Page 127 of A Sunwoven Ascent

“I am sure he simply has other matters to attend to,” Evelyne replied.

“Actually,” Kaldrek said, the words leaving his mouth before he could stop them, “it is your scent.”

Aurelia blinked.

“I beg your pardon?” she snapped. “What, exactly, are you implying?”

He had offended her. Brilliant.

Kaldrek exhaled. “Your brother left because your scent makes him uncomfortable. Not because it is unpleasant—it is just… not something he wishes to be around.”

Evelyne stared at him, utterly confused, while Aurelia sat opposite them in stunned disbelief.

“I am not sure there is a graceful way to explain this,” Kaldrek muttered, shifting slightly in his seat. “So I will not attempt one. You are in what we call heat.”

“Heat?” Evelyne echoed, her tone somewhere between curiosity and disbelief.

“Yes. Typically females enter heat when their bodies reach a certain age and are inclined to bearing children.”

Aurelia gave a soft laugh. “Ovulation, then? You cannot mean to tell me I am simply ovulating, Kaldrek. All women do.”

“Yes, but not like this,” Kaldrek said, rubbing his jaw. “Fuck, I should have let Heidara explain it.”

Evelyne smirked, clearly enjoying this far more than she should have.

“A shifter female requires a trigger,” he went on. “It often follows a settled mating bond, or when her body deems her ready. But it does not happen without cause.”

“And this is uncomfortable for the males?” Aurelia asked dryly.

“Not particularly,” Kaldrek replied. “Only for your brother, for obvious reasons. For me, it is simply noticeable. Not overwhelming. But for unmated males…” He paused. “It can be rather intense.”

“Can we please stop discussing how I smell?” Aurelia snapped. “I smell nothing, aside from the scent of the two of you—which, I might add, still resembles wet dogs.”

“The symptoms you are experiencing are the second stage,” Kaldrek continued, undeterred. “Males can detect it before you feel anything.”

Evelyne leaned forward. “So yesterday when you had to remove Holden from the tea room…”

“He was losing his mind over your sister,” Kaldrek finished.

“Oh, how delightful. I have developed some sort of irresistible scent that sends wolf males into madness.”

“Essentially, yes,” Kaldrek said.

“And why,” Aurelia continued, gesturing sharply toward Evelyne, “has she never experienced this?”

Evelyne turned to Kaldrek expectantly.

“As I said,” he replied, “it usually follows a mating bond by some time. It may be that her body is not yet ready. Or—”

“Well, perhaps my body is ready, but I am not,” Aurelia cut in. “And I am not even mated, so I fail to see how any of this applies to me.”

“That is true,” Kaldrek said. “However, it still requires a trigger.”

“By what?” Evelyne asked.

Kaldrek met her gaze. “By a potential mate.”

Silence fell over the room.