I turned and walked back to my courtyard. Without a word, I dropped to my knees and began digging through the soil beneath the spirit-blossom tree with my bare hands. The earth was cold. It smelled of mountain sage and old pine, and something underneath that, something that smelled like safety itself. My master's scent, soaked into the roots.
Before long, a short blade caked in dirt saw daylight again. The air around it held no scent at all. A void where scent should be, unsettling in a way that made the Matron flinch back before she caught herself.
She rushed after me and snatched the blade from my grip, tears brimming in her eyes.
"Lynara, I know you want to avenge your master."
"But Fenris Voss is a Primordial Alpha. With this unremarkable little blade, you cannot defeat him."
"Please don't throw your life away for nothing."
"Your master said it himself. Trading one life for the future of every ranked wolf in the pack was worth it."
But I knew Master was lying.