Page 22 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)
“We left to protect the pack, and here we are again, bringing trouble to your doorstep.”
Freya’s worry spiked through our bond as her gaze landed on Willow. The sharp tang of guilt flooded our connection as her eyes fixed on her witchfire burns.
My wolf stirred restlessly beneath my skin, responding to Freya’s distress. After years of suppression, the sudden awakening of my inner beast around her still caught me off guard. Every emotion she felt seemed to resonate through my bones.
“I could heal those for you,” I offered gently.
Willow’s eyes widened as Freya’s guilt intensified. Whatever story lay behind those burns, I wouldn’t press for it.
“May I?” I held out my hands, and after a moment’s hesitation, Willow nodded.
I drew the healing sigil, letting magic flow from my fingertips as I touched Willow’s left arm. Through our connection, Freya’s awe washed over me like warm honey, sweet and golden. The burns faded under my touch, leaving unblemished skin behind.
“Here,” I said, moving behind Freya. The heat radiating from her body called to something primal in me. “Let me show you how.”
I guided Freya’s hand to Willow’s other arm, my fingers covering hers. “Feel how the energy wants to move?”
Freya’s breath hitched at my proximity, her arousal spiking through our connection like lightning. The scent of her desire mingled with her natural apple-and-sugar sweetness, creating an intoxicating cocktail. My wolf wanted to bury my face in her neck and breathe her in.
“Now draw the healing sigil with your other hand,” I managed, my voice strained.
“Like this?”
Blue light sputtered from her fingertips, and I demonstrated the sigil again without putting any magic into it. The warmth of her body pressed against my chest made it difficult to concentrate on anything beyond the way she fit perfectly against me.
“Try it again, with the intention of helping your friend feel better. ”
I grabbed her hand, guiding her through the motion as the sigil glowed bright in the air between her and Willow. The burns faded as steadier blue light flowed from Freya’s fingertips. Her magic felt different from mine — wilder and uncontained.
As Willow’s skin returned to its normal hue, Freya’s pride surged through the bond, warming me from the inside out. The emotion tasted like sunshine and victory on my tongue. Erasing her guilt with something positive sent satisfaction coursing through my veins.
“Thank you both,” Willow stepped back as soon as the magic faded, keeping her distance, though I caught no scent of fear from her.
Instead, a knowing smile played at her lips as she looked between us. The mischievous glint in her eyes suggested she saw exactly how affected we both were by our close contact.
“You’re lucky to have so many caring mates, Freya.”
Freya leaned back against my chest, and I tentatively wrapped my arms around her, grateful for more contact but wary of the public display. I longed to nuzzle into her hair and fill my lungs with her scent.
“I am,” Freya said in a throaty voice that sent heat straight to my groin. Good thing she was standing in front of me.
“Oh! Before I forget,” Willow added. “Your mother, Kaydence, wants to visit. She’s been asking about you.”
“I guess she’ll need to come out here to see me,” Freya said, frustration and dismay flooding our bond with bitter undertones. “Since hybrids apparently aren’t allowed inside Moonblessed walls.”
Shante frowned. “They’ll come to their senses eventually.”
Freya sighed, the sound vibrating against my chest. “Maybe once I prove to Hugo and Idori that I’ve mastered my magic.” She glanced back at me, her snow-blue eyes meeting mine. “So, I should probably start practicing with Zak.”
“Of course,” Willow smiled. “Come on, Shante. Let’s go introduce you to Brooke and the others.”
As they walked away, I tried to ignore how perfectly Freya’s curves molded against my body, how her scent had embedded itself in my clothes, how my wolf whined at the thought of letting her go. The beast had been dormant for so long that these sudden, overwhelming urges left me reeling.
“Let’s try some levitation,” I suggested, my voice still rough with barely controlled desire. “That’ll be helpful as we set up camp.”
“What should I practice on?” Freya asked, her elation at healing Willow fading into wariness as she glanced around.
“Let’s start with this tent,” I suggested, gesturing to the bag someone had left behind as they unpacked the vehicles. “It’s lightweight. It’ll be perfect for your first time.”
Freya’s cheeks blushed prettily, her eyes lingering on me. I used magic to lift the tent bag, peeling the bag away from the poles before setting them down in front of Freya.
“And thanks to Heath, I now know how all of these sticks fit together.”
Freya chuckled as I separated out the poles.
“Okay, now, imagine that you want these poles to form together to fit the skeleton of the tent. Hold the idea of the tent in your mind. And then start with the first two poles.”
She stared down at them, and the poles began to tremble, but none of them rose from the ground.
I circled her to position myself behind her again. “Stop overthinking it. When you reach for a cup, you don’t consciously tell your arm to extend, your fingers to spread and curl around the glass, your bicep to contract, your wrist to rotate, your lips to part…”
Her breath hitched as I said those last words.
I wrapped my arms around her from behind, catching her wrist and letting her feel the magic flowing through my hand.
My voice dropped lower as my hands ghosted along her arms. “You just want to drink, and your body knows what to do. Magic works the same way.”
“So just… want it to move?” She gestured at the tent pole, which shot straight up into the air, then toppled sideways with a clatter.
Several nearby shifters jumped and glared in our direction.
“Sorry!” Freya called out, then dissolved into giggles that shook her whole body against mine. “I guess I wanted it to move a little too much. ”
Her laughter was infectious, and I found myself chuckling along with her, my chest pressed to her back. “Exactly. You guide the magic so it knows what to do. Then you just have to trust it.”
She turned in my arms, her eyes bright with mirth and something deeper. Before I could react, she rose on her toes and pressed her lips to mine.
Everything I’d been holding back — desire, longing, need — flooded through our bond before I could stop it.
Her lips against mine were tentative, careful, but I wouldn’t waste this opportunity.
I cupped her cheek and kissed her with all my intentions laid bare.
With my other arm, I pulled her tight to me, licking along the seam of her lips until they parted for me.
Our tongues danced instinctively together, and I drank her in. I wanted to live the rest of my life in this moment. Nothing could be as perfect as my first kiss with Freya. All my doubts fled until she broke the kiss… then they came flooding back.
Had I gone too far? Let her feel too much? Overwhelmed her with my desires?
Unable to look her in the eyes, I buried my face in her neck, breathing her in as I’d longed to do. Her fingers traced up to play with the row of silver studs and hoops along my ear, and I shivered at her touch.
If she liked these piercings, I couldn’t wait to show her the others. The thought of her reaction when she discovered them made heat pool low in my groin.
My body burned at how desperately I craved her, and her answering hunger through our bond emboldened me. I grazed my teeth along her neck. To my shock, my wolf lunged forward inside me, my fangs lengthening.
Bite, he whined, shocking me with how close to the surface he’d come.
“Soon, my spark,” I promised both her and my wolf, whispering against her skin. “I’m going to make you see stars. Going to take you higher than any magic could.”
She hummed appreciatively but pulled back slightly. “Soon,” she said, biting her lip as she gazed into my eyes. “But for now… only kisses, okay?”
Her words confused me. Clearly, she was holding back, and the bond between us showed her leashed desire. Did she have doubts about me?
She turned away before I could spiral further. Then she raised her arms, and two tent poles suddenly lifted themselves, fitting together perfectly through their elbow joint.
Freya’s triumphant grin lit up her whole face as she glanced back to see if I’d watched.
“Well done,” I praised, winning a slight blush in exchange.
Pride swelled through me, displacing my worries. She was going to be magnificent once she came into her full power.
And when she finally let me show her exactly how I could make her body sing… I would drive her absolutely wild.