Page 20 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)
Zak
The caravan of vehicles slowed as we approached Moonblessed’s borders.
A few moments later, Gage broadcast to our entire Bonded link, “I’ll handle negotiations with Hugo and Idori. Keep the pack calm while you wait.”
Through our connection, I felt him pull away slightly, focusing on the diplomatic task ahead. That left me to relay his words to the shifters in the vehicle with me.
“We’ll stop here,” I said to the driver, the only Frost Fang shifter in the truck.
She nodded at me in the rearview mirror and pulled off to the side of the road. As the rest of the caravan came to a stop, so did we.
“What’s happening?” Sara whispered, tension clear in her voice.
“We’re stopping here while Gage speaks with the Moonblessed pack alphas,” I explained, keeping my tone professional. “They’ll want to know why such a large group is intruding upon their territory.”
Brooke nodded. “Freya told me Hugo and Idori are fair leaders. They’ll understand.”
I hoped she was right. The Howling Echo might trust Moonblessed, but I’d learned the hard way that even seemingly benevolent leaders could harbor deep prejudices against hybrids like me.
Still, we needed their help — at least temporarily, until Gage judged it safe to travel to Ironwood. He’d explained that since Frost Fang expected us to take the Ironwood refugees back to their packlands, he wanted to throw them off the trail by going to Moonblessed first.
Behind us, the rest of the convoy rolled to a stop, and I sensed Gage moving toward the Moonblessed walls through our bond.
He projected calm confidence, but I caught an undertone of wariness.
Smart alpha. After what happened with Frost Fang’s rebellion, he wouldn’t take any pack’s loyalty for granted.
I listened to the bird calls outside my open window, wishing I could be so carefree. My mind drifted to the strange circumstances I found myself in — bound as a fellow hybrid’s Bonded along with four alpha wolf shifters.
Rowan, surprisingly, had warmed to me since I’d healed his witchfire scars.
The feral alpha still kept his distance, but the wariness in his golden eyes had been replaced by something closer to acceptance.
In the bond, I felt a cautious sort of optimism when he looked at me, and I considered that progress.
Flint remained diplomatic as ever, though his observant nature made me wonder how much he saw behind my carefully constructed facade. The moonmarked wolf had a way of looking right through a person’s defenses.
As for yesterday… something had clearly gone down between Freya, Gage, and Heath.
The lingering scents in this truck told me they’d worked it out, but the tension still crackled between them like static before a storm.
Heath especially kept throwing me mixed signals — one moment eyeing me with obvious interest, the next snapping at me like I’d stepped on his tail.
And Gage… the pack alpha remained my biggest challenge.
Every time I thought I was making headway, something set us back to square one.
The way he watched me around Freya made his feelings clear enough.
Not that I could blame him — what alpha wouldn’t be pr otective of his mate?
Especially one so stunning and impressive as her.
Maybe if I could prove myself useful to the rest of the pack, show them I was more than just some sketchy witch…
The former Ironwood wolves had started coming around after I helped Sara.
If I could win over more Frost Fang wolves, demonstrate my value beyond magic, perhaps Gage would finally accept me into the pack.
I craved the Howling Echo’s pack bond, not just for the equal footing with Freya’s other mates, but also because it would definitively prove I’d rejected the Ravenscroft Coven.
Joining their pack had to be my focus now.
Everything else — the way Heath’s gaze lingered, how Gage’s dominance made my suppressed wolf want to submit — none of that mattered.
I couldn’t risk complicating things when my place here was still so uncertain.
Freya came first. The rest would have to wait.
Through our bond, I sensed Gage’s return even before he called out over the Bonded link.
“Have the pack gather round.”
“Gage brings news,” I said to the others.
When I opened the truck door, the rest hopped out with me. I gestured to the vehicles in front and behind us, and more shifters stepped out of their vehicles. Freya, Heath, Flint, and Rowan did the same.
“Let’s go see what Gage can tell us,” Heath called, and many of the shifters began disrobing, shoving their clothes into their ever-present sling bags.
As the others shifted, my own wolf whined, wanting to join them, but I ruthlessly shoved him back down.
The thought of trying to shift now, after so many years…
What if it hurt? What if I got stuck halfway, unable to shift any farther?
The coven’s suppression magic might be weakening, but the effects still lingered.
Rowan, of course, shifted the moment he had an excuse to. The massive black wolf brought up the rear, guarding the pack as always.
“Hurry along, slow walker,” he growled privately across the bond as he loped behind me.
Instead of disdain or annoyance, I sensed Rowan’s amused acceptance. He’d known I wouldn’t shift, and he’d stayed behind with me, making us the last two to catch sight of Gage. Was Rowan staying behind to keep an eye on me or to protect me in unfamiliar territory?
“Hugo and Idori have agreed to help,” Gage announced to the assembled pack as we approached. “While they can’t house everyone, they’re offering shelter to any who are wounded, pregnant, or need special care.”
He paused, his commanding presence drawing all eyes.
“For those interested in a more permanent solution, Moonblessed is open to accepting new packmates on a case by case basis. Their alpha pair rule as equals, without omega slaves or abuse of alpha commands. They follow the Old Ways of these lands, enriched by the traditions of many indigenous nations who found refuge here.”
My breath caught at how carefully he spoke, never forcing submission but offering genuine choices.
Unlike everything my coven had told me about alpha wolves, Gage wasn’t interested in wielding control over his pack mates.
This was true leadership — the kind that inspired loyalty rather than demanded it.
His raw power made my suppressed wolf want to roll over and show his belly anyway.
Flint spoke up, his deep voice carrying across the crowd of mostly wolves. “I follow the old ways of my ancestors, and I once belonged to the Moonblessed pack myself. These lands and people still hold a special place in my heart.”
“Then why did you leave?” someone called out, one of the few who had remained in her two-legged form.
A soft smile crossed Flint’s face. “Because my wolf spirit felt called elsewhere. I prefer to follow the ways of my ancestors, claiming no territory as our own. The Howling Echo offered me that freedom — but I won’t pretend it’s an easy path. Each of you must choose what’s right for you.”
“Hugo and Idori have given us until the new moon,” Gage continued. “That should give everyone time to consider their options.”
Other shifters appeared at the edge of the gathering behind Gage.
“For now, they’ve offered the rest of us space to camp in the valley.
” Gage motioned to the new arrivals, proving they hadn’t taken him by surprise.
“Our Moonblessed allies will help us find our way around the walls to our temporary camp. Only the drivers and their Moonblessed guides should stay behind to move the vehicles.”
Though the Moonblessed shifters smiled and offered help, I recognized watchful guardians when I saw them.
That was fair enough — what pack wouldn’t be wary of so many strangers on their packlands?
The Moonblessed wolves began leading small groups toward the campsite.
I watched them go, noting how naturally they moved through the forest, even those in their two-legged forms. This was a pack truly in harmony with their land.
I glanced back to see a Moonblessed shifter climbing up into the truck with the Frost Fang driver. Then I followed the rest of the pack through the woods. In the distance, I caught sight of a massive wall before the surrounding forest and the hills hid it from view.
Despite the chilly December air, the hike through the woods soon had me shedding my pea coat. Nearby, a Moonblessed wolf sniffed the air, her nostrils flaring before her gaze snapped over to me in surprise.
She narrowed her eyes, glancing at my arms, but my pea coat covered them. She probably wondered if a hybrid like me belonged among these wolf shifters, but I wouldn’t let her see my lack of a pack bite or tattoo. That would only make her more suspicious.
For the rest of the hike, I couldn’t shake her as she kept a close watch on me.
We eventually broke free of the trees into a rolling valley.
When I glanced up the slope, I caught sight of rolling farmlands stretching between the mountains all the way up to the city wall.
Finally, I caught up to those who had shifted into their wolf forms up ahead.
A Moonblessed wolf waved his arms, and our group gathered around him. My inner wolf surprised me by sizing him up and determining we were of similar rank.
“This valley has seen its share of trouble,” the Moonblessed beta explained as we surveyed the area. “Rogues kept trying to set up camp here, stealing equipment from nearby farms.”
“Until you drove them off,” I noted, eyeing the abandoned fire pits and rough-hewn benches.
“You’re welcome to use what they left behind,” the Moonblessed shifter offered, ignoring me and surveying the wolves gathered around him. “Your pack’s presence here will help ensure they don’t return. Make yourselves at home, but be on guard.”