Waldo watched her, his wolf-like eyes darkening with an unfamiliar tenderness that he couldn't place. Her anxiety stirred something inside him, and though he didn't acknowledge it, he couldn't ignore the quiet pang of concern in his chest.
Gently, he pulled her hand away from his clothes, but just as he was about to stand, Regina's voice, soft and fragile, broke through the air.
"Don't leave me… please… don't…"
Her words were a whisper, but they were filled with a raw, desperate plea that struck him harder than he cared to admit. It was like a clawing at his heart, a deep need that resonated with his own inner wolf. For a fleeting moment, he considered everything he had been fighting against—the beast within him that longed to claim her entirely, the emotions he had worked so hard to suppress.
