“What do they mean, my soul? An offering?” His voice is shaking, and he is slumped against the door of our room, breathing hard, his fear filling the entire room.

I look through the drawers for towels. I begin to dry his feet. He is very still.

“It…” How could I explain this? That they secretly enjoyed watching the master in our bond waste away, with every drop of power he gained? To unleash it all, however he pleased, and suffer by doing so? I look him in the eyes. “If a master abuses his power, then his soul rots a little. Over time, if it rots enough, the clan finds out. And they have the chance to destroy him, because he has given into his… desires.”

“Destroy me? Desires?”

I hang his sweater over his chair and place another towel under his shoes, then wrap a blanket around him. I never thought I would need to explain the most dreaded passage of the contract to him. I sit next to him, cross-legged, and watch him. His head rests against his knees, but he is listening. “Some humans want power. A lot of power. When they finally get it, they may abuse it. And doing so makes their soul rot a little each time. When their soul can no longer fight away the darkness and rot in their soul, he may die or be killed by the wolves of his servant’s clan. That is what they mean by offering. There is a belief that he is reborn as the next omega, but we do not know if it is true. His servant dies as well, because his master has died.”

“So if I become too evil, then I die.”

“Yes.”

“And then you die. Because I die.”

“That is correct, Master.”

He says nothing. We just sit there, the blanket draped around him, his breathing slow. Was he falling asleep, just sitting here?

I reach out to touch him, then pull my hand back. “Master? We should head to bed now, if you are dry.”

He does not move.

“Master?”

“Kai,” he says, “we’re not in danger, are we?”

I close my eyes, try to imagine how awful it must be, as Master, to hear and feel and see these wolves that wanted to see you die. I look at him, his eyes begging for safety. “If we are ever in danger, I will defend you with my life,” I say, looking straight into his eyes. “But you should never go into the forest after sunset, no matter what.”

“Is that why… you said that last time? When we were in the forest?”

“Yes, Master. I did that because I did not want them to hurt you.”

“Would they actually try to kill us?”

“No, Master. If they truly wanted to attack you, you would die easily. And if you die, then I die. And they want me alive for as long as possible, because I am their omega.”

“So… basically, we’re going to live because they want you alive?”

“Yes. They will not truly hurt us. They could not benefit from it. They only enjoy teasing humans and causing them much terror.”

“…Kai?”

“Yes, Master?”

“…Thanks.” His eyes are gentle. Suddenly, I want to hold him as if I was a mother wolf and he was my pup.

I blink the wanting away. “I only hope you will not go into the forest again, after sunset. They can keep you hostage until sunrise if they feel like it.”

He laughs softly. My ears prick at the sound. “I thought you were supposed to keep my promises, not the other way around.”

“I think of it as keeping you safe, Master. I hope I am doing a good job.” I start rubbing my finger on the floor. “Are you dry yet?”

His hand yanks my leash and I tumble into him, barely knocking my head against the door. He hugs me tightly, and we stay there. “Master?”

“It was so creepy. I really thought I was gonna die. And I wasn’t ready to die yet.” He squeezes me even tighter. I try to hug him too, but his muscles are so strong that I just lie limp in his body.

We sit against the door, his head resting against mine, the blanket around us, his warm breath on my face. There is the smell of the forest when I inhale, but it is much more comforting than the forest outside. There is the smell after it rains, and there is the scent of leaves and soil and comfort in the air. Instinctively, I curl up against him, his warmth, wrapping my tail around me.

Then I remember his order. I pull away from him, slightly. “Master, we should go to bed.”

“Yeah. We should.” His fingers trail along my arms. He stands slowly and unwraps the blanket. “Here. You can have it for tonight.” I hold it and watch him undress, his clothes falling to the floor. He curls into the sheets and looks up at me from his pillow. He smiles. “Good night, Kai.”

I smile, my tail flicking, and lie down on my own bed, looking at him, his scent on the blanket surrounding me. “Good night, Master.”