It had been a bit of a shock, seeing Aithne the way she was when she’d come to meet us upon the borders where we waited. She’d gotten so close to Praetor, so much so that it made me slightly uncomfortable; such proximity was reserved for family. But when the deep emerald of her eyes fell upon me I could not help the wave of my tail, pleased to see her again. To say the least, it was not under the circumstances I had once planned to visit this place. I’d always thought it would just be to visit, for Aithne to show me her home. Now everything was changed, and I had come to live here, in the place that had become her domain. She’d pointed us in the direction of a den we could use for the time being, and then she and Praetor and disappeared together. Some part of me could hardly believe it, that my brother would not stay to make sure we were settled comfortably. That was the first clue to me that something was going on between Aithne and my brother. But I’d pushed the thought aside for later and helped Tesseract to the den. I was grateful for her hospitality, though I wasn’t so sure I could say the same for my father.

Sleep had evaded me most of the night, constantly waking to check on Tesseract’s well being, until finally Praetor returned to us and I felt that I could relax again. It was not until the morning came and a gruff bark resonated into the den that I woke again. It had been such a long time since I had last slept within the confines of a den that I was startled, unsure of my surroundings and my breath catching in my throat for a moment. The soft touch of Praetor’s nose to my neck reassured me, and everything flooded back to me. Tesseract’s injury, our journey here, the den, Aithne,and the way Praetor had behaved around her. My ears flicked towards the entrance to the den, knowing my new alpha waited for me without. Would the dynamic of my being a member of her pack change the friendship we had once formed deep within the bowels of the grotto? I doubted it, she had never come off as that sort of wolf.

Emerging from the den I could not help but smile as light lavender eyes found her excitedly waiting for me. Despite all my reservations and sorrows about leaving my home behind me, I craved to learn more about Iromar and what my life would be like here. The prospect of a life here under her rule was far more tolerable than living beneath the paw of one such as Andras. Aithne had once told me that if I had ever wanted to visit it would only be safe if I was here as her guest.

My eyes could not help but venture to the wounds that had been so fresh and bleeding when she’d greeted us the day before. Searching eyes saw that they seemed better today, not so raw and painful, and I gave the tiniest of nods in approval. “Will you show me your home then, Aithne?” It was an offer that I was long overdue on accepting, but there was no time like the present. Only when she agreed and began to lead me in whichever direction she chose would I fall into step beside her.