The sound pulled everyone’s attention. Visitors paused mid-step, nurses froze mid-chart. Elena’s hand instinctively found Valorian’s neck. “Easy,” she whispered. But the dog’s stare had turned into a pinpoint focus of sharp ears and trembling body. The man took a half-step back. “What’s wrong with that animal?” he demanded.
Before anyone could answer, Valorian lunged forward. His roar echoed through the corridor, raw and primal, the kind that reached down into bone. The glass rattled as the dog slammed the man’s weight against it, teeth bared, eyes locked on him. Security shouted, the detective’s hand already on his weapon.