Page 4 of A Sunwoven Ascent

He hadn’t been in control since the fire. Since that night when the lights in his mind went out and he was shoved into an endless, drowning black. He could still think, still see, still hear, but never respond. And it was suffocating.

He saw the hurt flicker across Heidara’s face whenever she tried to spark a conversation and he offered nothing but a nod. He wanted to rip the demon out of himself, to be rid of it forever.

Why hadn’t he gone to Cillian the moment something began to change inside him? Maybe… maybe Cillian could have helped. A part of him wished Kaldrek had felt it too, had recognized the darkness before it took hold—but he hadn’t. And Alaric couldn’t understand why.

How long before he slipped completely? What mistake would damn him? Would he hurt someone? The thoughts terrified him, because he knew the thing inside him was planning. It had already learned to hide—averting his gaze when the black threatened to seep into his eyes, keeping itself quiet, feeding in the shadows, growing stronger. But that was what unsettled him most: if it wanted freedom, why hadn’t it fled into the night? Why remain here, clinging to life among the very people who could destroy it?

Alaric was managing to hold it back, if only slightly. At the very least, its control no longer spread as quickly as it had in those first few days. He refused to let time slip by without resistance, no matter the pain it caused. Because somewhere within its grip, there had to be a flaw or weakness. If he could find it, he would break through. He would warn the others. Still, the voice was always there… coiling through his thoughts like oil through water. Not his voice, but the creature within him, ever-present, taunting and needling, whispering things meant to turn him against his friends.

And yet, whenever the pack needed guidance, when the paths disappeared beneath snow or survival seemed uncertain, Alaric always found a way. He led them through narrow passes hidden in the drifts, into caves carved deep into the cliffs, into hollows that offered just enough shelter to rest. He told himself it was chance, but the pull in his chest suggested otherwise. The land was guiding him. And the darkness did not resist—it followed, as if it, too, wanted them alive.

He couldn’t tell if that was a mercy… or a warning.

Chapter 3

Evelyne breathed in Kaldrek’s rich and intoxicating scent; so wholly his that she could spend the rest of her life surrounded by it. Her fingers traced the lines of his alpha tattoo, gliding slowly from his arm to his neck. And when she reached the curve of his jaw, a quiet moan escaped him in his sleep.

It was the first night they’d truly had to themselves—or as close to it as possible—tucked away in a narrow hollow carved into the mountainside. They’d come across plenty such shelters before nightfall, and almost everyone in the pack had managed to claim a dry, hidden space. Kaldrek believed these openings were remnants of old passages, chiseled by travelers who once braved the journey north.

They were finally nearing the end of the range, and the faint promise of warmth came with it. The tallest snow-drenched peaks now fell behind them. Evelyne prayed the wind would ease, for every breath cut like ice, and her legs felt as heavy as stone. Still, Cillian bore it all in silence, never complaining or faltering. And that gave her enough strength to endure.

Her fingertips traced a lazy path down the curve of Kaldrek’s arm, lingering over the strength there before trailing across the solid breadth of his chest. His arms, so often wrapped around her now, felt like home. Her anchor. He was hers, and the thought sent a warm ripple through their bond.

A low groan rumbled from him.

“Careful,” he murmured, the sound thick with heat. “I can feel exactly what you’re thinking… and if you keep going, I’m going to act on it.” His dark brown eyes locked onto hers, and his voice lowered, its depth sending a subtle vibration across her skin. “I don’t care how many people we wake.”

Evelyne’s cheeks flushed, but the warmth inside her wasn’t from embarrassment. She loved the way he wanted her, cherished her. At first, she’d been shy knowing he could feel every spark of her longing, but when she began to sense his in return, it was all-consuming. Her fingers traced the new mark at his neck. Their mating mark. And a small smile tugged at her lips.

“As tempting as that is, the pack really does need sleep. And so do you.”

Kaldrek exhaled, rolling his eyes in mock defeat. “Fine." But instead of letting her go, he drew her over him, his heat sinking into her as his fingers slid into her hair. He grazed the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, then tilted his head and caught her lips in a slow kiss.

Gods, he was distracting. She could never resist him when he kissed her like that, always teasing her with the promise of more.

Kaldrek. She slipped his name into his mind like a moan.

The kiss deepened, his tongue tangling with hers, his large, strong hands roaming her body, cupping her hips as if to claim every inch.

You can be loud in here, his sinful voice purred through her thoughts.

She almost gave in. Oh, how badly she wanted that moment with him. It had been too long—too many cold nights on the mountains, too many times the bond pulled insistently low in her belly until it became unbearable. And now, feeling his raw want through their connection, it was almost impossible to fight.

You are bold, Evelyne whispered into his mind. She felt the grin spread across his lips before she saw it. He knew he was winning.

Desire rushed through her as his dark, hungry eyes claimed her attention. Seconds—that was all she had to bring up what truly pressed against her chest. But how could she ruin this? How could she confess that sleep terrified her now, that every time she closed her eyes she was dragged back to the same unnerving thought that had plagued her since that night? When she’d learned not only of her own bloodline, but of his and of the power that might be pulsing through his veins, waiting to thrive in dark magic.

No.

He was nothing like his mother. So why did her mind insist on betraying her? Why did it conjure dreams of her mate staring down at her with cold, black eyes as his hands closed around her throat, squeezing the life from her?

The truth still twisted in her stomach. All that time spent chasing the shadow that haunted her brother, only to learn the monster behind it was the mother of the male she loved. Even now, it sent a chill through her, anger tightening in her chest. Not at Kaldrek for keeping it from her; she understood that now. But at what had been done to him. At the cruelty he had endured. At the way his own mother had taken his family from him.

Kaldrek’s brows knitted. “What’s wrong?”

Of course he could feel the ripple of her frustration and fear through the bond. She forced herself to smooth her features, willing the storm inside her to quiet.

“Nothing that should ruin this moment with you.”