I already knew what he meant.
"About Gerald?"
He nodded.
I stared across the pasture.
"He wasn't always like that."
The words came quietly.
"He started small."
Beast didn't interrupt.
Just listened.
"The comments."
I swallowed.
"The jealousy."
Another pause.
"Then the anger."
The memory left a bad taste in my mouth.
"He never liked hearing the word no."
Beside me, Beast went very still.
The dangerous kind of still.
The Ranger kind.
The kind that usually came before violence.
"Did he ever hit you?"
The question hung between us.
I hesitated.
Too long.
Beast's jaw tightened.
And that was answer enough.
The silence afterward felt heavier than the summer heat.
Finally, he spoke.
Softly.
"He's not coming near you again."
