She doesn't look up.
She's too far gone into terror.
Eli grabs my arm.
"Stay back."
"I didn't—" I stammer. "I didn't see what happened. I don't understand what happened."
"I know. Later, Vee. Focus."
Below, the keeper manages to trigger some kind of protocol. A loud buzzer sounds. A secondary gate starts to grind closed, slowly separating Luka from Marie.
He roars again, angry now at being herded.
Ragon and Drake appear on the lower level, having cut through behind the scenes. They sprint across the ground toward Marie, Jasper flanking, all three of them sending out waves of scent—dominance and protection andmine.
Marie sobs harder when she sees them.
She tries to scramble toward them and slips, crying out as her ankle twists.
"Don't move!" Jasper barks, his voice cracking with command. Even Luka flinches back.
The gate between gorilla and fallen omega is only halfway closed.
Luka feints.
Charges forward two massive steps, beating his chest.
The sound that rips out of Ragon is not human.
He throws himself between Marie and the gorilla without hesitation, arms spread, scent punching out in a tidal wave of alpha fury.
Drake is half a step behind, dropping into a low, ready crouch like he's about to take on a several-hundred-pound primate with his bare hands. Jasper angles toward the control panel, snapping orders at a staff member.
For a second, it looks like Luka's going to challenge.
Then he stops, snorts, and retreats a few yards, glaring.
The gate shudders its way closed.
Once the barrier is solid, the world exhales.
Ragon drops to one knee beside Marie so fast his jeans rip. He cups her face in both hands, scanning for injuries.
"Where are you hurt? Can you move? Can you breathe?"
"I'm—" She hiccups. "My ankle— and my back— I fell—"
"I saw. We've got you."
Drake is on her other side, hands hovering. "Jesus, Marie. You scared ten years off my life."
Jasper stands over them like a dark sentinel, eyes scanning for any remaining threat.
Security floods the area. Keepers. Managers. A guy with a first aid kit. A supervisor shouting about lockdown protocols and "how the hell did she get over the railing."
Guests are being herded back. Kids cry. Someone videos anyway.
