The forest had become less of a battleground and more of a sanctuary.
Not because it was peaceful—but because I was finally learning how to survive in it.
Days had passed since Killian’s first brutal lesson.
Each morning, we returned to the same clearing—the earth worn and scarred from our efforts.
But I was no longer the girl who stumbled and flinched.
I moved faster now.
Sharper.
Cleaner.
Killian pushed me hard, yet somehow never too far.
His words echoed in my head long after training ended.
“Feel. Don’t think.”
And I did.
I listened to the rhythm in my blood, the thrum in my limbs, and something… deeper.
Something wild.
Today, he came at me from behind, silent as ever.
I spun just in time, ducking and twisting around his reach.
My foot connected with his calf—no
