Chapter 52
Young Kane's POV
From that day on, Xavier came even less frequently.
When I went to the market to buy supplies, I heard some rumors from the Omegas. They lowered their voices and discussed that a great battle was approaching—the Silver Fang War Mother of the Silver Moon Pack and the Crimson Flame Warlord of the Blood River Pack would face each other in an unprecedented showdown. Almost all the martial Blood River tribe members would go to watch, and the entire pack was boiling with excitement for it.
I stood in front of the stall, holding the dried meat I had just selected, but my entire body froze in place.
Silver Moon Pack—that was my homeland, the place I longed for day and night but could never return to.
The purchased items slipped from my hands and hit the dirt ground with a dull thud.
People around me cast curious glances. I hurriedly picked up the scattered items, my heart pounding like a drum. Images flashed through my mind: my father's cold face, the warmth of my mother's embrace when she said goodbye, and those once-familiar palace corridors. When I was sent here at eight years old, I thought that as long as I endured it, I could go home someday. But now I finally understood that the so-called "hostage" was nothing more than a bargaining chip that could be discarded at any time between two packs.
A thought grew wildly in my mind—this might be my only chance to escape!
With everyone flocking to watch the battle, the pack's defenses would surely be lax. With the skills I had gained through rigorous training during this time, perhaps I really could escape.
On the way back, I deliberately passed by that wooden cabin.
I placed some of the purchased items outside the door, then left a cotton flower on the windowsill—this had become our silent understanding.
"That's the thirty-second cotton flower you've left."
A voice came from inside the door, gentle and clear, like mountain spring water flowing over green stones.
My heart jumped violently. This was the first time she had spoken.
"Why..." my voice trembled slightly, "why didn't you talk to me during the previous thirty-one times, but you're speaking today?"
After a moment of silence, she answered softly: "Because today your footsteps were a bit flustered, with some reluctance. I felt your heart was troubled. Is there something on your mind?"
I leaned against the door panel, my throat tight. That she could hear my emotions from my footsteps moved me yet saddened me. I wanted to tell her that my homeland's army was stationed not far away, that I had a chance to escape back. But when the words reached my lips, I found I couldn't speak them.
"Why are you always so harsh on yourself during training?" she asked again, her voice carrying a trace of concern. "Always training until exhausted, until bruised and battered, until you seem completely drained and collapsed on the ground."
I smiled bitterly, my fingers brushing over the rough wooden door. "Because..."
"You're so desperate because there are things you must do, right?" she interrupted me, her voice gentle yet certain. "If certain things aren't done, certain people aren't seen, certain places aren't reached, then this whole life would be meaningless. All the cruelty to yourself would be meaningless too, wouldn't it?"
Her words were like a sharp blade, precisely piercing the softest place in my heart. Tears poured from my eyes without warning. I clenched my jaw to keep from making a sound, but couldn't stop the tears sliding down my cheeks.
"So..." she asked softly, "is that thing you must do drawing near?"
I took a deep breath, my voice choked: "You're right. I have something I must do right in front of me. If I don't do it, all those days of cruelty to myself would seem meaningless."
"Then go." Her voice was firm and warm. "Go tell others that you've worked so hard for so long, all for this moment."
I wiped away the tears on my face and made my decision.
That day was my twelfth birthday. The Blood River Pack was deserted, with everyone rushing to the arena, crazy for the epic battle between the Crimson Flame Warlord and the Silver Fang War Mother. I seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, packed a simple bundle, and quietly slipped out through a hole on the south side of the camp that only a child's body could fit through. It was a breach I had accidentally discovered while shopping, and I had rehearsed the escape route countless times in my mind.
The thunderous sound of drums and gongs rose behind me. I struggled through the narrow opening, the rough stone walls scraping my arms and back, blood soaking my clothes. But I couldn't care about the pain. As long as I crossed the southern forest, I could reach the Silver Moon Pack army's encampment.
Freedom lay ahead. I felt an unprecedented excitement in my heart.
At that moment, I heard a voice.
It wasn't an external voice, but one coming from deep within my heart, low and full of power.
"Hello, Kane. My name is Blaze."
I froze, my footsteps stopping at the forest's edge.
High-ranking werewolves awaken their wolf spirits between the ages of ten and eighteen. I had been waiting for this moment, but never expected it would come at this time.
"I understand your situation," the voice said with a hint of humor. "Because I am you, and you are me. If we're escaping from hell, I'd definitely run faster on four legs."
Before I could react, intense pain swept through my entire body. It was the agony of bones being reshaped, every bone shattering and reforming. Wolf fur pierced through from under my skin, and the world in my vision became clearer and sharper. I felt the solid sensation of four limbs touching the ground, felt my claws gripping the soil, felt my ears capturing distant faint sounds with keen sensitivity.
I had become a true wolf.
I picked up the bundle in my mouth and started running.
All shackles were left behind. Before me lay only the path to freedom. Wind howled in my ears, trees rapidly retreated, my heart pounded violently, and every breath was filled with the desire to live.
I wanted to go home. I wanted to prove I wasn't a bargaining chip that could be casually discarded.
The forest stretched beneath my feet, sunlight filtering through leaves and casting dappled shadows.
I didn't know what awaited me ahead, but at this moment, I only wanted to run, only wanted to escape from this hell that had imprisoned me for four years, only wanted to return to that homeland I dreamed of day and night.
Even though that place had once coldly pushed me into the abyss.
"The price of freedom is that you must bear all the pain alone."