Page 62 of A Sunwoven Ascent

Heidara studied her, then smiled faintly. “Well… as strange as it sounds, I’m glad my brother has made a friend of yours. He needs someone with strong morals.”

Evelyne huffed a soft laugh. “It is rather surprising, isn’t it? The two of them bonding.”

“I think it makes sense,” Heidara said, though she wrung her fingers as she spoke. “Holden and I… We didn’t grow up in the kindest household… or tent, for that matter.”

Evelyne remained silent, giving her space.

“My mother died bringing me into the world and my father never forgave me for that.” Heidara’s voice was distant. “He was angry all the time. He blamed me. And Holden…” She exhaled slowly. “Holden took the worst of it.”

They walked in step as dusk began to bleed into the sky.

“He protected me,” Heidara continued. “Even from our own father, no matter what it cost him.”

Evelyne’s chest tightened. She thought of the scars along Holden’s arms, scars she had once assumed were earned in battle. Now she was no longer so sure.

“Kaldrek’s father eventually killed mine,” Heidara added in a low voice.

Evelyne stopped. “He what?”

“In our pack, anyone can challenge an alpha. But a challenge ends in death.” Her mouth curved without humor. “My father believed the mark had chosen wrong. That it should have been his. And, well… jealousy rotted him from the inside.”

“Why would he risk leaving you and Holden alone?”

Heidara’s laugh was hollow. “He whipped Holden nightly while I listened. The alpha heard the screams, and wolves do not tolerate cruelty toward their young.” She lifted her chin. “After Kaldrek’s father confronted mine publicly, he challenged the alpha the next day. And he lost.”

The pack pressed on ahead of them without a word—Kaldrek, Holden, Alaric leading the way toward the hidden path behind the trading post.

“Kaldrek’s parents took us in,” Heidara said. “They were kind, but nothing can ever truly replace your own parents.”

Evelyne swallowed. Her father had not been perfect. He had been distant at times, consumed by trade and politics. But he had loved her. Loved them.

“He must have been cruel for you to feel relief at his death,” Evelyne said gently.

Heidara nodded once. “He was. There were times I thought it should have been me instead of my mother, if only it could take away the memory of Holden’s screams as a boy. Wolves may heal faster, but when a babe is trapped, there is often very little anyone can do to save the mother.”

“It wasn’t your fault, Heidara.”

“I know.”

A lantern’s glow flickered ahead through the trees. They were close now.

“Holden is a good male,” Evelyne murmured, glancing toward him where he walked beside Kaldrek.

“Yes,” Heidara said. “And I think he enjoys helping Cillian. He never had someone to guide him through becoming a wolf. Kaldrek’s father did what he could… but some wounds don’t close that easily.”

Evelyne’s heart ached at that.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said quietly. “You’ve never fully spoken of it before.”

Heidara’s green eyes grew tender in the fading light. “You’re my best friend. I trust you. That’s what we do for each other, isn’t it?”

Evelyne felt a small, genuine smile rise through the weight in her chest.

“Yes,” she said. “It is.”

Chapter 30

Kaldrek had never traveled this far south. He had hunted along Centaro’s borders, patrolled the forests that edged Ironwolf territory, stood guard beneath its familiar skies, but this was different. This was human land. Not the eastern territories where magic was acknowledged and woven into daily life, where shifters and witches walked openly and humans either respected them or kept a careful distance.