CHAPTER 5 – THE MEN WHO CAME FOR BLOOD
The next day, a stranger arrived at Carter Farm.
He wore a clean jacket, expensive boots, and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
“Name’s Victor Hale,” he said. “Wildlife Control.”
Thomas didn’t trust him.
Victor claimed the wolves were dangerous and needed to be removed.
But Emily saw something terrifying in his truck.
Steel traps.
Bloodstained ropes.
And a tranquilizer gun.
Ranger stepped in front of Emily and growled.
Victor’s smile faded.
“Well,” he said coldly, “that dog knows more than he should.”
That night, Thomas locked every door.
But near midnight, Ranger suddenly barked.
Not at the woods.
At the barn.
Thomas ran outside and saw flames.
The barn was burning.
Emily’s pony was trapped inside.
As Thomas rushed toward the fire, Victor and his men slipped through the smoke, heading straight for the forest with tracking equipment.
The fire was only a distraction.
They wanted Ranger to panic.
They wanted him to run toward the wolves.
And Ranger did.
May you like
But not because he was fooled.
Because he had a plan.
