Broken heart of a warrior

Chapter 6

The forest felt like another world entirely—untouched, breathing, alive in a way the castle never could be. The air was softer here, not heavy with power, politics, and hidden threats, but open... honest. The wind whispered through the branches like secrets shared between old friends, and the earth beneath carried the steady pulse of something ancient and grounding.

I did not know how we had managed to get so far from the castle. The distance itself felt unreal, as if I had been carried out of one life and dropped into another.

My wolf was blind with rage and anger, but within the arms of Master I found refuge, and my body shut off. Even now, thinking back, I could still feel it—his grip, firm but controlled, unshaken by my chaos. No hesitation. No fear. Just certainty.

I had passed out in his hold. I was safe—from others, yes, but more terrifyingly... from myself.

If anyone else had tried to carry me at that point, I would have slaughtered them on the spot. No hesitation. No regret. Just blood.

But my beast knew that my Master was stronger and smarter than any of us, so she didn't attempt anything reckless. She let me rest. For once... she chose not to fight.

When I awoke, Master was beside me, waiting for me to regain consciousness. Of course he was. He always was. He sat like a shadow carved into the earth—still, watchful, unreadable. But his eyes... his eyes never missed a single shift in my breathing, a twitch of muscle, a flicker of awareness.

He wasn't joking when he said it would be a battle for my sanity. No. Not joking. Not exaggerating. If anything... he had understated it.

I felt like I had been tied up and beaten all day. Every muscle ached. Every bone protested. Even breathing felt like work.

The forest wrapped around me slowly, gently, as if testing whether I was still a threat... or if I could belong here again. It hurt to stretch at first, but as I inhaled the scents around me, tension began to release.

Damp earth. Fresh grass. Tree bark. Wildflowers. Life.

The smell in the forest reminded me that I was home. Not the castle. Not Siberia. This.

It was so different from Siberia—here was everything green. Not frozen. Not lifeless. Not silent in that suffocating way. Alive.

How many times had I dreamt of this forest, imagined running through the grass without a care in the world? Too many. Enough to make this moment feel almost unreal.

I shifted into my wolf form, feeling free and reveling in the sounds and smells surrounding me. The transformation had come naturally this time—no pain, no resistance. Just release.

All the tension that had been building inside me for days poured out. Finally. Gods, finally.

It was time to escape everyone but Master, to let my wolf take over for a while. And for once... I didn't argue with her.

She stretched within me like she had been caged for years, not days. She wanted to run back home, to be near her mate, but that would not end well. She agreed not to, fully aware of the danger. That agreement... fragile. Temporary. Dangerous.

She was finally feeling free and thanked Master for keeping his promise. A rare thing—gratitude instead of violence.

He stayed close at first, allowing me to wander. Close enough to intervene. Far enough to let me breathe.

Spring had touched everything. The grass had started to green, and spring flowers were already pushing through the earth—tiny bursts of color against endless green—fragile, stubborn, alive. I stopped several times to smell them, sneezing from the pollen. Of course. Of all the things to take me down... flowers. Fantastic. Truly intimidating.