Every dog sat.
Perfectly.
Forty-seven trained military animals, settled in absolute unison, eyes still locked on her, their collective posture forming something unmistakably defensive, as if the space around her had become sacred ground.
The compound fell into stunned quiet.
Security protocols activated automatically. Radios crackled. Two armed officers moved closer, hands hovering near their weapons, while someone demanded identification with a voice that carried more fear than authority.