TRAPPED IN LOVE

The rain poured heavily over the small town of Silverbrook, drenching the empty streets. Aurora Williams let out a long sigh as she parked her car in front of the veterinary clinic she owned. She should have been home an hour ago, but she had left some paperwork behind, and she was too exhausted to put it off until tomorrow.

Pulling her brown coat tighter around her, she hurried toward the clinic's entrance. The downpour soaked her dark hair, strands sticking to her chilled cheeks. The night air was biting, and she couldn't wait to get back to her apartment, curl up under a warm blanket, and sip a cup of tea.

But then, something caught her attention.

Under the dim glow of a streetlamp, a shadow staggered in the middle of the road. Aurora's heart clenched as she saw blood mixing with the rain pooling on the asphalt.

A wolf.

Aurora stared in disbelief. That was impossible. There were no wild wolves in Silverbrook. The town was surrounded by forests, but it was rare for wolves to wander into residential areas-let alone one in this condition, covered in blood, its body marred with deep gashes that looked like claw marks and massive bite wounds.

Without thinking, she ran toward it.

"Oh my God..." Aurora knelt beside the animal, her breath hitching. The wolf looked like it was on the brink of death. Its fur was jet black, and its body was far larger than that of an ordinary wolf. But what shocked her the most were its eyes.

Golden eyes stared back at her-not with the fear of a wild animal but with a strange awareness, almost as if... it understood her.

Aurora swallowed hard. This didn't make sense.

Yet, despite her fear, her instincts as a veterinarian took over. She had to save this creature, no matter how strange the circumstances.

"It's okay... I won't hurt you," she whispered, shrugging off her jacket and gently covering the wolf's body.

The wolf didn't resist. It only let out a weak whimper, its breathing labored, as if every breath was a struggle.

With some difficulty, Aurora began dragging the massive creature toward the clinic. Her muscles strained under the weight, but she didn't care. All that mattered was saving its life before it was too late.

---

Inside the small operating room, Aurora worked quickly.

She cleaned the wolf's wounds, trying to stop the bleeding that refused to slow. But as she examined it more closely, she noticed something strange. These injuries weren't from a car accident or an attack by another animal.

They looked more like battle wounds-inflicted by something big and powerful.

Aurora bit her lip. A bad feeling gnawed at her.

When she touched the wolf's damp fur, she realized its body was burning hot-too hot for a normal animal. She frowned. Was it suffering from an infection? Or was there something more at play here?

She was about to grab her suturing kit when a low growl rumbled through the room.