The shadow grew longer, and there he was…
Maximilian's Borzoi stood framed in the doorway, its pale form blocking nearly half the light. Its posture was rigid, as if it had stepped into a battlefield rather than a faculty office.
Catherine frowned faintly. Slowly, deliberately, the Borzoi padded forward.
Not toward Ashley. Not toward Jonathan.
It stopped beside Catherine. Closely. Protectively. Like a knight taking position at his queen's flank.
Ashley and Jonathan stared. They knew that dog.
Everyone did.
Arcturus did not serve. He tolerated. He ruled. He was treated like a monarch: fed by hand, obeyed by all, feared by most.
And yet…
Here he stood, calm and unwavering, aligned with Catherine as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Ashley let out a startled gasp and stumbled backward, colliding with Jonathan. Jonathan, pale and sweating, instinctively stepped behind the desk.
Catherine blinked.
