Ethan scrambled with hot water bottles and blankets. But it was Bella who climbed onto the bench, pressed her body close to the enclosure, and became the warmth they needed. The alarms stilled. The cubs slept. Ethan sat there in the glow of the emergency light, staring at Bella as she guarded the motherless cubs.
“Good girl,” he whispered, though the words carried more weight than praise. They carried gratitude, disbelief, and a promise he couldn’t quite shape: that he wouldn’t let her stand alone. Days slipped into weeks, and the cubs began to change. Their eyes opened, cloudy at first, then sharp with new curiosity.