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He ran.

Fast. Hard. Everything inside him going hot, his bear roaring awake like it had waited for this.

He reached them in seconds, skidding into a full stop in front of the children, spreading his arms wide like a wall of flesh and bone and fury.

The roots came fast.

He threw up his hands and growled—not a human sound, but something older, something guttural and full of alpha heat. His palms sparked, and the protective glyphs tattooed on his forearms glowed gold. A shield shimmered to life just in time to deflect the first root.

It slammed into the barrier and recoiled with a shriek like splitting wood.

Miss Pepper was already grabbing children by the collar, shouting, “Inside! Go, go, go!”

The shimmer in the ground followed her words, surging again—slithering toward another child who’d frozen in panic.

Rollo scooped him up with one arm. “Hold on, kiddo.”

The boy clutched his shirt with tiny fingers, shaking.

Behind them, the woods wailed again, a chorus of snapping bark and moaning wind.

It wasn’t just a surge.

It was a message.

Rollo’s jaw clenched.

This wasn’t wild magic acting up.

This was Garrick.

He could feel it now. The thread of corrupted magic that ran under the earth like a rootworm. Slick. Slippery. It pulsed like something feeding.

That wasn’t just wild energy back there.

That wasguided.

Rollo stood slowly, breathing heavy.

Garrick’s magic had sunk into the sacred earth. Into thepulseof the woods. And it was spreading.

He turned and headed toward the apothecary, urgency in his every step.

When he pushed open the door, the soft scent of lemon balm and rosemary greeted him. Wren was in her rocker, drowsing. Thistle opened one eye, yawned, and went back to sleep.

Delilah stood behind the counter, organizing bottles with quiet focus. She looked up, and her smile faltered the moment she saw his face.

“What happened?”

“There was a surge. Forest pushed toward the school field.” His voice was low, steady, but his hands trembled slightly. “Kids are fine. Got them inside. But... it’s getting worse.”

Delilah rounded the counter, reaching for him without hesitation. “You okay?”

He nodded. “I think so. But the energy—it felt targeted. Not like the normal woodland shift.”

She studied him. “What do you think caused it?”

Rollo hesitated. Just for a heartbeat.