Chapter 42

Cold wind whipped through my hair as I looked down at the scene below me where two wolves fought. I could feel their anger and a hint of fear, despite my distance from them. My viewpoint gave me the full layout of the surroundings, but I couldn’t make out who the wolves were.

I took a quick note of where we were located, trying to find familiar or significant landmarks. It was valley but it was unclear where. North. The direction kept echoing through me. Pine trees gave the area a fresh smell, and there is the sound of rushing water nearby. Otherwise, the area looked like most forest areas in the state. Giving up on finding the location, I focused my attention back to the wolves.

Suddenly, I’m closer.

Much closer. Did I do that? Was I able to control what I saw? I pushed mentally to get a better view, and suddenly I’m within twenty feet of them.

I did that. I had some control in my vision world. Excitement filled me. A wounded bark pulled my attention back to the fighting wolves.

One of the wolves was dark, and huge. His eyes were crazed, and red. A reminder from my mates about rogue wolves rang through my mind. Their eyes are red, and they aren’t fully aware. This must be a rogue.

The other wolf was smaller, brown female with clear, golden eyes. She was vicious. She fought like she’d been trained. I watch in awe as she moves methodically, almost setting the rogue up for his next move so she can counter act it. It made his attacks play into her planned defenses, always staying a step ahead of the rogue.

A yelp from the larger wolf drew my attention back to him. Something about him didn’t feel as vicious and out of control as my mates made rogues sound. I reached out to try to connect with him.

I watched the cord spread towards him and watched as it connected. Emotions ran through me. It was like he was feeling everything all at the same time to extremes. I gasped as I tried to sort through them. Anger, but not at the female. Hurt and betrayal were flowing just a heavily as the anger. Then I got hit by a wave of fear.

I tried to focus on the fear. It wasn’t for himself. Instead, it was for the wolf he was fighting. He was afraid of hurting the smaller female.

Turning, I faced the female. She looked tired. They had been fighting when I entered the vision. Had they been fighting long before I’d arrived? Time was confusing to me while I was in a vision.

By the looks of her, they had been. I had to see how this ended. I imagined seeing the end of the vision, trying to fast forward what I was seeing to a quiet and calm clearing.

My magic hummed in my veins as I pulled on it to see what I wanted. Nothing happened, so I tried to pull harder. The humming turned to a burning, searing pain that coursed through my body. I kept my grasp on my magic as uncertainty swirled through my stomach.

A tugging sensation came from the magic inside me. I closed my eyes and focused on it. It was like it wanted to be let go.

Fear blossomed in my chest. There was no way I could let go. Letting go meant losing control. No control meant that I could hurt someone. Something I wouldn’t let happen again. My control, or lack of control, wouldn’t be the reason someone was hurt, again.

I had to get back to the present. Back to my mates. I’d never tried to leave a vision that started as a dream. I wasn’t sure how to do it. Usually waking up was enough pull me out. Sten had pulled me out before, but had he even noticed I wasn’t just sleeping. Had any of my mates?

The connection. In Faye’s cabin I’d left the vision by untying the knot. There had to be a connection somewhere. I pushed the panic that rising in my chest back down. In the cabin I’d created a connection and followed it. Any other time I’d used my magic there was the same connection.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Just because I hadn’t consciously created a connection didn’t mean one didn’t exist. Keeping my eyes closed I tried to see if my magic would pull me to the connection. It seemed like hours passed, and my panic was starting to resurface when I felt a familiar bond.

A connection.

I followed it, the sound of the fighting wolves growing quieter. The images were blurrier. I was leaving! I tried to bite back the excitement as I felt my own sense of consciousness grow.

My surroundings turned murkier and darker the more I walked, but it felt safe, so I continued. Then I felt it. The connection point. I willed it to disconnect, and with ease I’d never felt before the connection was lost, and everything went black.

The scents of my mates were the first thing I recognized. Then the shift of the mattress below me as one of them moved beside me. A sense of fear and concern filled my mind.

They’d realized I wasn’t just sleeping. My distress had come to their attention, and they were worried. Their emotions echoed down our bond. I focused on coming back fully to my own consciousness, their fears and concern pulling me toward it faster.

Brightness filled my vision along with four pairs of eyes staring back at me. Worry and fear filled them, just as it came down the bond. I gave a small smile, trying to help ease their concern. Relief replaced a small part of their fear, but the concern stayed.

“How long?” I asked, clearing my throat when I didn’t recognize the roughness in my voice.

“We’ve only been awake for a few minutes. You were whimpering, and we felt your panic.” Frode ran his hand over my forehead and pushed my hair back from my face.

“No one was with me?” I asked, shocked that I hadn’t pulled Sten or Frode with me.

I’d been touching both in my sleep. I was always touching at least one of them in my sleep. Usually that meant if I had a vision, they came with me.

Except the vision I didn’t understand. The one that was just flashes of images and left me vomiting the next morning. I’d been alone then, too.

Frode shook his head.

“Rogue or prophecy?” Sten asked, leaning against the headboard, and pulling me onto his lap.

“Rogue. But I’m not sure where. A forest in a valley between mountains to the north, but I don’t know specifically.” I murmured as I nuzzled into his chest.

“We’ll head that way and see if you can feel something.” Erik’s voice filtered through my ears.

“Let’s let her sleep, she’s pretty much out. Then we’ll discuss what to do. She’s not usually this tired after a vision through a dream. She must have used her magic in it. We’ll get more details before we leave.” Sten’s voice rumbled through his chest.

I nodded at his words, unsure if he understood that I was confirming his suspicion. A brief thought about how tired I’d been after working with Faye the first few times flashed through my mind. I heard mumbling around me but couldn’t make out anything that was being said as sleep pulled me back into its fold.
Claiming Their Mate
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