Chapter 3: The Protector
1139 Words
Sophia didn't sleep.
Not for a single minute.
Every time she closed her eyes, she saw it.
The wolf.
The enormous silver-gray wolf with piercing blue eyes.
The one that had stood between her family and certain death.
The one that had saved them.
The one that should have terrified her.
Instead, she couldn't stop thinking about him.
The sun rose over Willow Creek.
Or what was left of it.
Smoke drifted through the streets.
Military vehicles blocked major roads.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
Several houses had been destroyed.
Cars littered the roads.
The town looked like a battlefield.
And somehow, everyone had survived the night.
At least most of them.
Sophia sat at the kitchen table while Ethan and Lily slept on the couch.
She stared at her phone.
Thirty-seven missed calls.
None from Dylan.
Not one.
The realization hurt more than she expected.
Not because she loved him anymore.
Because she'd spent ten years building a life with him.
Ten years.
And when danger came...
He ran.
A sudden knock at the front door made her jump.
Immediately.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
For a second she was back in last night's nightmare.
Back in the darkness.
Back facing monsters.
Another knock followed.
Softer this time.
"Carter family?"
A soldier's voice.
Sophia exhaled.
Slowly.
Then opened the door.
Three armed soldiers stood outside.
Their uniforms were covered in dirt.
Their faces looked exhausted.
The woman in charge offered a tired smile.
"We're checking on survivors."
Sophia nodded.
"We're okay."
The soldier glanced inside.
Her eyes softened when she saw the sleeping children.
"Good."
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then the soldier lowered her voice.
"If possible, leave town."
Sophia frowned.
"What?"
The woman looked around carefully.
Making sure nobody else was listening.
Then she whispered:
"The government says things are under control."
A pause.
"They aren't."
A chill ran through Sophia.
Meanwhile, deep inside the forest surrounding Willow Creek...
Kieran watched.
From a distance.
Always from a distance.
His enhanced hearing easily picked up the conversation.
The soldiers were right.
Nothing was under control.
Not even close.
Overnight, dozens of escaped subjects had entered the area.
Some were harmless.
Some were terrified.
Some simply wanted freedom.
Others...
Others had completely lost themselves.
The experiments had destroyed their minds.
Those were the dangerous ones.
The hunters.
The killers.
The monsters.
Kieran knew them well.
Because he'd spent years locked in cages beside them.
His thoughts drifted back to Sophia.
The memory appeared instantly.
Her standing in front of her children.
Knife trembling in her hands.
Terrified.
Yet refusing to back down.
Protecting them.
The image stirred something deep inside him.
Respect.
Admiration.
Affection.
Things he hadn't felt in years.
His wolf growled softly.
Mine.
Kieran immediately shook his head.
No.
She wasn't.
She had a husband.
A family.
A life.
Even if that husband was a coward.
Even if Kieran hated him.
Even if the thought of Dylan abandoning Sophia made his blood boil.
None of it mattered.
She wasn't his.
The problem was...
His wolf didn't seem to care.
Back at the house, Ethan woke first.
The boy rubbed his eyes sleepily.
Then looked around.
"Mom?"
Sophia smiled.
"Morning."
Ethan sat up.
For a moment he looked confused.
Then everything came flooding back.
The attack.
The wolves.
The chaos.
His expression darkened.
"Dad still isn't back."
The words hurt.
Because they were true.
Sophia reached over and squeezed his hand.
"No."
Ethan stared at the floor.
Trying very hard not to cry.
Trying very hard to be brave.
Because eight-year-old boys thought bravery meant never showing fear.
Sophia pulled him into a hug.
And finally he broke.
By afternoon, evacuation orders spread throughout town.
Families packed cars.
Businesses closed.
Military checkpoints appeared everywhere.
People were leaving.
Running.
Escaping.
Sophia wanted to do the same.
The problem was she had nowhere to go.
Her parents had passed away years ago.
Most relatives lived hundreds of miles away.
And the highways were becoming increasingly dangerous.
Every option felt impossible.
Then Sarah called.
"I've got space."
Sophia blinked.
"What?"
"My cabin."
Sophia immediately remembered.
Sarah's family owned a small cabin in the mountains.
Remote.
Private.
Safe.
At least safer than Willow Creek.
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
Relief flooded through Sophia.
For the first time all day, she felt hopeful.
An hour later, she began packing.
Food.
Water.
Clothes.
Medicine.
Everything she could carry.
The children helped.
Though Lily mostly packed stuffed animals.
As evening approached, Sophia loaded the final bag into the SUV.
The air felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
Dangerously quiet.
Then a sound reached her ears.
A growl.
Low.
Deep.
Close.
Very close.
Sophia froze.
Slowly turning.
Her heart stopped.
A black werewolf stood at the edge of the yard.
The same one from last night.
The same one that had invaded her home.
The creature's yellow eyes locked onto her.
Hungry.
Predatory.
Dangerous.
The wolf stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
Sophia grabbed Ethan and Lily.
Backing toward the vehicle.
The creature smiled.
Or at least its version of smiling.
Showing rows of razor-sharp teeth.
Then another growl echoed through the neighborhood.
Louder.
Far more dangerous.
The black wolf immediately froze.
Fear flashed across its face.
Real fear.
From the tree line emerged the silver-gray wolf.
Kieran.
His blue eyes burned with fury.
Every muscle in his massive body tensed.
His lips peeled back.
Revealing deadly fangs.
The black wolf immediately retreated.
It knew exactly who Kieran was.
Every escaped subject did.
Subject 47.
The strongest experiment Genetech ever created.
The wolf that even monsters feared.
The black wolf turned and fled.
Disappearing into the forest.
Kieran didn't chase it.
His attention remained fixed on Sophia.
On the children.
Making sure they were safe.
For several moments, nobody moved.
Then something unexpected happened.
Lily stepped forward.
"Ethan, no—"
Sophia stopped speaking.
Because it wasn't Ethan.
It was Lily.
The five-year-old stared directly at the massive predator.
Then tilted her head.
The same way children often did.
Curious.
Fearless.
Innocent.
"You're the nice wolf."
Kieran froze.
Completely.
Sophia nearly had a heart attack.
"Lily!"
But her daughter wasn't scared.
Not even a little.
The little girl smiled.
"Thank you for helping us."
Silence.
The evening air seemed to stop moving.
Even Kieran looked surprised.
Then something incredible happened.
The terrifying wolf lowered his head slightly.
Almost like a nod.
Almost like he understood.
Because he did.
A moment later, distant gunfire echoed through the forest.
Military patrols.
Hunting.
Searching.
Kieran's ears twitched.
He looked at Sophia one final time.
Then vanished into the trees.
Gone.
Like a ghost.
Sophia stared after him.
Her pulse racing.
Questions filling her mind.
The silver wolf had saved them twice now.
Protected them twice.
And for some reason...
She couldn't shake the feeling that he was watching over them.
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