Page 6 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

Heath

The frigid December wind carried whispers of discontent to our enhanced senses, along with Fern’s voice ringing out above the others. The sharp tang of aggression in the air made my nostrils flare.

The crowd continued to grow, and by the time we arrived for the emergency pack meeting it had filled the throne room and spilled outside. Gage lead us back into the packhouse through a side entrance.

“Our pack alpha hides things from us, claiming it’s for our own good. But who decides what’s good for the pack? The alphas?” Fern’s words dripped with disdain. “Or should the pack decide for itself?”

Flint’s littermate stood on the steps leading up to the throne, elevated above her audience of betas and subordinate wolves.

The strategist in me admired Fern’s charismatic ability to bend the audience to her whims. Positioning herself below the the throne was a stroke of genius, letting it stand like a monument to alpha arrogance behind her.

I scanned the room with a predator’s precision, cataloging escape routes and noting the position of the alphas scattered throughout the crowd.

Those loyal to us maintained visual contact, ready to act if Gage ordered it, while Fern’s supporters positioned themselves nearest the main doors. Classic siege tactics.

My jaw clenched as we approached the throne.

“Stay calm,” Gage ordered the five of us through our private connection. “We knew this was coming.”

But we hadn’t expected it quite so soon. Fern hadn’t wasted any time organizing opposition after the starbeams fell last night. So much had happened since then, it didn’t seem possible she could’ve rallied so many so fast. Which meant, she’d been planning this for a while.

As Gage cleared a path in front, Rowan brought up the rear in his fearsome wolf form.

I glanced at Zak walking between Freya and Flint.

The mage moved with easy confidence despite the hostility radiating from the gathered pack.

His presence here complicated everything — not just because of what he was, but because of how strongly I responded to him.

His scent made my mouth water just as much as Gage and Freya’s did, but we barely knew him.

“And now our pack alpha brings another witch onto our lands without consulting anyone,” Fern continued. “Have we learned nothing from other packs? Witches always bring ruin to wolf shifters.”

Most wouldn’t argue with that logic. My father had sold out his own packmates to witches for political gain. The bastard probably still had his fingers in that particular pie. Just the thought sent a spike of fury through me.

Everyone had heard enough outside our borders to know that other packs had fallen after becoming affiliated with witches.

One was Freya’s original pack, the Winter Wind.

In that case, it had nothing to do with her father or other mages’ presence, but rather the Denraider pack’s hatred for their kind.

Shouts rose from various corners as Frost Fang packmates called out obscenities and curses on witches.

“Enough,” Gage’s powerful, commanding voice cut through the din.

The crowd parted as he strode forward, his dominance rolling off him in waves.

“Everyone will have a chance to express their concerns in an orderly fashion. Tell Bretton if you wish to have your name added to the audience list so you may speak.”

My dick twitched at the pure authority in Gage’s voice. Even after all these years, his power affected me on a primal level. But now wasn’t the time to get distracted by my attraction to my pack alpha.

Fern’s lips curved in triumph as she raised her chin.

She’d wanted this confrontation. By forcing it into the throne room, she ensured the entire pack would witness whatever came next.

The familiar scents of our packmates surrounded us, but tonight they carried an edge of indignation, fear, and anger.

Gage took his place on the throne with the rest of us forming a protective semicircle around him. I positioned myself at his right hand, where I belonged as his second-in-command. Freya took the left, with Flint at her shoulder.

Still in his massive wolf form, Rowan laid across the foot of Gage’s throne, making it obvious that anyone who wanted to get to our pack alpha would have to go through the fierce alpha wolf first.

By now, everyone had heard that Rowan had killed Luka, claiming the title of the pack alpha of Ironwood by right of combat. Yet Rowan had given up the position of Ironwood pack alpha to remain subordinate to Gage, which would definitely count for something to many in the crowd.

Zak’s presence at my back sent tingles down my spine. His magical aura prickled against my skin, making my wolf restless.

“Just say the word if you want a distraction big enough to make our escape.” Zak’s light tone carried a hint of tension, but he was a master at hiding his true feelings from the Bonded link.

Freya’s mental chuckle eased some of the strain from his shoulders. Their easy rapport shouldn’t have bothered me, but something in my chest tightened at the sight.

“The pack deserves answers,” Fern called out, drawing attention back to herself. “About the seven beams of starlight everyone saw. About the new mage. About everything you’ve hidden from us.”

“Fern, I will add your name to the list,” Bretton said, raising a notebook. “But you are not first in line.”

The two betas stared each other down. Fern and Bretton were both nearly dominant enough to be alphas. Their dominances was strong enough to cow anyone but an alpha, and they could even force subordinate wolves to submit — though most betas instinctively wouldn’t do this in the presence of an alpha.

Gage raised a hand to placate Bretton. “While we wait for the list, I will address this. I’ve hidden nothing that would endanger this pack,” Gage answered, his voice steady as it rang with truth no wolf shifter could deny.

“The seven starbeams were a sign from the stars themselves, acknowledging bonds between Freya and her mates.”

Anxious whispers rippled through the crowd. Several who’d witnessed the spectacle nodded in agreement, but others looked uncertain.

“Bonds?” Fern’s voice dripped with scorn. “You mean how our pack alpha shares his mate with other alphas? How he lets a half-breed witch command him?”

A growl tore from Rowan’s throat, made more impressive since he remained in his massive wolf form.

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees.

Even in her human form, Freya’s lightning crackled to life, making her hair float above her shoulders.

“Careful how you speak of my mate,” Gage growled, rising to his feet as my protective instincts also flared.

Zak moved behind the throne to Freya’s side.

His hand settled at the small of her back, and I caught the subtle synchronization of their breathing — in, out, calming each other’s magic.

Her lightning receded as quickly as it had appeared, and the intimacy of their moment twisted something primal in my chest.

“Easy there, spark,” he murmured.

Zak’s steady presence seemed to ground her, and I found myself grateful for his intervention even as jealousy twisted in my gut.

Fern didn’t back down. “Your mate? What about the mage’s claim to her? Wasn’t he marked by starlight just like the rest of you?”

“Fern,” Bretton growled, but it was too late.

“The stars blessed their union,” one of the outer town alphas spoke up. “I saw it with my own eyes. ”

“The moon goddess marks fated mates! Not starlight,” a subordinate wolf cried.

“The stars blessed nothing,” a beta called out. “It was witch magic, meant to deceive us!”

The room erupted into arguing. I caught the scent of aggression building and shifted my weight, ready to intercept any physical confrontations.

Fern’s timing wasn’t random. She’d launched her challenge after the starbeams but before we had a chance to make any formal announcement about Zak, maximizing confusion and preventing us from controlling the narrative.

“I can see the pack bond tearing in half,” Freya’s mental voice held such distress, my wolf almost burst from my body, desperate to fight anyone who would cause her such pain.

She was right — even I could see it. My wolf recognized the subtle shifts in posture among the betas as Fern spoke — shoulders squaring, chins lifting, dominance pheromones releasing. Due to our previous purge of bad actors, the betas now vastly outnumbered the alphas in the pack.

The packmates who’d averted their gazes to us just yesterday were now meeting our eyes with challenging stares. The invisible threads of pack hierarchy were unraveling as we watched. Through the Bonded link, I sensed my fellow alphas noticing the same thing.

“Enough!” Gage’s alpha voice rang out, forcing the room into momentary silence. “I will not have the pack tear itself apart over—”

“That’s exactly the problem,” Fern interrupted. “You use your alpha voice to silence dissent, just like every alpha before you. You claim to be different, but you’re just another tyrant.”

“Watch yourself,” I snarled, taking a step forward.

How dare she of all people compare Gage to his father or brother? The very men who’d tried to exile her had exiled her brother instead, separating the littermates for years.

A hand on my arm stopped me. Flint tried to calm me just as Zak did to Freya. Flint’s expression was pained as he watched his sister, but he shook his head slightly.

“Let her speak,” he said silently to us. “The pack needs to hear this. ”

“The pack needs stability,” Gage countered. “This leads nowhere good.”