Page 21 of A Sunwoven Ascent

“Oof—!” Heidara was yanked off her feet and slammed hard into the dirt. The mist snapped back into flesh, blackness knitting itself into Alaric’s shape right on top of her.

He looked worse now. Skin ashen, veins dark and pulsing up his neck. And his teeth—

Kaldrek and Holden launched at him at once, trying to drag him away. Alaric didn’t even flinch. He lifted one hand, fingers spreading, lining it up with Heidara’s chest as if he meant to drive it straight through bone.

Evelyne’s vision flashed to the image of her father’s heart, torn and ruined—

“No!” she screamed, and she was moving.

The world around her became chaos as cold air, churned dirt, and bodies collided. Time slowed to a sick crawl as Alaric’s hand inched closer and closer to Heidara’s heart. Cillian was dragging himself across the ground toward them, still choking, still fighting for breath.

The pack scattered—checking the perimeter, warning the others, but Evelyne barely registered it. All she could see was Heidara twisting beneath Alaric’s grip, trying to ram her knee up the way they’d practiced, fighting like hell, while Alaric remained immovable.

He was too strong. Too close.

Holden caught Alaric’s wrist, stopping the strike inches from Heidara’s chest just as Kaldrek slammed into Alaric with the full force of his body, taking him down in a brutal tackle. Holden released Alaric’s arm in time and hauled Heidara free, yanking her out from under him.

Kaldrek and Alaric hit the ground hard and rolled, and Evelyne caught a fleeting glimpse of Alaric’s sharpened teeth sinking into Kaldrek’s bicep. Kaldrek roared, pain tearing through the bond so violently she felt it as if her own flesh had split. Fear flashed through her, but fury burned hotter.

He needed help. She needed to—

Another flare of pain burned through her. Kaldrek’s pain once more, and something in her snapped. A scream tore out of her, and she barely heard the others shouting, warning her to stop. But this was her mate. And Kaldrek had been right: the wolf’s instinct to protect was absolute. Consuming. It left no room for mercy when a threat was at your mate’s throat.

So Evelyne surrendered to it and shifted.

***

Her paws tore frantically across the earth, her fangs bared to the night. She was unstoppable. Her world had narrowed to one point: Alaric. Nothing else mattered. No one would stand between her and her mate. Not that Kaldrek couldn’t fight, because he could. But Alaric’s strength was wrong—too much, too sharp, too inhuman. And Kaldrek was still in his human skin.

Evelyne’s heartbeat thundered in her ears as she watched Kaldrek heave Alaric off his body and lunge to pin him, only for Alaric to turn with impossible speed. Razor-fine fingers shot forward and sank into Kaldrek’s throat.

No!

Evelyne felt it at once. His pure, brutal fear slammed through the bond, followed by the awful certainty that one more breath might be his last. The force of it hit her so hard it turned her blood to fire.

She pushed harder.

Kaldrek went utterly still, frozen the way prey froze when it knew escape had already slipped beyond reach. His mouth hung slightly open, shock stark on his face, while Alaric’s hand remained at his throat, patient, as though savoring how easily he could end him.

Then, slowly, Alaric drew his fingers back. And smiled.

Evelyne hit him like a storm.

Her shoulder slammed into his ribs with a sickening thud, driving him to the ground. Before he could recover, her jaws clamped down on his arm. She bit deep and yanked—once, twice, again—until something snapped.

Alaric screamed, but Evelyne didn’t care.

She shook her head violently, teeth locked, wanting to rip his arm free, wanting to tear away whatever darkness lived inside him with brute force.

Ev—Evelyne. Kaldrek’s voice frayed into her mind, broken by breath. He was still gasping.

She did not release Alaric. She dragged him across the dirt as she ran, hauling him like something she had brought down with her own hands, without even knowing where she meant to take him. She only knew she needed distance. Time. Space to finish this. Because all she could feel was hatred… and the echo of Kaldrek’s fear.

Evelyne, I’m all right.

No, he wasn’t. She heard it in the ragged rasp of his voice. She felt it in the bond. But the words could not reach the part of her that had shifted. That part of her knew only one command: protect her mate. End the threat.

She released Alaric’s arm only to lunge for his shoulder.