He brushed her hair back. "I love you."
"I want to hear that tomorrow."
They kissed deeply and Jackson felt her desperation. He didn't want to let go, but Elisabeth pulled away. "You better leave now." Her expression bore pain.
He locked the door and stood staring at her through the bars. She lay down on the sofa, and they gazed into each other's eyes for a while, then Elisabeth turned away. He knew she was crying, and every fiber of his being yearned to open the door and go to her. He sat helpless, against the wall with his arms resting on his knees, aching for her; fearful that tonight would forever change all they had become to each other.
Elisabeth's body began to move under the duvet, as if she were stretching. Jackson could only see her hair, shortening, then nearly disappearing. A soft moan sounding nothing like her reached his ears, and then slowly, out from under the cover, emerged a huge wolf with bronze colored fur.
"I'll be damned." The fur was the exact color of Elisabeth's hair in his dream. Jackson stood, hardly believing his eyes. She did not writhe in pain, nor snarl, nor foam at the mouth. This was not a mangy or vicious creature standing before him, but a breathtakingly beautiful, gigantic wolf. Her fur was lustrous and her nose looked like black velvet.
She hadn't noticed Jackson yet, so stretched her front paws out and let out a proud howl. Sniffing the air, the wolf turned to him, and then trotted to the bars. As he backed away, they locked eyes. The wolf's were Elisabeth's, and he felt the familiar jolt he always had from her.
She moved close to the bars and sat, never losing his gaze, then tilted her head and let out a soft whimper. Jackson slowly approached, not sure what to make of this. It was so far removed from anything he had imagined. He tentatively slipped one hand through the bars. Elisabeth licked it, then stood, allowing him to pet the side of her head and ear. Her fur felt incredibly soft, and she smelled the same as her human form.
"Hi there, you're not so scary." She cocked her head again, then turned and lumbered to the sofa, and climbed up on it to lie down.
He watched for a while then said, "If I come in there, you promise not to rip me apart?" The wolf turned to him and yawned. "I'm going to take that as a yes."
He opened the door and slowly approached the sofa, then sat at the end, a little away from the wolf's head. When she stood, Jackson held his breath, ready to run. Elisabeth moved close to him and lay down again with her head in his lap. He exhaled and began to pet her, still amazed at how thick and soft her fur felt. The color seemed to be sun kissed. He moved his hand down to her chest and could feel her heart thumping. "Unbelievable." The wolf's heartbeat matched the rhythm of Elisabeth's.