Boots scrambled down the slope, officers pulling Theo into safety. Elise staggered behind, soaked, shaking, clutching at empty air where Shadow had been. Questions rained as hard as the storm—what had she seen, how long had she known? She answered nothing, holding only the boy’s hand for proof.
They led her back toward town, floodlights cutting through night. Yet each step felt heavier without the panther’s presence beside her. She remembered his eyes, his patience, his power. He had been more than her secret, more than danger. He had been family. And now he was gone.