Heir To The Iron Crown: Dyrith

10 - Tíunda

We'd been driving for hours; stopping at stations, eating together in the car, and talking about our lives ever since I left. Even with my anxious thoughts simmering in the back of my mind, I felt content in Valente's company.

I didn't realize when I had fallen asleep. The last thing I remembered was hearing his soft humming to a song we both loved as it played on the radio.

I'd woken up to find myself lying inside the cottage. It was empty, as it always was in my dreams, but I didn't know what color was painted on its walls outside tonight.

The cottage was usually an object of adornment here, but today, it seemed to play a bigger part.

"May I come in?" said a deep voice.

The words were spoken, but I heard them in my head. It felt as if the voice wasn't just asking for permission to share this small space with me, but asking permission to enter my mind.

The door was slightly ajar, and I could tell my guest was now right outside the door.

"Yes," I called out, now sitting up.

I watched the door being nudged open by the snout of a large black wolf, who then stepped inside to sit right in front of me.

He looked so familiar.

"Svartur?" I asked, my mind immediately rushing to the most recent black wolf I'd seen in a dream.

"I see you've met my brother," the wolf said.

Svartur has a brother?

"Open your senses Rayne," I heard his voice in my head again.

I felt Ima push through my subconscious state to take control of my body.

That is when his scent hit me.

I immediately recognized my mate. This was Valente's wolf.

"Sterkur," I said, breaking into a smile, and then a small laugh.

I realized that I'd never even had a proper conversation with him.

He seemed to be a complete contrast to Valente. Sterkur was serious and poised whereas Valente was softer and a lot more relaxed.

The stark differences that immediately came across made me wonder how they got along sharing the same mind.

But then again, I was different from Imadis too, and we complemented each other quite well.

I crawled towards Sterkur till I reached close, and touched his raven pelt. The mate bond ran through me so strongly that I almost took my hand back from the sudden rush that I felt.

Almost.

He was much taller than me even as he sat, completely dwarving me with his height.

I slowly wrapped my arms around him, pulling him close to me. I heard a soft, satisfied hum come from him which reverberated through me.

"I've wanted to see you for so long Rayne," he said. "Not through his eyes, but my own."

Sterkur sent through me a feeling of comfort and safety, a sense of belonging.

His Alpha strength would be visible from miles away, and he was much larger than when I'd last seen him as Valente shifted for the very first time.

Sterkur didn't seem one to express himself. He remained quiet as I held him, unmoving.

As I let go, I heard his voice in my mind again.