Page 20 of Mated to the Amarok

A growl rumbled deep within my chest as protective fury surged hotly through my veins. No one would harm her—not while I still drew breath.

The snowfall thickened around me like a curtain descending upon a stage set for tragedy. But this was no play; this was raw reality, and I was no actor but a creature driven by love—a love that defied my nature, defied reason itself.

The cold bit at my skin, tried to seep into my bones, but it couldn’t touch the heat that blazed within me—a beacon that guided me onward through the white abyss.

Her scent grew stronger now—so close I could almost hear her heartbeat over the storm’s cacophony.

“Claudia!” The name tore from my throat once more than I raced forward, paws sinking and rising in an endless rhythm through the deepening snow.

I searched until I found her, then promised to never let go. Because despite everything—my fears, my solitude—I loved her.

And love... love was worth braving any storm.

I moved with a hunter’s grace, every muscle tensed, each sense attuned to the world around me. The blizzard fought against me, a fierce adversary determined to shroud the earth in white. But I possessed a beacon, a thread of scent woven with fear and determination. Claudia’s essence led me onward.

The storm’s howl grew distant as another sound cut through—the harsh staccato of human voices raised in anger. My pace quickened, the urgency clawing at my insides like a caged animal desperate for release. They were close now, the poachers, their scent rank with greed and malice.

I could hear her now—Claudia’s voice, sharp with defiance. A flicker of pride ignited within me, but dread quickly smothered it. She faced overwhelming odds, outnumbered and outgunned. I had to reach her before?—

A gunshot cracked through the air, shattering the storm’s cacophony with deadly finality. Panic surged hot and fast in my veins. Not her. Please, not her.

Adrenaline propelled me faster as I burst through the last barrier of trees into a clearing where man’s cruelty laid bare before nature’s indifference. She stood, cornered but resolute, confronting a rifle held by one of three men.

My growl tore from deep within my chest, resonating with a primal force that echoed off the trees and froze the men in their tracks.

“Get back!” Claudia’s voice sliced through my focus as she tried to warn me off.

No turning back, not for me, not now.

Eyes of the rifle-wielding man widened in terror as an Amarok barreled towards him. Instincts honed over a lifetime of survival took over. My body bestowed movement and fury incarnate.

I hit him like a force of nature, knocking the rifle away as we tumbled into the snow. His scream rent the air—a pitiful sound against my wrath. The other two poachers hesitated only a moment before they raised their weapons toward us.

“Claudia!” My voice barely sounded human—a roar that bade her run while I held them off.

But she didn’t flee; instead, she lunged at one of them—a flash of courage in human form—her hands grappling for his gun.

Time slowed as I turned to face the third man. His finger tightened on the trigger, his aim unsteady with fear.

“No!” Claudia’s shout pierced the tension like a knife.

I sprang forward with every ounce of strength I possessed. My body collided with his just as the gun went off, the shot echoing into nothingness as we crashed into the snow.

I could feel his heart hammering beneath me as I pinned him down—a frantic drumbeat under my claws. His whimpering, once pleasing, now resembles prey to a predator.

While restraining the man, I called out to Claudia, desperate for her safety.

A moment passed—a heartbeat or an eternity—before her voice reached me again.

“I’m here... Zunnik!”

Her presence steadied me, a silent promise to show no mercy to those who threatened what belonged to me.

“Let him go,” Claudia said softly beside me, her hand resting on my shoulder—a touch that calmed even as it emboldened.

I released my captive slowly, rising to stand beside her—two beings united against those who would harm.

We stood together in the storm’s eye—she breathing heavily from exertion and fear; I towering over her like a guardian beast from ancient lore.

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