I didn’t realize how tightly I’d been holding onto the hospital until I was wheeled out of it.
Even though it was cold and sterile and nothing like a home, it had become familiar. The walls knew my breath. The bed knew my weight. The hallways had memorized my silence.
But when the wind hit my face—real, open air—I felt something shift in me.
I wasn’t afraid.
I was… freeing myself.
The drive to the pack house was quiet. One nurse held my hand. Another rubbed gentle circles along my shoulder when the bumps in the road made me tense. They didn’t speak much, but their presence said everything.
And then—
We turned the final bend.
The pack house came into view, rising between the trees like something ancient and powerful and… warm. The scent of pine and sunlight hit me harder than I expe
