Page 137 of A Sunwoven Ascent

Aurelia had slipped away earlier for fresh air, no doubt to steady herself. And Holden—poor male—had fled the moment he could. Where he had gone, Evelyne could only guess, but she knew he needed distance.

But they had done it.

For now, at least, the court would keep its curiosity to itself.

And at last, Evelyne allowed herself to breathe.

Chapter 55

Alaric led Heidara into his bedchamber and closed the door softly behind them. Below, the sounds of servants preparing for the night faded to a distant murmur, leaving them with their first true moment alone.

He paused just inside the doorway, watching as she stood near the window. Restlessness lingered in her posture despite the calm around them, and candlelight caught in the loose waves of her golden hair, turning them almost molten in the dim room.

When she shifted closer, the air changed. Her scent reached him: sun-warmed grass, wild air, and something untamed that had no place in polished halls or noble estates. It made the chamber feel smaller, as though the forest itself had followed her inside.

The evening had been difficult for her. Caltheris and its careful manners were far removed from the open skies and forests she called home. Yet she had endured it. More than that, she had mastered it. He had noticed the men watching her, their curiosity plain as they tried to make sense of the fierce, beautiful female from Centaro. The sight had drawn an unwelcome jealousy from him. He could pretend he had not already claimed her in his heart, but that would be a lie. He had never had something so precious before, and he would fight like hell to keep her.

Alaric draped his waistcoat over the back of a chair and declined the offer of nighttime tea, along with the other small comforts of wealth. All of it felt strangely distant now.

Heidara turned from the window and looked at him.

“Alaric…”

The way she said his name made his chest tighten.

“This life,” she said softly, glancing around the room. “You know this is not meant for me.”

He crossed the distance between them in two strides and pulled her into his arms.

“It does not have to be,” he said at once. “I would never ask that of you.”

She shook her head slowly, her cheek brushing his shoulder. “This will never work between us,” she murmured. “You understand that, do you not? You may belong to this world, but I…” She swallowed. “I am content with dirt beneath my feet and wind in my hair. I belong to the wild.”

Alaric lifted a finger and pressed it gently to her lips. “I know precisely who you are, Heidara. What cruelty it would be to ask you to become anything else.” A faint smile touched his mouth, though the ache behind it remained. “Do you truly believe I would cage a wolf?”

The tension left her features.

“I would never,” he said quietly. “This life was the one I was raised to expect. It was all I knew until I stepped beyond our borders and realized I had scarcely been living before I met you.” His eyes searched hers. “You are my life now. Wherever that life leads, I care only that you are in it.”

The words seemed to still the air between them.

Heidara lifted her hand and brushed her fingers along his cheek. The moment her skin touched his, warmth surged through him—stronger this time, spreading through his chest like sunlight breaking across a field.

She felt it too. He knew she did.

Her eyes closed, and she exhaled slowly as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“I am a wolf, Alaric,” she whispered. “You said it yourself. Wolves and men… We are not the same.”

“Perhaps not,” he said gently. “But that does not mean we were never meant to find one another.” He took her hands and placed them over his chest. “I am not a wolf,” he continued, quieter now. “But I am more than a man.”

Her gaze lifted to his. “What are you?”

As though she had been waiting for him to finally say it.

“I am a seer.”

It was the first time he had spoken the words aloud, and something in him loosened at the admission. His body relaxed, as if a truth long held in silence had finally found its place.