Page 57 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

Freya

We gathered at the edge of Frost Fang packlands.

The nervous energy humming through the Frost Fang pack bond was strong enough that Gage couldn’t hold it all back.

The feeling of unease bled through to all of us, and I was probably contributing my own fair share. My body felt charged with electricity.

The fragile connection I held with Heath felt like a delicate thread I was terrified would snap if I stopped focusing on it. For hours, Zak and I had worked to establish this tenuous link, and even now it took constant concentration to maintain.

“Hold on, Heath. We’re coming.”

I felt his response — faint, a whisper from miles away, but unmistakably him. The witches’ curse had weakened him terribly, but with my Odinswolf vision, I’d been able to see our broken bonds and retether him to me, though he hung on by a mere thread now.

Our weakened bond was only a shadow of what it had been, probably because I’d only managed to tether myself to his human side, not his whole being. His wolf remained trapped somewhere deep inside him, unreachable even to Heath himself. The thought of it made my blood boil .

Around me, my mates and allies prepared for battle.

Gage stood tall, giving orders to the Frost Fang wolves who’d joined our cause, and his eyes shone gold through it all.

Through our mate bond, I sensed his desperate need to reach Heath and the fear he tried so hard to hide behind his alpha mask even while his wolf tried to break free and run to him.

Each time I managed to strengthen the connection to Heath, Gage’s eyes would snap to mine with such raw hope it made my chest ache.

Flint paced nearby, checking and rechecking his weapons with mechanical precision.

His golden eyes kept darting to the tree line, as if he could somehow see through the forest to where Heath was being held.

Through our bond, his emotions pulsed with a mixture of guilt and rage — guilt that he hadn’t gone with Heath, rage at what had been done to him.

Seeing Flint ride the edge of that rage reminded me that my usually kind, protective mate was every bit the killer that my other alpha mates were.

Rowan remained in wolf form, his massive black-furred body tense and ready to spring.

He’d been the quietest through our bond, but his silence spoke volumes.

Roiling need for blood kept his wolf in vicious anticipation of the coming battle.

While we waited for our backup to arrive, he often circled back around to sniff and brush against me, as if reassuring himself I was still there, still safe.

And then there was Zak, his face drawn with concentration as he helped me maintain the connection to Heath. His dark eyes met mine, determination burning in their depths.

“It’s holding,” he murmured. “But we need to destroy that stone as soon as possible.”

Flint nodded his agreement, as though it were already decided, victory in our grasp. “We will.”

“And the witches who made it,” Rowan growled in our minds.

The longer Heath remained under the witches’ curse, the more damage it could do. Tor’s words resurfaced in my mind as clearly as if he’d just spoken them again.

“Freya, they’re not just blocking the wolves’ ability to shift. They’re draining their life force. It’s an ancient, forbidden practice. ”

A commotion at the edge of our camp drew my attention. A group of wolves emerged from the trees, led by a familiar figure — Artemis, the female alpha of the Bloody Dawn pack. Relief washed through me at the sight of our allies.

Though it had only been a little over a month since I’d last seen them, Artemis seemed older, more mature, like she had finally accepted the role and responsibilities of being alpha to her small pack of survivors.

I didn’t spot Hank with them, which made me wonder how they’d convinced the old warrior to stay behind.

Gage moved to greet them, assuming the role of diplomat in Heath’s absence. I should have been paying attention as they planned their next moves, but my focus remained on the fragile bond with Heath. Through it, I could sense his weakened state even while he dozed, trapped in the jail cell.

The moment my concentration wavered, I might drop the tenuous thread connecting me to Heath. And losing him again would cripple me, possibly at a critical moment.

“It takes too much concentration,” I murmured to Zak. “If we go into battle like this, we’re sure to drop the link.”

For his sake and mine, I couldn’t let that happen. Heath would never forgive me if I let a moment’s distraction and grief get me injured in the battle to save him.

Closing my eyes, I visualized the bonds as an Odinswolf.

In my mind’s eye, I could see the glowing bonds that connected me to each of my mates — strong, vibrant cords of light binding my Bonded to me, braided with our mate bonds.

Heath’s cord remained attached only by a single thread, severed by the witches’ magic.

“Let me lend you my magic, my dear pupil,” Zak’s warm voice in my ear sent heat flooding through my body, reminding me that my next heat might not be far off, now that our wolves had met.

With the surge of Zak’s magic, my mental landscape seemed to gain clarity, and I caught sight of all the threads of my connection with Heath, each one severed and floating in the winds of consciousness.

With Zak’s help, I mentally reached for two of the threads, braiding them together around the sole thread that currently connected me to Heath.

Drawing on the power of our Bonded connection to strengthen it, I reattached those two threads as well.

My mind’s eye caught sight of so many threads that needed to be braided back in to remake the strong cord our bond had once been, but I feared we didn’t have time for that right now.

“Freya?” Heath’s voice came through, stronger this time. “You shouldn’t be doing this. It’s a trap. They want your magic.”

“I know, but I don’t care,” I sent back fiercely. “We’re coming for you. All of us.”

I felt his fear spike through our tenuous connection. “Freya, they’ll drain you and Zak both. That’s what this has all been about.”

“Let them try,” I growled, my determination unwavering.

Only when I opened my eyes to find Gage watching me with his intense sky-blue gaze, did I realize I’d projected that last part to all my Bonded.

“You reached him,” he said.

“Yes,” I confirmed. “But he says it’s a trap. They’re expecting us — especially me and Zak. They want our magic.”

“Of course they do,” Brielle said, joining our circle.

Her red hair was freshly rebraided for battle.

“They call us abominations, but the truth is, they’re jealous of our combined magics.

To a coven who clearly has no qualms about stealing other beings’ life force, we’re like walking power sources. ”

Zak nodded grimly. “They’ll try to drain us and channel our power into their spells. It’s forbidden, but the Ashworth Coven is as underhanded as they come.”

“Then let’s use that against them,” I said. “Let me be the bait.”

Rowan growled, his hackles rising. “We won’t dangle you in front of those witches.”

“Freya, I know you’re strong enough to fight back, but I want you close,” Gage replied. The desperation in his eyes told me why… He feared losing both Heath and me.

Brielle looked between us, and she must have seen the determination in my gaze, because she said, “Let Freya and Zak be the bait, and I’ll spring the trap.”

Gage sighed, then nodded. “A multi-pronged attack is more likely to lead us to victory. It’ll keep them guessing, unsure where we’ll strike next.

Our Frost Fang allies will spread throughout the packlands, creating chaos wherever they can and rescuing their family members if they can.

Flint, Rowan, and I will go straight for Dryden at the pack house. ”

“And I’ll play bait,” I said.

“With Zak at your side,” Gage agreed. “You and Zak will draw out as many witches as possible. You’ll make them think you’re trying to reach Heath out in the open.

Those greedy bitches won’t be able to resist hunting you, leaving Dryden vulnerable.

They won’t know there’s a third hybrid in play. And while their focus is on you…”

He nodded at Brielle, who grinned.

“Perfect,” she said.

Flint approached, pulling me against his hard body and bringing me up to speed. “Artemis and the Bloody Dawn have agreed to head for the jail to free Heath and the others.”

I leaned back in Flint’s strong arms, taking comfort in the contact. My trust in Brielle was unshakable, but there were a lot of ways this could go wrong. We all knew it.

Still, Gage’s unwavering voice reassured me.

“Then we’re ready to strike from multiple directions.

They can’t defend against all of us at once.

” He raised his voice so everyone nearby could hear.

“Remember, we’re not here to win a war against an entire coven.

We get Heath out, we rescue as many Frost Fang wolves as we can, and we disrupt their operations enough to buy time.

Then we get out before they can regroup. ”

The confidence in his voice and along the bond had my spine straightening with pride.

“Hit and run,” Flint reinforced the pack alpha’s words. “Chaos and extraction.”

Gage’s fierce expression softened as he put a knuckle under my chin, raising my eyes to his. “Promise me you’ll be careful. I can’t lose you too.”

I’d once believed I needed to earn my place in the Howling Echo pack. To truly belong, to be considered strong enough to hold up my own end of the battle strategy… it filled me with a power all its own .

“We’re not losing anyone today,” I assured him, stretching up to press my lips to his. “We’re getting Heath back.”

Gage nodded, his forehead resting against mine for a moment before he pulled away. “Everyone knows their roles. We move in five minutes.”