Page 14 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

“Looking at the pack bonds again, eh?” Zak asked. When I nodded, he added, “Someone should teach you how to help your magic flourish.”

I glanced around, suddenly conscious of all the full-blooded wolf shifters around us. Frost Fang had hated us for our magic. Showing it off might cause strife here, too.

Zak smiled softly at me. “It’s time to stop hiding who we are.”

“You both deserve a fresh start,” Flint agreed.

Zak’s dark eyes held mine. “Hiding the truth of your heritage from Frost Fang added to the unrest, but now we have the chance to start anew. Are you ready to begin your training?”

I didn’t want to tell him how badly I’d already failed once before, but I spit the words out anyway.

“I tried learning from Brielle, but… she just made me hold a bowl of water and talked about how it was like my inner pool of magic.”

He took my hands, surprising me. Up until now, I’d initiated most of the contact between us.

“Let me guess. She tried teaching you based on instinct and raw power?” When I nodded, he shook his head.

“That’s the way your wolves learn to shift, but it’s not how witches are taught.

As mages, we need to express our intention with spells, incantation, or sigils, all of which are learned skills. ”

“Us mages?” The words felt strange on my tongue.

“You’re as much mage as wolf, my spark. Magic isn’t about forcing your will on the world. It’s about understanding how energy flows and learning to direct it.”

A cry of pain interrupted us. One of the female refugees from Ironwood had caught her leg on a sharp edge while helping set up shelters. The scent of blood drew concerned looks from nearby packmates.

“Allow me?” Zak moved toward her with fluid grace.

The woman — Sara, I remembered — blushed as he went to one knee beside her.

“It’s okay, I can just shift and heal.”

“Of course you can,” Zak answered softly. “But how long will it take to heal? I know you want to help your packmates set up camp. You can’t do that in your wolf form.”

“Mages can heal?” she asked hopefully.

“A little. If we’ve learned the technique.”

Something hot and possessive flared in my chest as his fingers gently probed around the wound, searching for broken bones as well. My wolf bristled at the sight, even knowing he only meant to help.

Mine, my wolf growled. Bite.

I’ve already marked him, isn’t that enough? I argued, looking at the glowing rune on his face that he hadn’t hidden since the pack meeting.

Through our bond, I caught Heath’s amusement from afar. “Jealous, little wolf?”

Before I could deny it, Zak drew a sigil in the air. Pale blue light flickered between his fingers as he placed them near the wound. Sara gasped as it sealed itself, leaving unmarked skin behind.

Zak grinned. “Good as new.”

“Thank you,” Sara breathed, her eyes lingering on him a moment too long.

“No problem. Small wounds are easy enough, but I make no promises on bigger injuries. I’m terrible with broken bones.”

My lightning crackled beneath my skin until Flint’s hand settled on my shoulder. “He only has eyes for you, moonbeam.”

Even still, I found myself moving toward Zak. Sara looked up at me, then averted her gaze. It took me a moment to realize she was showing me respect, not dropping her eyes for Flint .

It made me draw up short, my jealousy flickering out completely when Zak returned to my side. “Now, where were we?”

I took a deep breath, then stepped forward to ask Sara and my former Ironwood packmates a question. “I bet you’re all anxious to return to Ironwood now that Luka’s dead. Does it bother you being twice separated from a pack?”

“On the contrary,” Sara said, straightening.

She took two steps toward me, delight lighting her face when she moved without pain.

“I hold no love for Ironwood, and even though I’ve heard Thatcher will be a fair pack alpha, I’m in no hurry to return.”

One of her fellow packmates nodded in agreement.

“Why not?” I asked.

“Because we already follow a pack alpha who’s proven he’ll put his people’s needs ahead of his ego,” she said, gesturing toward Gage in the distance.

“And he treats his mate well,” Brooke added. “Ironwood men usually don’t give their mates an equal mate bond. Yours did, and he doesn’t even mind sharing you!”

Sara grinned. “Exactly. Why give up the chance at a better pack? I intend to follow the Howling Echo until we reach Ironwood, then make a choice. But I’m in no hurry.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” I said honestly. “Thanks for joining us.”

With a strange feeling tightening my throat, I headed back toward the kitchen setup we’d left behind when Zak went to heal Sara.

“Well done,” Flint eyed the Ironwood shifters, who were murmuring amongst themselves, their expressions content. “You’ve won over some of them, anyway.”

“It seems so.”

But why should I be surprised, when I hadn’t wanted to stay in Ironwood, either?

“If only it were so easy to win over certain alphas,” Zak winked at Flint.

Somehow that only amused my wolf. She wasn’t jealous at all when it came to Zak flirting with my men .

“Teach Freya magic and you’ll win my respect,” Flint answered with a cocky grin of his own.

“It’s a start,” Zak gave us his dazzling smile and took my hands again. “What do you say, my darling new pupil? Ready for your first proper magic lesson?”

“What can you possibly teach me in one morning?” I challenged with a smile.

“How about something practical? This will be step one to learning how to create wards.” He held out his hands, palms up. “Place your hands over mine, but don’t touch.”

Heat rose in my cheeks as I mimicked his pose. The space between our palms tingled with energy. Through our bond came Gage’s sharp attention and Rowan’s concern as they sensed my unease at trying something new. I sensed Gage and Heath moving closer.

“Good,” Zak’s praise instantly warmed my body, even though I’d done nothing amazing. “Now, feel how the energy wants to flow between us? Magic naturally seeks balance, connection.” His voice dropped lower. “Instead of forcing it, guide it. Like this…”

He drew an upside down u arch in the air between us, and a shimmer of blue light erupted from our bodies to form a translucent dome around us. The shield hummed with power, making my skin prickle. After a split second, it shimmered and disappeared.

“This is one of the most basic spells, because it’s one of our most basic needs — protection and safety from enemies or the elements. Your turn,” he murmured. “Remember — don’t force it. Listen to how it wants to move. Then draw the sigil and form your intention.”

I closed my eyes, focusing on the energy flowing between our hands. Unlike Brielle’s lessons about commanding magic, this felt more like… dancing. Following the natural rhythms of my power.

“That’s it,” Zak encouraged as light sparked between my palms.

He circled around behind me, nudging one of my arms higher in the air. His warm breath along my ear sent shivers down my spine.

“Now draw the sigil at eye level and give it the intention of protecting both of us.”

The barrier formed only in front of us, not in a full dome, and it flickered uncertainly. I focused my attention on keeping Zak safe behind me, and the shield steadied itself.

“You did it, moonbeam,” Flint smiled at me from the other side.

Pride and pleasure flowed through our bond from all my mates, and I realized Gage and Heath had returned to our side of the camp.

“Well done,” Heath said, reaching out to touch the barrier. But as he raised his hands, the shield disappeared.

“Oops.” I sighed.

“You’ll get better with practice,” Zak promised. “Besides, you set the intention for it to protect us, but you need no protection from your mates. The contradiction destroyed it, not any failing on your part.”

“Makes sense,” Heath nodded, giving me an encouraging smile. “It could prove useful.”

“I won’t risk Freya on the front lines, if it comes to that,” Gage disagreed.

“I smell something odd to the southeast,” Rowan’s mental voice interrupted. “Might be nothing, but I sense magic.”

“Don’t go alone,” Gage growled across the connection. “We just decided sentries will patrol the perimeter in pairs. Scouts will do the same further afield.”

“I could go with him to check it out,” Zak offered.

“The scent of your magic will only muddy the trail,” Rowan disagreed.

“But Zak might have better insight into whatever you discover,” I argued, knowing this might be a chance for Rowan and Zak to work together.

“I’ll watch your back, keeping behind you so as not to interfere with your tracking,” Zak conceded.

“As if I need a mage watching my back.”

“Zak, go with Rowan,” Gage ordered. “Rowan, don’t lose Freya’s fifth mate in the wildlands.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Zak grumbled.

“I’ve yet to see you shift, but your wolf is certainly slower than Rowan’s in the deep forest, trust me,” I said to sooth his ego. “Rowan glides through the woods like a shadow.”

Rowan’s mental words held slightly less hostility this time. “Just try to keep up, mage. ”

“We’ll continue your lesson when I return,” Zak promised me out loud.

His fingers brushed mine, sending sparks dancing across my skin.

“You’re a natural at this, my spark. You just needed the right teacher.”

I almost leaned toward him for a kiss, then caught myself, glancing over at Gage, Heath, and Flint. My wolf whined in frustration, and I sighed. Why did this feel so awkward?

Unaware of my consternation, Zak took off in Rowan’s direction — we could all sense him through our Bonded link.

As they headed southeast, I let my eyes unfocus just enough to reveal the bonds again.

Was it just my imagination, or did the tie between Zak and Rowan look slightly stronger than it had before?

The thought gave me hope. We might be exiles, but we were growing stronger together.

As soon as Zak disappeared from view, Gage stepped in front of me, sliding his knuckle under my chin to tilt my head up. “You trust him?”

“I do,” I answered simply.

His eyes darted from my eyes to my lips. Through our mate bond, I let Gage feel my certainty.

“And I think you’re starting to as well.”

His quiet chuckle surprised me. “Maybe. But he still has much to prove.”

“Don’t we all?” I closed my eyes as Gage leaned in to kiss me.

“I do look forward to seeing him prove himself,” Heath admitted as he caged me in from behind.

Gage and I didn’t answer, too busy exploring each other’s mouths in a kiss that was growing deeper by the second. With the two alphas’ heat enveloping me, it wasn’t long before I was panting with desire.

Gage stepped back with a sigh. “Bretton is trying to get my attention.”

“There’s always something,” I grumbled as Gage turned away to address the pack’s needs. Flint had moved away to help two Frost Fang littermates set up their tent.

“How right you are,” Heath said wistfully as his heavy arms draped around me .

I leaned back against his chest again, taking solace in the fact that we both wanted something we couldn’t have at the moment.

“Have you two gotten a chance to talk since…”

“No,” Heath answered. “You know how Gage gets — the pack needs him, and he puts them ahead of his own desires. You saw him jerk away from me touching him. The bond tells me… he feels conflicted.”

“Not about the two of you,” I shook my head, refusing to believe it. “It’s everything else.”

“If you say so.”

“I do. Like you said, he’s worried about the pack and everything that might happen next.”

“And you, little wolf?” Heath asked. “Are you worried about what happens next?”

I knew he was talking about the dynamic with my new mate.

“No,” I answered. “I’m excited. I can’t wait to get to know Zak and to meet whoever the sixth is.”

Heath nodded. “Once things are a little more stable, maybe we can send a search party out.”

“Some of us should go,” I agreed. “But for now, I’d settle for all of us talking with Zak and getting to know each other.”

“We need to make the time.”

I couldn’t wait to see what built between me and my mates, but I also knew I would feel safer exploring things with Zak if we didn’t have to worry about the larger pack’s security at the same time. Hopefully, my sixth mate would find his way to us soon so we wouldn’t have to split up.

“For now, I’m content to help the pack and learn magic,” I said.

Heath’s arms tightened around me as his unconditional love poured through our bond, twinning around his pride at my words.

We had all left our packlands behind, but we weren’t truly exiled. We’d chosen this. Together, we had the chance to build something new — something intentionally created rather than inherited or conquered.

And that might just make all the difference.

“I won’t always put the pack’s needs ahead of my own like Gage does,” I added as Heath’s body heat warmed me. “But making wards around the perimeter could be important. I want to help our new pack… and then see where things go with Zak.”

“So do I,” my alpha’s voice held a hint of power just waiting to be unleashed.

I turned in his arms, smiling up at him. “I thought you might.”

He leaned in. Just before his lips met mine he said, “I’ll always love you, little wolf. Never doubt that.”

“Never,” I agreed with a smile.

And then our lips met, and the truth of his love poured from his soul to mine. I echoed the emotion, savoring this small moment. We would carve out time for each other where we could. And in the meantime, our anticipation of what came next would only build.