He tore through the crowd, kicking up snow, and lunged toward the casket. The wolf stood on his hind legs, resting his front paws on the lid, and let out a piercing howl that made everyone’s blood run cold. He pressed his muzzle against the wood, right where the girl’s head lay, and went silent, as if listening.
Then the beast turned his gaze toward Mike. Those blue eyes were filled with a terrifying intelligence. “Get him away! He’s rabid!” Mike screamed, panic rising in his throat. But Mrs. Gable stepped forward and shouted, “Don’t touch him! He’s not attacking—he’s trying to tell us something!”
Deputy Miller reached for his holster but hesitated. The wolf looked at him, then used his teeth to snag the decorative fabric on the casket, pulling at it desperately. The crowd gasped.
The wolf sat down and looked at a man in the crowd—Sam, a veteran who had served with Emma’s father. “He wants us to open it,” Sam whispered. Linda screamed that it was a desecration, but Mrs. Gable stepped up, tears streaming down her face.
“Open that casket, Mike! Or I’ll tell everyone what I saw through your window three nights ago!” she cried. The crowd went silent. Mike turned ashen. “I saw you drugging that child! I won’t be silent anymore!”
The Deputy nodded to Sam, and together they approached the white box. The latches clicked, the lid swung open, and for a few seconds, there was a deathly silence. Then a nurse in the crowd lunged forward, pressing two fingers to Emma’s neck.
“My God! She has a pulse!” she screamed. Chaos erupted. Mike tried to bolt, but men from the town tackled him into the snow. Linda stood frozen, like a statue of salt.
The Deputy ordered them both detained, along with Dr. Miller. Emma was carefully lifted from the casket; she was cold, but her chest was moving with a faint, shallow rhythm. The wolf approached, rested his head on her hand, and let out a soft whimper.
In that moment, the girl’s eyes fluttered open. Her lips moved, and she whispered a single word: “Angel.” The wolf licked her cheek, and for the first time, his tail gave a slight, happy wag. People were praying and crying as the ambulance arrived. The EMTs, seeing the bond, actually allowed the wolf to ride in the back with her.
Through the sirens and the crunch of snow, a small heart kept beating. At the hospital, doctors worked for six hours to stabilize her, diagnosing severe poisoning and hypothermia. The toxicology report confirmed the presence of the drug, and the investigation was officially a domestic terror case.
Under interrogation, Mike broke first. He told them everything: the debt, the trust fund, the fake diagnosis. He broke down when he learned that Linda had even exaggerated their son Toby’s illness to manipulate him into the plot. She had been willing to risk her own son’s health just to secure the inheritance.
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