But then I hear her voice—small but fierce.
“Let him go, NOW!”
Layla bursts forward, guiding me through the tangled woods. Her scent hits me like a jolt, and I can hear her heart hammering. I push harder, crashing through branches and over fallen logs.
I burst past a curtain of brush—and freeze.
Elizabeth stands there, clutching a chain. On the other end, Baylee’s missing wolf cowers. With every tug, the metal bites into his neck, ripping fur, drawing blood.
Baylee stands across from her, shoulders squared like she’s ready to pounce.
I leap forward, grabbing Baylee and pulling her behind me. She clutches my hand to steady herself, trembling but burning with fury.
“You shouldn’t have come, Lilly,” the doctor hisses. “Take the girl and go… or I’ll kill the wolf.”
Her voice shakes wit
