“We’ve been getting reports of missing puppies throughout the neighborhood,” he said. “Families are worried, and we’ve been trying to trace where they might have gone.”

A knot tightened in my chest. Missing puppies? Marsa’s strange behavior suddenly took on a new, alarming significance. I could feel Lili’s grip on my hand tighten, her little fingers like a vice on mine.

Mrs. Miller chimed in, her voice carrying a sharp edge. “I saw your cat dragging one across the yard and thought it was… peculiar. She’s been doing it for days, from what I can tell.”

I swallowed hard, glancing at Marsa, whose eyes were half-closed, seemingly content with her makeshift family. It didn’t make any sense. Marsa had never shown any interest in dogs before, let alone become a surrogate mother to a litter of puppies