And everything inside me broke loose.
I unlocked the door.
Ran outside.
Straight into his arms.
Beast caught me.
Held me so tight I could barely breathe.
“I’ve got you,” he said into my hair.
His voice shook.
Just once.
But I felt it.
“I’ve got you.”
I pressed my face against his chest.
Tried to stop shaking.
“He was here.”
“I know.”
“He waved at me.”
His arms tightened.
Behind us, Sheriff Cooper’s deputies pulled into the driveway.
The ranch was filled with headlights.
Voices.
Boots.
People moving.
But Beast didn’t let me go.
Not even once.
He looked toward the tree line.
Toward the darkness where Gerald had disappeared.
And I felt the change in him.
The Ranger.
The protector.
The man who had been holding himself back.
