He Knows the Door to My Soul and Who Forgot to Novel 59

In this chapter, the protagonist, Natalia, avoids responding to Andrei’s earlier question and instead asks a nearby Ashmoor warrior for his jacket, signaling her desire to distance herself from Andrei. The warrior readily offers his jacket, which Natalia accepts gratefully, subtly showing her preference for his company over Andrei’s. Andrei notices but remains composed, eventually putting his coat back on and remarking, “Suit yourself,” before they continue their walk in silence along a cliffside path.

Their quiet is interrupted by the faint, desperate cries of a baby animal, which turns out to be an injured and starving fawn. Natalia and Andrei approach cautiously, and she kneels beside the fragile creature, moved by its suffering and the realization that its mother has likely been killed. Andrei acknowledges the fawn’s grim condition, saying it won’t survive without care and offers to end its pain mercifully. Despite her initial shock, Natalia agrees, and Andrei swiftly and gently euthanizes the fawn.

Afterwards, Andrei wraps the small body in his jacket and suggests they bury it. Together, they dig a grave in the forest soil, and during this quiet, somber moment, their hands briefly touch, sparking an unspoken connection between them. As they finish, Andrei turns to Natalia with a serious question about her past—the identity of the person whose body was burned during her funeral years ago—revealing a deeper mystery and stirring complex emotions in Natalia.

The chapter ends on this tense note, with Natalia feeling a mix of fear and curiosity about Andrei’s question, setting the stage for further revelations about her history and their relationship.

I didn’t respond to Andrei’s earlier question. Instead, I shifted my attention to the remaining Ashmoor warrior standing nearby. “Could I borrow your jacket?” I asked quietly, hoping to mask any tension between Andrei and me.

“Of course, Luna,” he replied immediately, shrugging off his jacket and holding it out to me without hesitation. I returned a warm smile, gratefully accepting the garment and slipping it over my shoulders. The leather was worn but comforting, and I let myself sink into its warmth.

Turning back toward Andrei, I made a deliberate show of nestling into the coat, as if to silently declare that I wasn’t interested in his offer. If anything, I preferred the jacket from this stranger rather than anything from Andrei. I caught his eyes on me, his expression unreadable, though I sensed a flicker of something beneath his calm exterior. After a moment, he shrugged and pulled his own coat back on. “Suit yourself,” he said simply.

We resumed our walk in silence, the narrow path winding along the edge of a steep cliff. The air was crisp, filled with the scent of pine and earth, and the quiet was broken only by the crunch of our footsteps on the rocky trail. Suddenly, my ears pricked up at a faint, plaintive sound coming from the forest nearby.

Andrei halted immediately, raising a hand to signal for silence. We all strained to listen, and after a few seconds, the sound came again—a fragile, desperate cry that tugged at my heart. It was unmistakably the cry of a baby.

“Over there,” Andrei whispered, pointing toward a dense thicket just off the path.

We approached cautiously, with his Beta and the other warriors moving silently to flank us. As we drew nearer, I spotted a small shape lying among the underbrush, trembling violently and letting out that pitiful wail.

It was a fawn, barely weeks old, its spotted coat still fresh and its legs thin and fragile. But what caught my attention most was the deep gash on its side, crusted with dried blood, and the way its ribs protruded painfully beneath its skin.

“It’s starving,” I murmured, kneeling beside the tiny creature. “And hurt. Someone must have killed its mother.”

The fawn tried to stand when it saw us, but its legs gave way beneath it, too weak to hold even its small frame. It cried out again, a heartbreaking call for a mother that would never return. I felt tears welling in my eyes.

Andrei crouched down next to me. “It won’t last,” he said softly. “Not without its mother, and not with that wound.”

His words hit me hard. I knew he was right—the poor animal was suffering, slowly wasting away, its injury likely infected. But knowing the truth didn’t ease the ache in my chest.

“We can’t just leave it here like this,” I said firmly.

“No,” Andrei agreed. Then, to my surprise, he reached out and gently stroked the fawn’s head with a large, careful hand. The animal flinched at first but soon relaxed under his touch. “I can end its pain. Quickly. Without suffering.”

I looked up at him, startled by the tenderness in his voice. “You’d do that?”

“Of course,” he said, his green eyes locking with mine. “It’s the kindest mercy we can offer.”

I nodded slowly, stepping back to give him room. Andrei continued to murmur softly as he stroked the fawn, his hands steady and calm.

Then, in a swift, merciful motion, he snapped the fawn’s neck. It was over almost before I could process it—the small body went limp in his hands. I blinked back tears and turned my gaze away.

After a moment, Andrei removed his jacket once more and carefully wrapped the tiny body within it.

“What are you doing?” I asked quietly.

“We should bury it,” he replied simply. “Don’t you want to?”

His words caught me off guard again, but I nodded silently. Andrei stood and handed me the wrapped fawn.

I watched in awe as he knelt down and began digging with his bare hands, scooping away the soft earth of the forest floor. Even the other warriors seemed surprised, exchanging glances as they observed his unexpected display of tenderness.

When the hole was deep enough—not large, given how small the fawn was—Andrei gently placed the wrapped body inside. He began covering it with soil, the rich, damp earth falling softly over the little grave.

Without thinking, I knelt beside him and started helping, our hands briefly touching as we pushed the earth into place. A sudden spark of electricity passed between us at the contact, making my breath catch.

“Natalia,” Andrei said suddenly, his voice low and steady, not looking up from the grave, “there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

I tensed, wary of where this might be headed. “What is it?”

He patted the last of the dirt over the grave and finally met my gaze. “Whose body was burned during your funeral all those years ago? I deserve to know.”

His question hung heavily in the quiet forest air, stirring a mixture of emotions inside me—fear, curiosity, and something deeper I couldn’t quite name.

The chapter closes on a poignant note, weaving together themes of mercy, loss, and unspoken truths. The tender act of burying the injured fawn reveals a softer side of Andrei, hinting at the complexities beneath his stoic exterior. Meanwhile, the shared moment of grief and care between Natalia and Andrei subtly rekindles a fragile connection, underscored by the electric touch of their hands and the weight of his lingering question.

Amidst the quiet of the forest and the finality of the fawn’s burial, the unresolved mystery of the burned body from Natalia’s past casts a shadow over their fragile peace. The chapter delicately balances the sorrow of loss with the tentative hope of revelation, leaving readers suspended between the pain of what has been and the promise of what may yet be uncovered.

The next chapter promises to delve deeper into the unspoken tensions between Natalia and Andrei, as his unexpected question threatens to unravel long-held secrets. The quiet moment of shared grief over the fawn’s passing has opened a door to vulnerability, and readers can anticipate a delicate dance of emotions as Natalia grapples with whether to reveal the truth or protect herself from further pain. The atmosphere is charged with anticipation, hinting at revelations that could shift the dynamics between them irrevocably.

At the same time, the fragile bond forming between Natalia and Andrei will be tested, as past mysteries begin to surface and complicate their already complex relationship. There’s a palpable sense of something buried beneath the surface—both in the forest floor and within their hearts—that is ready to emerge. Readers will find themselves caught between hope and apprehension, eager to see how these characters navigate the delicate balance of trust, loss, and the search for truth.

Sara Lili

Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.