Page 156 of A Sunwoven Ascent

Kaldrek rose slowly, steadier than he had ever felt, his mind honed to a razor’s edge, his senses thrown wide open. The power settled inside him with terrifying ease, as though it had only been waiting for him to claim it.

The magic of the Solwyn is granted to those who protect, the voice said. You have promised. Now remember your purpose.

Protect.

Kaldrek lifted his head, and the final surge struck. It hit like a hammer, throwing him backward. His body slammed into the ground hard enough to scatter stars across his vision, but he forced himself upright, blinking them away as he shook off the impact. There was no time to recover. No time to wonder what had just been given to him. He had to get back to his mate and pack.

He turned, readying himself to shift, but then he saw them.

Dozens of Noskari stood at the edge of the grove, their forms solid and standing unnaturally still. They did not advance. They only watched. At their center stood one larger than the rest, its pale, stretched skin veined with black, its smile too wide and too knowing as it met his gaze.

It had been waiting.

“Fuck,” Kaldrek muttered.

Slowly, he turned his head and saw more of them behind him, closer than the others. Too close.

No room to shift.

Fine.

Kaldrek raised his hands, just as he had practiced, and forced a smirk. “You should really think about cleaning those teeth before getting so close. That breath is fucking rancid.”

Then he called to the land.

It answered at once. The ground cracked beneath him, splitting outward with violent force and throwing the creatures off balance. He lifted his other hand and pushed deeper, focusing harder, until the earth tore open again, wider this time, giving him the room he needed.

Perfect.

He turned to run, but hands seized him from behind and either side, dragging him down before he could draw another breath. They pinned him to the ground with crushing force. Then the mist came, seeping from the trees like ink, thickening through the grove until the world vanished into black. They encircled him. Held him. Bound him.

This was not a fight.

This was a ritual.

The leader stepped forward, its presence pressing into him as its voice flooded his mind.

“Son of Vaelora.”

Kaldrek thrashed, rage igniting through him as the shadows tightened.

“Perfect blood. Perfect soul.”

The words slithered beneath his skin, sinking deeper than sound should have reached.

“You feel it, don’t you, Alpha? The wolf was never enough. But this power—this is what you were meant for.”

Its hand closed around his throat, and cold swept over him. Then into him. The shadows forced their way inside, pouring through his lungs, his veins, his bones. His body convulsed as the grove warped around him, bending beneath the weight of the darkness. The Solwyn’s bright power flared inside him, but the shadows swallowed it, infected it, twisting what had been given to protect into something hungry.

Protect. Protect. Protect.

He clung to the word, repeating it over and over as he fought like hell to break free. That was what the power was meant for. That was the promise. But with every breath, the word grew fainter. The meaning slipped. Even Evelyne’s scream barely reached him through the bond, distant and fading.

Then it was gone.

The leader leaned closer.

“Breathe us in. Become what you were born to be. Our anchor. Our king.”