Natalya learned what it truly meant to be a Black Widow when she was ten years old, and the black words on Aglaya's wrist turned silver. The Madame summoned all the girls to a training room, where a small figure was tied to a chair. His muffled whimpers made the hood hiding his face quiver while Madame explained the spiders' cannibalistic mating and the importance of loyalty. Love was for children. A true Black Widow was loyal only to her country, and the sole purpose of her feminine wiles was to weaken her enemies.
When the Madame finished her lecture, she gave Aglaya a loaded gun and lined her up in front of the trembling target. It was the girl's first kill, and her hands shook, but her aim was true. When it was over, she gave the gun back to Madame and held her left wrist up high, so her classmates could see the words that had turned blood red.
This was how a Widow proved herself – by killing her mate. Of course, not all the girls in the Red Room had soulmarks. They didn't need to pass the same test as the others, but their training was no easier. Some, like Aglaya, found their soulmates early in their training. Some, like Natalya, could never seem to find theirs at all.
The older Natalya grew, the more frustrated she became. She wanted nothing more than to become a true Widow. She wanted to prove herself, to pass the ultimate test. But, the word on her wrist stayed black, and it wasn't even a helpful one.
Winter.
What could that mean? She'd meet him in winter? She would be in the winter of her life? He'd been born in the winter?
As the frustration built up inside her, she let it become her drive. She would prove herself the best Widow, with or without a mate to kill. At seventeen years old, Natalya was at the top of her class, and the word on her wrist was still black.