Page 64 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

He backed away, and I stood over Tork’s body, my muzzle cleaned of his blood.

A strange calm settled over me as I placed my paw on his stilled chest and raised my head in a victorious howl.

Freya and the others joined in, their voices rising in unified acknowledgment of my victory, making me proud to be a true member of their pack.

I’d proven myself as a hunter by Freya’s side, capable of doing battle to protect my pack.

“Tork won’t ever betray you again, Heath,” I sent through our Bonded link.

Heath’s response came immediately, a complex mixture of emotions — gratitude, relief, and a tinge of regret. “I should have been the one to end him.”

“No,” Freya countered gently. “The pack protects its own, Heath. It’s no less than we’ve done for each other. Remember when Rowan ended Luka for me?”

I felt Heath’s resistance softening as he considered her words.

“You’re right,” Heath conceded. “And Zak…” His mental voice grew warmer. “Thank you. You’re truly one of the pack now.”

Those simple words filled me with a sense of belonging I hadn’t felt in decades — maybe ever. Not just accepted, not just tolerated, but truly part of something. Pack. Family.

As our howls faded, Brielle’s voice cut through the moment.

“More witches are coming!” she called, appearing naked in the doorway. “We need to go, now!”

Without hesitation, she shifted back into her wolf form, her reddish-brown coat darkened with blood. Brielle’s urgent warning galvanized us into action.

“Which way?” Gage asked, his mental voice brusque.

“Brielle, lead us away from the witches you saw,” Freya commanded, her mental voice projecting like an alpha.

Brielle immediately turned and darted toward a side corridor, not questioning the order.

We followed Brielle through the alpha residence’s service corridors, long disused. When we dashed outside, I heard the sounds of pursuit — voices calling out, footsteps echoing on wooden floors as they followed us outside.

“They’re regrouping faster than expected,” Rowan growled over our Bonded link in frustration.

“But they can’t cut off shifting magic again until they make new stones,” Flint pointed out. “Freya and Zak bought us time, at least.”

“And the ones who created the stones in the first place are unconscious,” I bragged.

We raced across open ground toward the tree line. I could sense other wolves moving parallel to us — Frost Fang members who had regained their ability to shift and were now fleeing as well.

“Should we send someone to track Dryden?” Freya asked.

“Too dangerous,” Gage grumbled. “It would be a suicide mission.”

Freya looked to the skies, and I noticed a huge black bird circling overhead.

“It’s okay, Torsten will track him.”

“We need to regroup with Heath and the Bloody Dawn,” Gage projected his voice so Brielle could hear. “We got what we came for. Let’s go.”

As the pack alpha, he let what he sensed via the pack bond bleed through to the rest of us.

Frost Fang wolves remained scattered throughout the packlands — some hiding, others too injured or afraid to flee.

It tore at me that we couldn’t save them all, couldn’t evacuate everyone who’d suffered under the witches’ control.

But these were the same wolves who’d chosen Fern over us, who’d welcomed Dryden and his witch allies.

We could only save those willing to be saved.

“We’re coming back to you, Heath,” Freya called over the Bonded link, changing her angle slightly, leading the way along the mate bond only she could see.

He answered, “Fern says she knows a safe place. A cabin in the wildlands just beyond Frost Fang territory where some of their teenagers would go to get away from pack scrutiny.”

Gage replied, “We’ll meet you there.”

For the next hour, we moved through the forest like shadows, gathering scattered allies as we went.

More Frost Fang wolves joined us — some who had been hiding in the wildlands for days, having escaped when the witches first arrived, others who had just regained their wolves and fled the packlands.

Along the pack bond, Gage invited them all to join us, but warned that we would slow down for no one .

By the time we reached the cabin Fern had described, our numbers had grown considerably.

The Bloody Dawn pack had already established a perimeter, with sentries posted at strategic points around the clearing.

As we approached, Artemis met us at the edge of the clearing in human form, her posture respectful but wary.

She told us Heath and the other freed prisoners from the jail who couldn’t shift were inside the cabin, receiving basic medical attention from those with healing knowledge.

“How is he?” Freya asked after we shifted back to human form and got dressed.

“He’s regaining his strength, but the witches’ magic did a number on him,” Artemis warned.

I followed Freya into the cabin, my inner wolf still on high alert despite our relative safety. The space was rustic but warm, with a fire crackling in a stone hearth. Heath sat on a low bench near the fire, his face pale but his eyes lighting up as we entered.

Freya immediately went to him, wrapping him in a fierce embrace. I hung back, giving them space for their reunion, but my eyes were drawn to the exhaustion evident in Heath’s posture, the shame that seemed to radiate from him despite our victory.

Fern approached, her expression contrite. Flint, her own brother, crossed his arms and didn’t say a word.

“Alpha, I need to apologize,” she said to Gage, her voice low but carrying in the quiet cabin.

“My resistance to your leadership left us vulnerable when the witches came. If I had supported you properly, perhaps we could have been better prepared. I know I deserve exile… but I hope you will give me the chance to show the pack I’ve changed my mind.

I would like the opportunity to convince them that you’ve earned your place as our pack alpha rather than let our packmates suffer a moment longer. ”

Gage studied her for a moment, his face unreadable. To her credit, Fern didn’t fidget. She kept her head bowed, awaiting his judgment.

“We all made mistakes,” he said finally. “What matters now is how we move forward.”

Fern nodded, relief evident in her expression. “Thank you, pack alpha. ”

“Do not ever believe that we will forget what happened,” Gage warned. “You will need to earn your place in the pack again.”

She nodded. “I know. That’s why I brought you here.” She gestured around the cabin. “This place has been a Frost Fang refuge for years. It’s yours to use however you like.”

I didn’t trust her sudden cooperation, and from the look Gage exchanged with the others, neither did he. As Fern moved away to help organize the new arrivals, Brielle approached Heath, her green eyes assessing as she studied him.

“Can you heal him?” Freya asked. “Zak and I burnt out our magic on the stones.”

“Let me see what they did to you,” she said to Heath.

He hesitated, then nodded, allowing her to place her hands on either side of his head. Her eyes closed in concentration, and I could sense her magic probing the remnants of the witches’ curse.

“Clever,” she murmured after a moment. “Nasty, but clever. They’ve created a barrier between you and your wolf. On your side, it’s practically invisible, making it seem like your wolf is completely gone.”

“And to my wolf?” Heath frowned.

“He’s probably going wild trying to escape,” Brielle warned. “It’s possible that as soon as we undo this, he’ll take over immediately, and he’ll probably be feral when he does.”

Heath took a deep breath, his eyes distant. “He’s not gone. I sense him now, trying to break free.”

“Can you unravel it?” Freya asked.

Brielle shook her head. “I’ve taken apart some of the spell’s structure, but the curse is anchored to that stone.” She nodded toward the yellow stone Heath had brought from the jail, which sat on a small table nearby. “As long as it exists, the curse remains.”

“Then we destroy it,” I said, moving closer. “Like we did with the others.”

Brielle stepped back, gesturing for us to proceed. “Be my guest. I’ve learned what I needed from it.”

Freya and I exchanged a glance. “Let’s do this outside,” she suggested. Raising her voice she called, “Everyone whose wolf is still bound, gather outside and put your stones in a pile.”

Nearby, two other Frost Fang wolves who had been imprisoned in the jail watched with desperate hope. We all moved outside, and the other prisoners let their stones fall next to Heath’s. They clacked together on the leafy forest floor, each one pulsing with that sickly glow.

“Freya, if you need time to recover…” Heath took her hand.

She shook her head. “None of you should have to wait a moment longer. My mage side is drained, but not my wolf.” She lowered her voice, ensuring only Heath and I could hear her. “And it’s my Odinswolf power that destroyed the other stones. I can do this.”

“Same as before?” I asked. “Should we shift?”

She nodded, and everyone waited in silence as the two of us stripped down again and shifted. It felt wrong to do so in front of these witnesses, many of whom couldn’t shift thanks to what the witches had done.

As if realizing this, Gage took the opportunity to squeeze Heath’s shoulder and say to the others, “Our hybrids will destroy the stones and undo the witches’ evil magic.”

The weight of the alpha’s words seemed to reassure the crowd, who murmured among themselves, no longer cowed and quiet. In the distance, I spotted Bloody Dawn wolves patrolling between the boles of the trees.

“Ready?” Freya asked as lightning flickered to life in her fur, setting off more murmuring among the gathered crowd of Frost Fang wolves.

“Let’s do this,” I agreed. “See if you can send less of your Odinswolf magic this time. For just a few stones, we won’t need your full power.”