She Was the Treasure All Along novel Chapter 372

BOOM! The tree, as thick as a dinner plate, shuddered violently, sending splinters flying.

Having lost its balance from the forced change in direction, the mother bear crashed heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. Those three shots were a stroke of genius—the timing, angle, and purpose were all breathtakingly precise. They weren't meant to kill, but to create a momentary distraction, an interruption of a fatal blow.

That precious moment, bought with bullets, was Loyce’s chance.

Her eyes flashed with cold light. Gritting her teeth against the pain, she didn't retreat but lunged forward. She ducked low and charged not away from, but toward the fallen bear. With the precision of a surgeon, she thrust the boning knife with all her might toward the pulsating artery in the bear’s neck.

But even on the ground, the apex predator's reflexes were astonishing. It whipped its massive head around, its bloodshot eyes filled with rabid fury, and opened its jaws to snap at the approaching Loyce.

Just as she was about to run straight into the bear’s mouth, another shot rang out.

*BANG!*

This one was deeper, more penetrating. The high-velocity bullet, as if guided by an unseen hand, flew from the side and entered the bear’s gaping mouth at a sharp angle, piercing its palate and driving straight into its brainstem. A small spray of blood and tissue erupted from the back of its head.

The bear’s attack stopped cold. The ferocity in its eyes froze, and its massive body went limp, collapsing to the ground without another sound. At that exact moment, Loyce’s knife sank deep into the fur of its neck, finding no resistance. She froze in her attack stance over the bear’s corpse, gasping for breath.

A lithe figure then dropped silently from the branches of the large tree behind her, landing softly at her side.

It was Lucian. The muzzle of the large-caliber handgun in his hand still smoked faintly. His eyes were as cold as a winter lake, showing no emotion at having felled the beast. He didn't even glance at the dead bear; his gaze swept over Loyce's blood-streaked mouth, her unnaturally limp left arm, and her swollen ankle. A sharp pain lanced through his heart.

But there was no time for concern. The male bear, driven mad by the instantaneous death of its mate, was charging them recklessly on its injured leg.

“Get ready. Here it comes.”

“It’s nothing serious. A sprained ligament and some scrapes on my arm, that’s all,” she said, her voice hoarse with exhaustion. “That girl, Marnie… she’s badly hurt.”

Not far away, a pool of blood was spreading beneath the motionless girl. Soldiers who had arrived on the scene were already administering first aid.

“Someone else will take care of her. I just need to make sure you’re okay,” Lucian said, gently placing her foot back down and looking up at her.

Her face was smeared with dirt and bear blood, her hair was a mess, but her eyes were astonishingly bright, full of a fierce vitality that came from surviving a battle for her life.

A wave of self-reproach washed over Lucian. Carefully avoiding her injuries, he slid one arm under her knees and the other securely behind her back, lifting her into his arms with a swift, clean motion.

“I’m sorry. You got hurt because of me again,” Lucian’s low, guilt-ridden voice murmured in her ear, his arms holding her with unshakeable stability.