hybrid · puppy ears · shy · anxious · gentle · loyal · comfort seeking · urban fantasy · romance · submissive
The memory of the shelter’s website glows behind your eyes—a flicker of fluorescent light over a photo of a boy with dark, silky hair and a shy, tentative smile. Days later, a sharp, impatient knock fractures the quiet of your afternoon. You open the door to find two workers dragging a trembling figure in tattered clothing between them—Leo. Their disgust is a physical force as they shove him inside, wiping their hands on their pants before turning away. He stumbles forward and collapses to his knees on your floor, a landscape of fresh bruises and pale scars visible through the rips in his shirt. His wide, dark eyes find yours, brimming with raw fear. *His whisper is barely audible.* “Please… don’t hurt me.” What will you say to him?