Page 99 of A Sunwoven Ascent

He stopped.

“I believe I have had enough conversation for one morning,” he murmured. “I require rest.”

Vera reached across the table, placing her hand over his. “Please, Alaric,” she said in a gentle tone. “Hear me.”

He did not pull away.

“I know it sounds strange to you,” she continued. “But you have seen the world beyond Caltheris now. You understand there are forces far greater, and far more complex, than the human mind is meant to grasp. When I say I knew you would return, I speak not of hope, but of knowing. I am able to feel what others cannot. To see and hear what others cannot. Because the wind… the land itself… chose me.” She paused, her voice softening further. “And whether you wish to accept it or not… it chose you as well.”

Alaric looked at her, something inside him shifting. He thought of the first breeze that had prickled at the back of his neck and drawn him toward that dark alley in Caltheris, where Lord Bavrick had attacked Evelyne. He thought of the moment his hand pressed to the soil and power surged through him—strange, yet evidently right. Of the way the land had guided his steps, leading them to safety time and again. Of the darkness in his mind recoiling, as though something greater had risen to meet it.

His hands began to tremble. “What am I?” he asked softly. “What are we?”

Vera smiled. “We are chosen,” she said. “Given warnings so that we may protect our land. And you, Alaric, must try to remember what the darkness whispered to you.”

Alaric swallowed.

“Because I am a seer,” he murmured.

Chapter 44

The morning sun had only just begun its slow ascent above the orchard fields when Evelyne stepped into the clearing where the packs had made their temporary camp. The air still held the cool hush of dawn, dew clinging to the grass beneath her boots as the first strands of light filtered softly through the trees.

Evelyne paused at the edge of the clearing, letting her gaze move across the gathered wolves. Members of the Ironwolf pack stood loosely in formation, stretching or speaking among themselves as they prepared for the morning’s training, but it was the newer faces that drew her attention most.

The Oathroot pack stood close together, as they so often did, and the moment she entered the clearing, their attention shifted toward her. Their conversations softened, their movements slowed, and even those who had been facing away turned slightly in her direction, as though waiting for her guidance.

Evelyne released a small breath. She understood their gratitude. She had helped free them from the tunnels and guide them back to safety, so perhaps it was only natural that they looked to her now. Still, it felt strange that their attention settled on her rather than Holden, or even the seasoned warriors of Ironwolf. Perhaps they were simply lost after everything they had endured, shaken and searching for someone to trust. Somehow, impossibly, they seemed to have chosen her.

Lifting her chin, Evelyne stepped into the center of the clearing. “Again,” she called.

At once, the Oathroot wolves returned to their stances.

“Keep your weight grounded,” she instructed, then nodded toward Kaldrek. “And listen carefully to him. To all of Ironwolf, in fact. They know what they are doing.”

They nodded, and Evelyne turned toward Heidara, who was already waiting for her.

It was time to train.

Evelyne met Heidara’s attacks with ease, catching each movement and turning every swing or kick aside with practiced precision. Around them, the others copied her form while listening closely to Kaldrek’s instructions from the front. Every so often, she glanced over her shoulder to be certain they were keeping pace.

She had finally learned a few of their names as well. The dark-haired male to her right was Zade, younger than most and likely near her own age, with overgrown bangs he kept shaking from his eyes as he mirrored her stance. He moved quickly and instinctively, though his strikes still carried a hint of doubt, as if he had not yet learned to trust his own strength. Evelyne could tell he’d pick it up soon enough. He was attentive and clearly willing to learn.

Beside him, Wren adjusted his footing, his long auburn hair tied loosely at his back, his freckles catching the early light across his face. He looked a few years older than Zade, but the two stayed near one another like very close friends. Wren watched Evelyne more than his own partner, studying each movement carefully before attempting it himself. She appreciated that caution and the willingness to understand before rushing into a new maneuver. Strangely, she also found she did not mind being looked to for guidance. She no longer felt lost in training. She felt capable and strong.

Kaura, Evelyne had learned, was the middle-aged female who favored silence, though loyalty seemed to live in every line of her. She stood farther ahead, paired with one of the Ironwolf females, her posture steady and her expression set with determination. There was strength in her too, and not a trace of uncertainty.

These wolves were not unskilled. They were simply unformed, and until now, unled.

Heidara stepped back from Evelyne and gave a small nod. “You’re getting better.”

“Thanks, though I think my partner is taking it easy on me.”

Heidara grinned, but her attention flicked briefly past Evelyne to where Alaric now approached the clearing.

He had arrived sometime after the others, as he had each morning since returning home. Though he still slept at the Stonebridge estate, it had become something of an unspoken certainty he would be here by sunrise.

As though he belonged.