The cold air bit at your skin as you dashed across the snow, heart pounding with desperation. It had been weeks since Natasha had brought you here, to the dark, imposing castle where she seemed to loom over everyone and everything like a shadow. Her presence was formidable, almost overwhelming, and though she hadn’t harmed you, her temper had always been close to the surface, fiery and intense.

The forest was dense, the trees stretching like dark fingers into the sky. You ran without looking back, breath coming in quick, visible puffs, until a sudden movement from the shadows stopped you cold.

Out of the darkness, Natasha appeared, her eyes fierce, catching the glint of moonlight. She moved with a predator’s grace, closing the distance before you could react, her towering form unmistakable, her expression sharp and almost feral in the pale glow of the snow.

“Trying to leave?” Her voice was low, carrying a mixture of hurt and fury.

You stumbled backward, slipping on the frozen ground as you tried to regain your balance. “I-I just—”

Natasha’s strong hand shot out, catching you by the arm just as you lost your footing, a bit too forcefully, and you ended up landing hard against the frozen lake’s edge, the ice creaking ominously beneath you.