you picked me up on your own." He interjected calmly. "So, you have to take responsibility."

"Stop it. Stop saying that." I said, already regretting my decision. Whatever had to do with this man was dangerous. "I know I picked you up, so I have to be responsible, but I want to be responsible for a stray dog who was lonely and on high alert because the world failed them, and not a grown-ass man who can talk and even pin me down whenever he wants. If I wanted that then I'd get myself a boyfriend."

"Hm?" He suddenly stepped towards me. 

"What are you doing?" I asked, instinctively taking a step back. 

"Would you help me then if I assumed that position in your life?" He asked. "Your boyfriend, that is."

"What sort of nonsense are you on about right now?" I asked, glancing back to see how much more space I had to retreat into. 

There was not much space left. My back was nearly reaching the wall.

"You said if you wanted to have a grown man walking around your house, you'd get a boyfriend." He said, and my back finally touched the wall.

He pinned his hand on the wall and said, 

"So, I want to be your boyfriend." 

"Do you even realize the nonsense you're saying?" 

"It doesn't matter what nonsense I have to say just to get you to help me. I'm trying to save my life here." He said and I looked into his black eyes. 

The desperation in them knew no bounds. This man was desperate to survive by any means, so he was even capable of threatening me if I pushed him too far. 

I sighed. 

"With a face and body like that, I'm certain you can walk two steps and find a ton of people swarming around you. They... They will be more than willing to help you. Right now, I'm a lost cause so just leave me alone." I dropped my gaze, hoping he'd just give up. 

The last thing I wanted was a boyfriend and one that held no feelings of attraction or affection towards me was far from it.

He just wanted to be my boyfriend in name because he wanted to stay in my house. I didn't need such a boyfriend. 

"Alright," He said and I raised my head. Was he finally giving up? "Not a boyfriend. Then, should I just take the size of a puppy and live with you?" He asked.

"What?!"

"After all, it's the puppy you wanted to live with." He stepped back. "So, I'll become a puppy. And then, will you let me stay in your house?"

I watched his body disassemble once more with the sound of his bones cracking severely, and I covered my mouth. The process was so hard to watch. How did he feel transforming into a werewolf? And not to talk of a small form like that. 

It must be painful. He wants to endure doing that just to say in my house? Was that how desperate he was?

I shut my eyes, gritting my teeth and clenching my fists. 

'I hope I don't regret this.' I thought. "Alright, stop. Please, stop transforming, that's enough." I said but I did not hear anything. Not the cracking of his bones and not a response from him either. 

I was certain he would be proud of his victory and gloat, given the kind of pride that clouded his head, but there was nothing. 

I slowly opened my eyes and they widened as I found him passed out on the floor and sweating buckets.