CHAPTER SEVENTY – THE WEREWOLF DEFENDER

"What in the hell..." one of the other men muttered. The growling intensified to a thunderous, reverberating roar that rattled Karina's ribcage. That was no dog or beast she'd ever heard - it sounded like some unholy amalgam of the most fearsome predators in existence. As if awakened from some deep primordial slumber and royally pissed off. Heavy footfalls pounded across the grassy field in their direction, the cadence and ferocity increasing with each bone-jarring step, shaking the very earth itself. Karina's captors surged to their feet, fumbling for their concealed sidearms with undisguised trepidation. A massive, hairy shape suddenly exploded into view, bounding clear over the crest of the grassy knoll with a terrifying snarl of pure aggression. Karina gasped in shock and awe as she took in the towering, inhuman beast. It was Rex - but somehow even larger and more savagely muscled than she remembered. His entire body looked to be covered in a shaggy pelt of coarse fur, while h