Ranger’s deep, explosive growl cutting through the yard like a warning siren. Emily’s blood iced. The cup clattered from her grip as she sprinted for the door, heart pounding so violently she could barely breathe. When she burst outside, the scene hit her like a punch: Lily on the ground, pushed several feet from where she’d been standing.
Ranger, not beside her, but over her — no, past her — locked in a violent struggle with something in the grass. Emily didn’t see the blur he lunged at. She didn’t see the threat he chased. She only saw Lily, crying and shaken, and Ranger’s massive body thrashing yards away. “Oh my God—Ranger!” Emily’s voice cracked with terror and betrayal.
For one horrifying second, the worst thought she had ever had took shape: He hurt her. He attacked her. I trusted him and he hurt her. Rage and fear mixed so fast she nearly choked on both. But before she could take another step, the fight in the grass changed. Ranger’s snarling turned into a strangled, desperate sound.
His body jerked once—hard—and then collapsed sideways into the dirt. Silence fell so abruptly Emily’s skin prickled. “What… what is happening?” she whispered. Clutching Lily to her chest, she inched forward. Ranger lay motionless, his chest rising in fast, shallow bursts.