Page 51 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

Quickly, we brought them up to speed on what we’d learned. Freya’s expression grew darker with each detail, and Flint’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. Brielle looked like she’d smelled a foul odor.

“So this is what Dryden was doing to those Elder Forest wolves.” Freya’s voice went tight with anger. “And now he’s looking for me and Heath?”

“It seems that way,” I confirmed.

Brielle, who had been listening silently, finally spoke. “These witches came up through Elder Forest from Colorado?”

“We believe so,” Heath said.

“The Ashworth Coven.” Her voice held a note of recognition. “They’ve always been fascinated by different types of magic. I’ve heard rumors they’ve been researching how to trap shifters in their human forms.”

“I’ve heard the same,” Zak agreed.

Brielle’s green eyes flashed. “They’re powerful, ambitious, and utterly without moral constraints. If they’ve developed a method to block shifting, it’s not out of scientific curiosity — it’s a weapon.”

“Could you help us counter it?” I asked.

She considered the question. “Possibly. Like Zak said, having access both to the victim and to the object the curse is tied to would help us figure it out much faster.” She glanced around at all of us, her expression grim.

“This isn’t the first time witches and shifters have clashed. It’s happened throughout history.”

“And how did those end?” Flint asked quietly.

“Usually with a lot of dead shifters. Magic that interferes with shifting is inherently destabilizing. The wolf and human aspects of a shifter exist in balance — disrupt that balance, and the result is often fatal.” She tilted her head, looking at Zak. “I see you’ve managed to balance yours.”

Zak nodded. “Freya helped my wolf break free. I’ve been practicing shifting with the alphas this morning.”

Brielle’s grim smile turned down with Heath’s next somber words.

“Veronica’s littermate might not survive much longer.”

“I wouldn’t expect so,” Brielle agreed. “Not long after the Cosmic Shift, when so many humans suddenly gained magic and shifter abilities, a lot of experiments were done. Witches developed a spell to identify shifters living among humans by preventing them from changing forms, driving them mad until they could no longer hide. They would come begging for the antidote. In response, the Chicago Collective formed as a coalition of packs and sympathetic mages who considered it a cruel curse and developed a counter to it.”

“Could we use that?” Freya asked eagerly.

“The specifics have been lost to time,” Brielle admitted. “But the principle remains. Magic can counter magic. If you and Zak recognize the technique, that gives us an advantage.”

“Did you bring the protective amulets you’ve been working on?” Zak asked Brielle.

“Yes, and I’ll want each of you to have one.”

Heath ran a hand through his hair. “What about something that can mask my scent so I can lie to a fellow shifter?”

“Good call.” Zak nodded, his expression serious. “I’ll need a few things, but yes.”

While Zak and Brielle gathered supplies, we discussed the plan in greater detail.

Heath would approach his father, claiming to have grown disillusioned with the Howling Echo and with sharing Freya with other mates.

He would gather as much information as possible about the witches’ methods and relay it back through the Bonded link.

Since he would be in human form, no one would suspect he was communicating with his packmates.

“But he’ll know you can communicate with me, through the mate bond,” Freya pointed out.

“I’ll just have to convince him you’re too busy with your other mates to care about me. I’ll tell him Gage outranks me and jealously keeps you for himself, and I’m sick of it. Dryden will believe it. He told me something like that would happen, and he loves nothing more than to be proven right.”

“Good,” I said. “The rest of us will position ourselves just outside Frost Fang territory. Close enough to move quickly if Heath needs extraction. No doubt some of our fellow Frost Fang packmates will want to join us once they find out what’s happening.”

“I don’t like this,” Freya said, echoing my earlier sentiment. “It’s too dangerous.”

Heath’s expression softened as he looked at her. “I’ll be careful, little wolf.”

“You’d better be,” she warned, her voice fierce despite the fear in the bond.

I turned to Flint. “Contact Artemis and the Bloody Dawn. We might need the extra numbers.”

They’d gone on a job Flint had set up for them when one of our old contacts reached out to us, hoping for our help. With that job over, it wouldn’t take much for the nomadic pack to meet us at Frost Fang.

Flint nodded, pulling out his phone.

As he typed, I added, “Tell Artemis and Hank we’ll make it worth their while. Both the Howling Echo and Frost Fang will owe them. Since the Bloody Dawn is still rebuilding, Frost Fang can offer resources after we handle these witches.”

Zak and Brielle returned with a small leather pouch and a silver pendant on a chain. They both worked quickly, their fingers tracing symbols in the air that shimmered briefly before fading. The pendant in Brielle’s hands began to glow with a soft red light.

“This pendant will offer some protection against magical attacks,” she explained. “It’s nowhere near powerful enough to block a full coven, but it might give you a moment to get away if they try to use the suppression spell on you.”

Heath ducked his head, and Brielle slipped the chain around his neck.

Heath tucked the pendant beneath his shirt. “Thanks.”

Zak handed him the small pouch. “Keep this in your sling bag. The scent will help confuse Dryden when he sniffs to see if you’re lying.”

Brielle added, “As for other telltale signs like your heart rate… I suggest you make sure you practice what you’ll say in advance and keep it simple.”

Freya stepped forward, placing her hand over Heath’s heart where the pendant lay hidden. She closed her eyes, and though I couldn’t see any visible change, I felt a surge of power through our Bonded link. Heath took a step back as if to catch his balance, his eyes widening slightly.

“What did you do?” he asked.

“Added my own protection,” she said simply. “Even tough alphas need someone watching over them sometimes.”

The tenderness in her voice made something in my chest tighten. Heath pulled her into a fierce embrace, burying his face in her hair.

“I’ll come back to you,” he promised. “To all of you.”

When they kissed, it looked like they meant to devour one another.

Brielle looked away, rolling her eyes with a smile that showed she wasn’t as annoyed as she appeared.

I wasn’t embarrassed, but as I watched, I noticed this wasn’t the playful affection I’d grown used to seeing between them.

This was desperate, claiming, as if he could pour all his love and fear into that single moment of connection.

Freya’s hands fisted in his hair, holding him to her like she could keep him safe through will alone.

“Come back to me,” she whispered against his lips, and the raw emotion in her voice made my chest tight.

When Heath turned to me, something shifted in the air between us. All the things we’d been dancing around, all the feelings we’d been too careful to name, crystallized in that moment.

“Be careful,” I managed, my voice rougher than intended .

His smile was gentle, understanding. “Like I said, I’ll come back to you all.”

He stepped closer, close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from his body. Then, with a glance at the others that held a hint of defiance, he leaned in and pressed his lips to mine.

The kiss was brief but charged with emotion — fear, determination, and something deeper that neither of us had fully acknowledged.

It felt like a promise and a plea rolled into one.

My wolf howled silently, recognizing what my human mind was still struggling to accept — that Heath was mine to protect, mine to lose.

“That better not be a kiss goodbye,” I growled.

His eyes held mine. “Take care of our pack while I’m gone.”

“Come back in one piece,” I ordered with the full weight of my alpha command behind it, even though it would have little effect against his own dominance.

His laugh was warm despite the tension. “Yes, alpha.”

Zak approached next, his expression serious. “The charms will help, but be vigilant. Witches are masters of misdirection.”

“I’ll be on my guard,” Heath assured him.

They stared at each other for a long moment, and I mentally whispered to Heath, “You’ve already kissed, and done a hell of a lot more besides. Just kiss the mage, already.”

His mental chuckle reached me a moment before he grabbed the back of Zak’s neck and pulled him in.

The hybrid whimpered against Heath’s lips, and I found my dick taking notice.

Their kiss was deeper and more confident than I would have expected from our newest packmate.

When they separated, Heath looked pleasantly stunned.

“Something to remember us by,” Zak winked. “Something to come back to.”

Flint was the last to approach, pulling Heath into a bear hug. “Don’t do anything stupid,” he muttered.

“I’ll be back before you know it,” Heath promised.

Heath nodded to Brielle as she said, “Good luck.”

“Take the Jeep,” I suggested.

He nodded in acknowledgment, not looking back, though I felt his gratitude through the bond .

“If things go south, we have allies nearby,” I reminded both him and myself. “The Bloody Dawn will bring backup.”

As we watched Heath walk away, I couldn’t shake the sense of foreboding that settled over me. Despite all our precautions, Heath was walking into the den of a man who had already proven he would sacrifice anyone for power — even his own children.

“He’ll be alright,” Freya said, slipping her hand into mine.

“He better be.” I squeezed her fingers, drawing strength from her presence. Then I turned to Brielle, “Frost Fang isn’t your pack. This isn’t your fight.”

Brielle turned to Freya. “Do you want me there?”

Freya’s answer surprised me. “You might be able to sense the witches’ magic before we can. And having three mages on our side might prove useful.”

Brielle nodded. “Especially when it comes time to counter the curse. Those wolves will need all the help they can get.”

“Very well.” I nodded. “Thanks for joining us.”

She dipped her head. “I hope I can help.”

“Let’s gather our supplies so we can get into position, too. If anything goes wrong, we’ll be ready.”

Flint, Zak, and Brielle left to gather supplies. Freya stayed by my side, hand in hand. Then I summoned the rest of our nearby packmates.

The Frost Fang wolves who had followed us here gathered quickly, and I explained the situation in terse terms. I gave them an out and told each of them it was their individual decision.

None of us would hold it against them if they decided to stay behind and guard our camp.

Most of the former Ironwood refugees decided to do just that.

“For those of you staying behind, we appreciate you guarding our temporary home and keeping the fires stoked for our return. For those of you joining us, I commend your bravery. We’ll move to the edge of Frost Fang territory and establish a perimeter, ready to move at a moment’s notice.”

As the rest of the pack made their preparations, Bretton approached.

“I have someone watching Veronica, don’t worry,” the beta assured me. “Dean reached Hugo and Idori. The pack alphas are putting Moonblessed on high alert and sending warnings to smaller neighboring packs.”

“And?” His grim expression suggested that wasn’t all.

“They won’t send warriors with us for an offensive strike against a full coven on another pack’s territory. Hugo said their primary responsibility is protecting Moonblessed wolves.”

I nodded, though disappointment settled in my gut. “They’ve already done more than most allies would. This isn’t their fight.”

“They did offer to take in any refugees we can get out,” Bretton added. “And Hugo said to tell you that if the witches come for Moonblessed, you’ll have their full support.”

“Understood.” What I didn’t say was that by then, it would be too little, too late. I hated that we might be even partially responsible for bringing more danger to their doorstep, but at least this time they were forewarned.

On Freya’s behalf, I asked Bretton, “Any word about Shante or Willow?”

But it was Freya who answered. “Shante said she’ll keep Willow safe. They both have protective amulets from Brielle already.”

“And they’ll be locked down with the rest of their pack, safe inside Moonblessed walls,” Bretton added.

As we prepared for our journey back to Frost Fang packlands, I cast one last look in the direction Heath had gone. My wolf howled silently, already missing him.

“Be safe,” I whispered, too quietly for anyone to hear.

Then I turned to my waiting pack, pushing aside my personal fears to be the pack alpha they needed.

“Move out.”