Chapter 4 - Freya #3
“How are they doing?” I asked, settling beside him as he finished with the injured wolf.
“Better,” Brielle answered before Zak could. “Your mate has a gift for healing witchfire burns.”
The casual way she referred to Zak as my mate made warmth bloom in my chest. I would make it official in every way that mattered.
“I unfortunately have a lot of practice,” Zak admitted, reminding me of the horrible coven he’d escaped from.
The thought sent an echo of the dream-vision through my mind. Like Denraider, the covens had grown too powerful and greedy for more.
“Speaking of practice,” Brielle said, pulling my mind back to the two of them. “We should try to practice using our magic like a coven.”
I blinked at her. “Like a coven?”
Brielle’s green eyes held mine steadily. “That’s what you became the moment you Bonded Zak. A Bonded link is a deeper bond than a coven, and stronger, too. But no Bonded link exists outside of a coven.”
The words hit me like a revelation. “I started a coven?” Something clicked into place. “If that’s true… if we’re a coven… then I want you in it.”
Brielle’s smile was radiant. “Oh, Freya. The day I swore loyalty to you specifically, I became part of your coven. Not your pack — your coven. I’ve been waiting for you to realize it.”
New understanding dawned in Zak’s eyes. “That’s why our magic combined the way it did during the battle.”
“Our magic has felt stronger lately,” I mused. “Like… greater than the sum of its parts when we combine it.”
Brielle nodded. “For the first time, I can call myself a witch instead of a mage.”
“Then we should definitely practice as a coven,” Zak agreed, taking it in stride.
“Yes,” I echoed, still a little shocked.
As though seeming to sense I needed time to process this, Brielle nodded toward the camp’s center. “Shante arrived with supplies.”
I followed her gesture and spotted the familiar figure. Even from a distance, I could see the tension in her posture as she spoke with my alpha mates.
When I approached, Shante turned to greet me with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Freya, I’m glad to see you in one piece after yesterday’s excitement.”
I gave her a big hug, and her eyes darted to Zak’s neck as though checking for something.
“I see you haven’t made an honest wolf of him yet.” Shante gestured, indicating his lack of bite marks. Despite her attempt to lighten the mood, I could tell something was weighing on her.
Zak’s hand moved unconsciously to his cheek, where my rune glowed.
“I’m happy to wear this mark for now. The rest will come when we’re both ready.”
Warmth bloomed through the Bonded link at his words, and I sensed his absolute certainty — he was satisfied with being claimed by my magic while he awaited my bite.
“Which I’m sure will be soon,” I said.
Pure joy suffused our connection, and I gave him a peck on the lips before saying to Shante, “And Brielle just dropped a bombshell… She told us that not only did I make Zak my Bonded, I also created a coven when I did so. And Brielle is part of our coven.”
Shante grinned. “Then Brielle finally found her place, even if it’s not a traditional pack.”
“Us hybrids have to stick together,” Zak agreed. Then he motioned to the supply packs at Shante’s feet. “Did you bring all of that?”
Shante’s mood sobered. “Hugo and Idori sent medical supplies, ammo, and food. They also sent a message.”
“What kind of message?” I asked, though the grim set of her mouth already gave me a clue.
“News is Denraider’s main force could strike anytime in the next few days.
Hugo’s got every wolf in Moonblessed working to strengthen the defenses around the city.
Patrols are doubled, and Idori is having us prepare for siege conditions.
” Shante’s gaze moved between us. “They wanted you to know that Moonblessed’s walls will always be open to the Howling Echo, but we can’t take in everyone. ”
The weight of leadership settled more heavily on my shoulders. These weren’t just tactical decisions — they were choices that would determine who lived and who died in the coming battle.
Gage tensed in our bond, but at the same time I sensed his willingness to listen to our counsel before making these crucial decisions.
“We’ll need to discuss it as a pack,” I said finally. “Thank you for bringing word, Shante.”
She nodded and took her leave, but not before squeezing my hand in a gesture of support.
As my mates gathered round me, I let out a long exhale. “We can’t abandon Frost Fang again.”
“Agreed,” Flint said.
“Then that’s settled,” Heath smiled at me.
Gage nodded. “But sooner or later, we’re going to need to decide who leads them. And I don’t think either Fern or me are the right answer.”
“They need an alpha,” Heath said, “someone who can protect them from assholes like my father who might try to take over again.”
“But it has to be someone who won’t piss off Fern and her beta council,” Flint frowned.
Gage nodded. “None of the Frost Fang alphas fit the bill.”
“I’ll think on it,” I said, hoping a good solution would come to me somehow.
As the day wore on, I continued making rounds through the camp, helping where I could.
Flint had taken charge of integrating the new arrivals — Frost Fang wolves who’d emerged from hiding once word spread that the witches had been driven off.
His patient demeanor and natural leadership made him perfect for the task, and I felt a surge of pride watching him.
“How many?” I asked, settling beside him as he finished explaining camp protocols to a family of wolves who looked shell-shocked from their ordeal.
“Fifteen so far,” he replied, his voice carrying satisfaction. “Most of them are non-combatants — elders, children, wolves who were too injured to fight. But they’re our people, and they deserve protection.”
The simple statement embodied everything I loved about Flint. His loyalty, his compassion, his unwavering commitment to doing what was right regardless of the cost.
“Fern’s been asking about you,” he added quietly.
My throat tightened. Flint’s sister had caused so much trouble with her rebellion against alpha authority, but she’d also fought beside us when the witches attacked. The situation between us remained complicated.
“What does she want?”
“To apologize, I think. And to understand what comes next.” Flint’s night-dark eyes met mine. “She’s not the same wolf who tried to undermine Gage. She’s changed.”
Before I could respond, the world around me suddenly shifted. The bustling camp faded, replaced by that mountain vista I’d shared with Tor in my dreams. But this time, I was alone on the peak, and the darkness spreading across the landscape below was more vast, more consuming than before.
I watched in horror as shadows poured in from two directions — Denraider from the west, hungry for conquest, and the witches coming up from the south, hungry for magic.
The individual lights of the packs flickered bravely against the encroaching darkness, but they were too scattered, too isolated to mount an effective defense.
This is your chance, a voice whispered in my mind. Your magic can unite them all.
I strained to understand, but the power the vision suggested remained frustratingly out of reach. I could sense its shape, its potential, but not how to access it.
Then the scene shifted to reveal Rowan moving with purpose through unfamiliar territory. Through our bond, I felt his anticipation, his hope that he was finally closing in on my sister’s location.
Soon, I thought, sending love and encouragement across the distance between us. Hold on just a little longer.
The vision began to fade, but not before I caught one final glimpse of the spreading darkness and felt the weight of destiny settling on my shoulders.
I staggered as the vision abruptly faded, leaving me disoriented. Strong hands steadied me as the world came back into focus — Flint on one side, Zak on the other, both of them radiating protective concern through our bonds.
“How long was I out?” I asked, my voice shakier than I’d like.
“About three minutes,” Zak replied, his dark eyes scanning my face with clinical precision. “Your magic spiked just before it happened.”
Flint’s arm tightened around my waist. “What did you see?”
I took a steadying breath, trying to organize the fragments of prophecy and warning into something coherent.
“The same darkness from my vision with Tor, but worse. Spreading faster.” I looked between them, letting them see the urgency I felt.
“We’re running out of time, and I’m missing something crucial.
Some power I need to unite the packs, to make them fight as one instead of scattered lights in the dark. ”
Understanding flickered in Zak’s expression. “The Bonded connection amplifies individuals’ abilities when we work together. Perhaps there’s a way to extend that principle beyond our small circle.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, but I don’t know how.” Frustration bled into my voice. “And we can’t let Denraider pick us off piece by piece. We need to prepare.”
I sighed, wishing Tor were here, but not wanting to offend my other mates by saying it out loud. I didn’t want them to think they weren’t enough for me. Flint seemed to pick up on it through the bond.
“What do you need from us?”
The simple question, asked without hesitation or doubt, reminded me why I loved him so deeply. No matter what I asked, he would find a way to make it happen.
“First, I need to bring Tor into our Bonded link,” I said, my decision crystallizing as I spoke. “He’s too far away to reach us physically before the battle, but if we can connect him to our power, I feel certain he can help us. Maybe having a complete Bonded circle could even help protect Rowan.”
Zak’s eyebrows rose. “Bonding someone at a distance… without the Bonding ceremony, or the magic of your heat to take its place?” He shook his head. “I don’t know if it would work.”
“The two of you have found crazier solutions before,” Flint pointed out.
“Can you help me try?” I asked Zak.
His smile was fierce with anticipation. “You make me believe anything is possible. Maybe your Odinswolf magic combining with my magic again…”
The Bonded link warned me of my other mates’ approach. Gage and Heath wore identically serious expressions as they took in our huddled conference.
“Let me guess,” Heath said dryly. “Another vision that’s going to complicate our lives?”
“Something like that,” I admitted.
Gage’s commanding presence settled over our small group like a protective shield. “What did you see?”
I recounted it for them, feeling even more overwhelmed as I remembered the details.
How could I avert the growing darkness and stop the attacks when I’d never even been told what Odinswolves were capable of?
Despite my growing frustration, sharing it with them felt right…
like somehow the weight of responsibility and destiny was halved simply by being carried by us all.
“We need to stop reacting and start acting,” I said, meeting each of their gazes in turn. “Tonight, Zak and I are going to attempt to bring Tor into our Bonded link. If it works, we’ll have his strength to draw on… as will Rowan.”
“And this missing power you sensed?” Gage asked, though his tone suggested he was already committed to supporting whatever I decided.
“I’m hoping Tor can help me figure that out, too,” I admitted. “But either way, we can’t let our enemies dictate the terms of our next battles.”
Heath’s grin was sharp with approval. “I like to see this side of you, my warrior wolf.”
“So do I,” Flint added, his smile warm with pride.
I looked around at the bustling camp, at our allies working tirelessly to prepare for a battle that could determine the fate of every pack in the region. The urgency of my vision pressed against my consciousness.
“Tonight, we’ll need to be somewhere we can sleep deeply, without interruptions.” Maybe that was why I hadn’t been successful last night — I hadn’t fallen into a deep enough slumber.
“Back to our Moonblessed den?” Heath suggested.
Flint pulled out his phone. “I’ll text Hugo and Idori to make sure they keep things quiet around the den tonight.”
Gage nodded slowly. “Let’s hope your new power can help us turn the tide. We’re going to need every advantage we can get.”
With that decided, we all returned to our tasks, helping our allies as we waited for backup to arrive from Ironwood and the Midnight Path. Soon, the winter sun set over our temporary camp, pouring darkness across the preparations for what might be our last stand.
The path forward wasn’t clear, but for the first time since this all began, it felt like I’d found a trail marker pointing the right way.
“Come on,” I said to Zak, taking his hand and pulling him toward the walls of Moonblessed. “Let’s go make some magic.”