Page 58 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

As the others dispersed to make final preparations, I turned to Zak and Brielle. “So, we’re the bait.”

Zak’s lips curved in a grim smile. “And what a pretty temptation you are.”

“You too,” I told him, pulling him down for a kiss.

Brielle cleared her throat, and we broke apart like two teens caught in the light of day. “Just don’t get distracted.”

She was right. I double-checked my bond with Heath to find the three strands loosely braided together. I tightened and strengthened them, then caught another thread and braided it in for good measure.

“The Bloody Dawn will rescue you,” I told Heath. “Zak and I are playing bait for the witches. Brielle will catch them off guard.”

“Be careful,” he warned, and though the bond was weak, his love and desperation poured through to me.

Five minutes later, we were on the move.

I shifted into my wolf form, my white coat gleaming in the morning light.

Brielle shifted as well, her reddish-brown wolf sleek and powerful.

Though much smaller than an alpha, her calm, quiet energy made her seem every bit as fierce.

Zak remained in human form, his magic flowing around him in an aura visible to my hybrid eyes.

Through the Bonded link, I sensed Gage, Flint, and Rowan moving together like deadly shadows through the trees, all in wolf form.

Their minds were focused, hunting instincts at the forefront as they loped in tandem toward the pack house.

The Bloody Dawn wolves, led by Artemis, circled around to approach the jail from the south, while the Frost Fang wolves with us spread out in all directions in pairs and trios.

“Stay safe,” Gage’s voice came through the Bonded link. “Remember, your job is to draw them out, not to take on the entire coven all by yourselves. Run if you have to.”

“We know,” I replied .

“Gage says to run if we have to,” Zak told Brielle, who couldn’t hear the words through our Bonded link.

We moved cautiously through the trees, Brielle trailing behind us, sticking to the long shadows created in the early morning light.

We would have to rely on visual signals to communicate with her, which would make our coordination more challenging, but her power and experience made her an invaluable ally.

As we neared the edge of the forest, I caught the scent of magic on the air — sharp and acrid, like ozone before a storm. Witches were nearby.

“They’re close,” I warned through the bond. “I can smell them.”

“Good,” Zak replied out loud. “Let’s make sure they know we’re here, too.”

With a snap of his fingers, he released a pulse of magic that rippled through the air like a beacon, creating a magical signal that no witch could miss.

We didn’t have long to wait.

Three figures stepped out from behind a house ahead of us.

The woman in the center had copper hair pulled back in a severe bun.

To her left stood a man with graying temples and cold eyes, his magic radiating outward like heat waves.

The third witch looked enough like the first woman to be her sister and moved with the same mannerisms, her dark clothing practical for battle.

All three reeked of magic so strongly it made my wolf’s hackles rise, the scent acrid and wrong in a way that spoke of power stolen rather than earned.

“Well, well,” the first woman’s voice carried across the small space between houses. “Look what we have here.”

I growled low in my throat. Beside me, Zak straightened, his expression hardening.

“You must be from the Ashworth Coven,” he called out, his voice steady despite the danger. “I’ve heard all kinds of bad things about you.”

The sister’s lips curved in a cold smile. “Can’t say the same, but I’m happy we’ll have time to get acquainted. ”

Through our bond, Heath’s fear spiked. “Freya, get out of there! That’s Mabel and her sister. They’re dangerous.”

“So am I,” I replied, gathering my power.

“I say we drain them and be done with them,” the man said dismissively.

A chill ran down my spine at his words. The witches began to advance, their hands weaving complex patterns in the air.

I felt the magic building around them, pressing against my senses like a physical weight.

The lightning in my white fur sparked to life, ready to give them a taste of the magic that had ended my aunt Pandora’s life.

An image of the sister pulsed through the bond from Zak, directing my attack. I lunged at her, and she cried out in surprise, her spell faltering as she scrambled backward. Zak’s magic surged, a shield forming around me as I attacked, deflecting the hasty counterspell the male witch threw at me.

Behind us, Brielle had circled around, using our distraction to get behind the witches. She struck, her small wolf bowling over my original target and ending her with a vicious snap of her jaws.

Mabel’s sharp cry as her sister fell caused me to freeze.

The clearing erupted into chaos. Magic crackled along Zak’s shield, seeking weaknesses.

To my amazement, Brielle put up a shield while in wolf form.

Meanwhile, my Odinswolf magic rose, the lightning that sometimes flickered through my white fur now glowing visibly.

“They didn’t expect us to attack first,” Zak noted silently, his satisfaction evident as he deflected another spell. “They thought we’d be defensive.”

“Their mistake,” I growled, circling the male witch who was now backing away, his confidence clearly shaken.

“What is that?” Mabel cried, staring at me.

“Abomination!” the male witch answered, casting at me, his spell sliding uselessly along Zak’s shield.

Through our bond, I caught flashes of what was happening elsewhere.

Gage, Flint, and Rowan had reached the pack house, engaging with the witches guarding it.

The Frost Fang volunteers were creating chaos, drawing attention away from the rest of us as Artemis’s pack approached the jail, their movements catching the corner of my eye.

“We need to keep them distracted from the jail,” I told Zak.

He traded spells with the male witch while warning me, “I never studied much battle magic.”

The witch lunged forward with a desperate snarl, his face twisted with rage. His magic smelled of burnt copper and desperation as he cast wildly, his spells unleashing raw, unstable power. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he poured everything he had into trying to break through Zak’s defenses.

His undirected magic caught me off guard, slamming into my side with enough force to knock me off my feet. Pain lanced through me, but my wolf shook it off with a whimper.

Zak’s fury exploded through our bond when he saw me fall. With a gesture that seemed to tear the very air, he unleashed a spell that sent the witch flying backward, crashing into a wall with a sickening crunch.

“Looks like you studied enough,” I chuckled through our bond.

I rose to my paws, determining I wasn’t injured, only shaken. Brielle circled Mabel, who stood alone, her fingertip drawing a sigil that made the air shimmer around her.

“You’re all nothing but abominations,” Mabel hissed, her eyes darting around to each of us. “Magic wasn’t meant to mix with beast blood.”

I growled, low and threatening, as I stalked toward her. Through the bond, I felt Zak’s agreement as he moved to flank her from the other side.

“Look in a mirror,” Zak said, his voice deceptively calm. “Anyone who would torture innocents is the true abomination.”

I shifted, standing naked next to Zak, feeling my magic pulse in harmony with his. We needed to keep them distracted here, and the magic we’d thrown around so far should bring other witches down on us instead of the Bloody Dawn.

“Three hybrids against one witch,” I said, my voice cold. “Not good odds for you.”

Fear flashed across Mabel’s face, but she steeled herself, her hands moving in a complex pattern. “You’re pathetic if you think three hybrids can stand up to one of us. Dryden was right about you all.”

“Dryden,” I spat the name like a curse. “The alpha who betrays his own kind to witches.”

Through our bond, I caught a surge of fury from Gage at the mention of Dryden. They must have encountered him at the pack house.

Mabel’s lips curved in a cruel smile. “He understands the natural order. Wolves serve witches. It’s how it should be.”

Before she could finish her spell, Zak struck. His magic lashed out, wrapping around her like a vise. Mabel gasped, her spell collapsing as her concentration broke.

“Now,” Zak said quietly to me.

Together, we sent a combined arc of fire over to the bound witch. Our magic combined with Brielle’s to create something new and powerful. The three of us, each a blend of wolf and witch, channeled our power into a single, deadly purpose.

Mabel screamed as our combined magic tore through her defenses, tearing away the protective spells around her.

Zak’s magic ripped away her own protective pendant, and the last of her defenses crumbled.

When it was over, her charred body lay still on the ground, her eyes staring sightlessly at the sky.

I exhaled slowly. Maybe I should have felt bad for consciously using my magic to kill for the first time ever.

But the rush of victory flooding through me eclipsed my horror at killing someone in such a way.

She deserved it, even though she hadn’t suffered one-tenth of what she’d put our packmates through.

My wolf rose up, growling, Find mate.

The bond carried my other mates’ response to our success — a primal satisfaction that sent a shiver of arousal down my spine.

“Most of the witches at the pack house are down,” Gage reported with the excitement of a hunt gone well. “Dryden’s barricaded himself in the throne room with two more.”

“Heath?” I called through our fragile connection.

“The Bloody Dawn is here,” Heath replied, his voice stronger than before. “Artemis is unlocking the cells. Freya, I’m not sure all of them are capable of fleeing. They’re so weak.”