Page 36 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

Zak

Two days after admitting my deepest, darkest secret to Freya, I still felt like an outsider looking in.

Teaching Freya a little more each day was the easy part.

Finding my place among these alphas was proving far more challenging.

While the rest of the Frost Fang pack seemed to have settled into their new circumstances, I couldn’t seem to do the same.

Heath and Freya sat deep in conversation around a small campfire not far from the meeting tent. Fresh from a shower, her silver-white hair was straight and shiny, and my chest tightened at the sight of her.

“He hasn’t said anything over the bond yet,” Freya was saying, her voice low with concern.

“But that’s actually a good sign,” Heath countered. “If Rowan were in trouble, we’d know. When Rowan is on the hunt, he’s focused. He won’t spare a thought for us until he has something to report.”

Freya nodded, but worry still creased her brow. “I just hate that he’s back there alone. What if Fern’s people catch him?”

“Rowan’s the best at sneaking and infiltration,” Heath reassured her. “Nobody will even know he was there.”

I cleared my throat, and they both looked up. Freya’s face brightened immediately, sending a wave of warmth through what felt like my very soul.

“Good morning,” I said, settling on a log across from them. “No news from Rowan?”

From what I’d gathered, Gage had sent the massive black wolf back to Frost Fang packlands to check up on them.

Heath shook his head. “Nothing yet. He’ll check in when he can.”

A comfortable silence fell between us. I wished I’d thought to steal a grimoire from Ravenscroft before I left.

It would’ve been helpful to remind me of other intermediate spells I could teach Freya.

I’d promised to teach her a new spell today, but everything I could think of felt too advanced, and I didn’t want to discourage her.

But Heath’s next words threw all thoughts of her training out of my mind.

“Freya,” he said hesitantly, “how did you know you had multiple mates?”

My ears perked up, but I didn’t dare meet Heath’s eyes. Everything I’d learned about alphas told me they hated revealing any vulnerability. He didn’t know me very well, so the fact that he was willing to talk about this in front of me sent a shiver of anticipation down my spine.

Especially considering that my own wolf clearly craved them all… Something I feared could upset the delicate balance I’d developed with the Howling Echo so far.

Freya tilted her head. “I didn’t, at first. I thought it was my heat driving me crazy.”

“But after your heat… what then?”

Her eyes went distant, thinking back to a time before I’d known any of them.

“Then, I still thought I was crazy.” She laughed. “Honestly, it wasn’t until I was in Luka’s dungeon, staring at your unconscious bodies, and Luka accused me of loving you both that I realized… he was right.”

I must have let out some kind of a sound, because Freya and Heath both glanced over at me. Heath’s grin widened when he took in my expression. I might have the Bonded link on lockdown, but he could still read me like a book, because he said, “Don’t worry, Rowan got her out of there.”

“Obviously,” I grumbled.

“And don’t forget, Rowan killed Luka. And we proceeded to kill everyone who’d ever harmed Freya.” Heath’s words eased something in my chest.

“Good.” I took a deep breath, and Heath smiled and nodded, as if that confirmed something for him. I couldn’t imagine what.

Freya nudged Heath’s boot with her own. “Why did you ask?”

Now it was Heath’s turn to run a hand through his hair, looking uncharacteristically nervous.

“My wolf… he keeps talking about Gage like he’s my mate. But… we’re not Odinswolves. I always thought that after we took you as our mate, my wolf would settle down about Gage.”

The words flew from my mouth as I answered before Freya could. “Of course you have more than one mate. We’re all Bonded now. How else do you think this is going to work? Freya has six mates! She might be a powerful Odinswolf, but a pussy can only take so much pounding.”

Freya laughed, and Heath grinned. Freya’s amusement and agreement washing through the bond in equal measures only emboldened me to continue.

“She likes to watch us just as much as we like to watch her. Haven’t you sensed that in your mate bonds yet? She wants you together. She embraces the idea of all of us together as Bonded, no boundaries between who mates whom. She wants it. The secret truth is, we all do.”

The moment the words left my mouth, I realized I’d overstepped. Badly. I’d promised myself I wouldn’t push the alphas until Freya had fully accepted me as her mate. Heat rushed to my face, and I swallowed hard.

“I—I’m sorry,” I stammered. “That was inappropriate. I shouldn’t have—”

“No,” Freya interrupted, a smile playing at her lips. “It’s refreshing, actually.”

Before I could process her words, she rose and crossed to me, settling herself on my lap. My heart hammered against my ribs as she cupped my face in her hands.

“You’re right,” she whispered, her breath warm against my lips. “I do want to watch my mates together. I want to watch and feel everyone pleasuring everyone. I would love feeling my men’s ecstatic release through the Bonded link.”

Then she kissed me, and everything else faded away. Her lips were soft but insistent, and I melted into her touch, my hands finding her waist to steady her — and myself. Through our Bonded link, I felt her desire unfurl like a blooming flower, and my own responded in kind.

When we broke apart, I was breathless. Heath watched us with darkened eyes, his arousal evident through the bond and in the tightness of his jeans.

“Well,” he said, his voice rough. “That answers that question.”

Heavy footsteps approached, and Flint appeared, his eyes darkened at the sight of Freya on my lap.

“Starting without me?” he asked, his tone light despite the heat in his gaze.

Freya smiled up at him. “Just getting to know my newest mate a little better.”

Flint came closer, his hand reaching out to stroke Freya’s hair. The casual possessiveness of the gesture made my wolf whine, but I forced him down.

“There’s a reason you have six stars on your back, sweetheart,” Flint said, his fingers trailing down between her shoulder blades. “And why Zak has a matching half-moon tattoo in the same place we do.”

His heavy gaze on me instantly had me averting my gaze under his alpha dominance. Flint was the friendliest of them all, but my wolf never forgot the magnitude of difference between us.

“You belong with us,” Flint said like it was the most natural, most obvious thing in the world.

His words sent a surge of gratitude through me. I wanted to belong with them, but I still couldn’t accept it was true. Especially with my wolf whimpering and trapped inside me.

Freya leaned into his touch, her body still pressed against mine.

“He’s right,” she murmured .

Flint’s hand moved to the nape of her neck, and he bent to whisper something in her ear that made her shiver. The scent of her arousal intensified, and my cock hardened in response. Through our bond, I felt Heath’s hunger rising to match my own.

A low growl cut through the moment like a knife. We all turned to see Gage standing not far away, his blue eyes cold as ice.

“Main tent,” he commanded. “Now.”

My stomach dropped. I couldn’t get a read on him through the bond, but the fury in his voice was unmistakable. Freya slid from my lap, her face flushed but determined. As we followed Gage’s retreating form, my mind raced with possibilities.

Had I gone too far? I knew Gage had only permitted Freya to kiss me, so perhaps seeing her on my lap had set him off. And if he’d heard anything I’d spouted earlier…

“Don’t worry,” Flint’s voice whispered through our Bonded link. “Freya likes to challenge her mates’ dominance. She might even challenge Gage today. But in the end, he’ll make her beg, and she’ll love every second.”

His words surprised me, but I filed the information away. If I was going to survive in this pack, I needed all the intel I could get about their unfamiliar dynamics.

Both tables inside the main tent had been moved off to the sides. Maps covered one table, but what caught my attention was what now occupied the center of the large space… big, fluffy pillows, mattress pads, and blankets creating one giant bed dominating the center of the tent.

Heath glanced over at me and winked. Gage stepped in front of all of us, his posture rigid with authority.

“Freya,” he said once we were all inside, “you had something you wanted to discuss.”

She nodded, stepping forward. “I want to make Zak officially a member of the pack.”

The air in the tent grew heavier. From their expressions, I could tell this wasn’t news to any of them. They’d discussed this before — discussed it behind my back.

“And how do you propose we do that?” Gage asked, his gaze sliding to me. “Since he won’t shift, and he hasn’t proven himself yet. ”

The weight of their collective gaze pressed down on me. They knew. Without a doubt, I knew Freya must have told them about my suppressed wolf, about how I’d let the Ravenscroft Coven cage that part of me for so long.

That meant they knew I’d failed to protect that part of myself. I could feel their judgment, their doubt that I was worthy to stand beside them.

But I’d spent my entire life being judged as inadequate. I wouldn’t let it break me now. My wolf might not be ready to come out, but I wouldn’t let that stop me from trying to claim my place among them.

“What would you like me to prove?” I asked, stepping forward. “My magical abilities? My loyalty?” I paused, letting my gaze sweep over each of them. “Or perhaps… how I can please Freya?”

Heath’s lips quirked up, but Gage’s eyes flashed with challenge.

“Show us what you bring to the pack. Show us why Freya chose you in her dreams.”

“Very well.” I took a deep breath, gathering my courage.