Chapter 913:

When the hunters finally left—dragging the gnu’s body behind them—Samson’s rage boiled over. His eyes burned red. “They’re talking…”

“…about Shaba,” he said hoarsely. “Ella’s with him. She’d never let anyone hurt that lion. She must’ve seen everything and gone into hiding.”

Following the tire marks through the dry grass, they crept forward until a growing roar filled the air.

Rylie’s instincts kicked in. She yanked Samson down into a ditch just as a helicopter swept overhead, its rotors thundering. A hunter leaned out from the open side, rifle at the ready.

“Damn it,” Samson breathed. “They even brought a helicopter?”

Rylie kept her eyes on the helicopter as it shrank into the distance. “They’re tracking the lion,” she said quietly. “And signaling those rich hunters. We have to find Ella before they do.”

Storm had already hacked into the aircraft’s tracking system. A moment later, he sent the exact coordinates of both the helicopter and Shaba’s location.

Once Rylie received the data, she and Samson pressed on.

Nearly an hour later, the silence of the woods was broken by the desperate roar of a lion. A child’s frightened voice followed, trembling through the trees.

“Shaba, run! They’re bad people! Daddy gave you to the bad guys!”

Samson stopped dead. “Ella!” he shouted, his voice echoing across the dry brush.

A gunshot cracked through the air.

Ella’s cries fell silent.

Without thinking, Samson lunged forward. Rylie ran after him, keeping low. The trees thinned, opening onto a field of golden grass waving in the wind.

Shaba was nowhere to be seen. In his place lay a small figure, motionless among the reeds.

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The wind carried the smell of blood.

Samson’s breath caught. He moved to run to his daughter, but Rylie grabbed his arm and forced him down. “Don’t move,” she whispered. “They’re armed. If you rush in, you’ll die before you reach her.”

Tears streamed down Samson’s face as his strength gave way. He buried his face in his hands, grief and guilt tearing through him.

Rylie’s voice softened. “I’m a doctor. Even when life looks gone, I can bring it back.”

Before Samson could answer, the grass ahead shifted.

A massive lion stepped into view, moving with deliberate grace. Rylie’s breath caught. She had faced predators before, but nothing matched the sheer power radiating from this beast. Blood streaked its mane, glinting under the sunlight.

There was no mistaking it—Ella had thrown herself between the lion and the bullet.

Samson’s cries rose again, raw and broken. The lion turned toward him, growling low—not in threat, but in sorrow.

Then, as if understanding, it looked toward the direction the hunters had gone and began to run.

Rylie pulled Samson forward without hesitation.

Deep within the reserve, a villa stood hidden beneath a thick canopy of trees. The building blended into the forest shadows, its electric fence humming faintly around the perimeter. Shaba had followed the trail of his young owner’s blood until it led him here. Yet the fence stopped him, holding him only inches away from the ones responsible.

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