Chapter 18 +25 Bonus Chapter 18 Elise's POV. I looked down and saw Elliot clutching a pile of toys in his arms, with even more scattered at his feet. Then, I remembered that his mother had died, and these toys were the only things she had left him. I told Morgan to take Elliot and go, promising Elliot I would bring every single toy back to the orphanage. After Morgan left with Elliot, I quickly grabbed a sack and stuffed the toys inside. Just as I slung the bag over my shoulder, a landslide exploded through the window. Time froze, and terror gripped me. My vision was filled only with that murky, thick sludge mixed with broken wood and debris. It roared as it poured over the windowsill like the gates of hell opening wide, the putrid, earthy stench instantly flooding my nostrils and suffocating every breath. My mind went blank, and my body hollowed out as I slumped there, watching helplessly as the wave of death crashed toward me. Just then, a massive white wolf burst through the churning mud and chaos, lunging straight at me. My eyes flew wide open. 'Kieran? What's he doing here?' The moment he charged in, his golden wolf eyes locked onto me in the corner. With a deep growl, he lowered his head and slammed his shoulder into my stomach, his power lifting me clean off the ground. The world spun as he tossed me across his back like luggage, then barreled toward a wooden door that led to the slope beyond. He smashed through it with bone-rattling force. The door shattered, but a sickening crack followed. Kieran's entire body jolted, and a muffled groan tore from between his clenched teeth. I froze in horror and looked down; my heart seemed to stop. A jagged wooden shard from the broken frame had pierced deep into his right side. "Kieran!" My hands scrambled to the wound, and hot, sticky blood soaked my palms. I pressed hard, but nothing could stop the steady rush of crimson pouring out of him. Yet Kieran acted as if the pain did not exist. He kept carrying me up the slope while the overwhelming mudslide swept up all the trees and rocks in its path behind us, chasing us relentlessly. I did not know how long it lasted, but finally the roar of the landslide faded into the distance. We were safe, or so I thought. Suddenly, the world tilted again. Kieran, who had been carrying me, could no longer hold on. His massive body collapsed heavily toward the ground, but he still carefully protected me in his embrace. 1/2 "Kieran!" Just then, I heard the sharp roar of a helicopter echo in the distance. "Help!" I tore off my jacket and waved it frantically with both arms toward the search and rescue helicopter in the distance. Support Share 2/2