Then he heard it. A bark, sharp and familiar, cutting through wind and rain. Ethan spun and felt his heart seize. Bella. Somehow she’d slipped her kennel, following the sound of the storm and the roars that had haunted her for years. She trotted into the corridor, tail stiff, ears pricked, ignoring Ethan’s desperate shout. “No! Bella, stay back!”
The staff gasped, rifles lifting in panic. Ethan threw himself between them, voice breaking. “Don’t shoot!” Bella padded closer, nose twitching. The lion crouched low, muscles coiled, jaws parting. The world held its breath. Ethan’s every instinct screamed disaster.