Chapter 6 - Freya
Freya
I awoke slowly, my body humming with residual energy from the dreamwalk.
Beside me, Zak stirred, his dark eyes opening to meet mine in the dawn light filtering through the bedroom windows.
We both immediately checked my skin. No physical bite marks remained from our dream encounter with Tor, but the Bonded connection thrummed between us and a sixth rune appeared under my right collarbone.
Just as Tor had said — our mate bond would have to wait until we could meet.
Even Rowan’s absence felt different now. Not like a missing limb, but like a promise waiting to be fulfilled. There was a place held for him in our circle, in our bonds, waiting for him to come home to us.
I let my eyes fall half-closed so I could see all the bonds connecting us. The sight took my breath away.
The Bonded link wove between all six of my mates and me, creating an intricate web of shimmering lights that now pulsed with our shared magic and emotion.
Even at this distance, I could see Tor’s connection blazing bright, and Rowan’s thread stretched taut but unbroken across the miles to Denraider’s territory in Oregon.
In addition to the Bonded link, my mate bonds with Gage, Heath, Flint, and Rowan appeared as thicker, unbreakable cords. I could also feel the potential for my mate bonds with both Zak and Tor humming in the space between us, waiting to be realized.
The pack bond showed differently as well, a separate network of light connecting me to Gage, Heath, Flint, and Zak through our shared allegiance to the Howling Echo.
Tor wasn’t connected that way yet, and Rowan’s thread hung loose from this particular web, severed when Gage had temporarily exiled him.
A weak line from Gage still connected him to the Frost Fang pack as their alpha.
A stray flash of glitter had me squinting, searching a little harder, and I caught sight of brand-new threads I’d never seen before, hidden under the tapestry of my lovers’ bonds.
Startled, I realized one of these threads linked me to Brielle — connecting us as a coven.
The thread was faint, so thin and light I hadn’t noticed it before.
Now, looking closer, I realized a coven bond with Zak was twined around our Bonded link.
I hadn’t noticed the delicate thread against the Bonded link, which was so much thicker and brighter.
Zak’s voice cut through my focus, calling me back to the present. I blinked rapidly, letting my normal vision return.
“It worked,” he whispered with wonder as he touched my collarbone where the rune faintly glowed. “Even at this distance, I can feel them all in the Bonded link. Even Tor.”
“The Bonded circle is complete.”
“What did you see?” Zak asked softly, his dark eyes watching my face with curious intensity.
“I saw the coven bonds for the first time,” I admitted. “And that the seven of us are all connected but… still incomplete in some ways.”
Bite, my wolf urged. Claim.
Yes, I answered.
But before I could touch Zak, Gage’s voice came through the Bonded link, loud and clear.
“Freya?”
I could sense him, Heath, and Flint back in the camp, though the other two were taking their turn at sleep.
“Gage,” I said through the Bonded link so Gage, Zak, and Tor could all hear me. “Can you sense Torsten?”
“I think so…”
Tor’s shock hit us all. “I didn’t expect to be able to hear you so clearly over this distance.”
“Welcome to the Bonded link,” Zak laughed. “I’m not sure a Bonded circle is normally so powerful, but since this one contains Odinswolves… well, no one really knows the limits of your powers.”
“Freya is amazing,” Gage agreed before asking Tor, “When can we meet you in person?”
“Soon, I hope,” Tor said with an air of distraction. “We’re on the move. Are we leaving Rowan and the others out of this conversation?”
“Can you sense that Heath and Flint are sleeping?” I asked.
“Ah, yes,” Tor said. “And Rowan?”
“We’re doing our best not to distract him,” Gage answered. “He reaches out to us, not the other way around.”
“Usually,” I admitted. “I did bring him into the dreamscape with us.”
“All is well?” Gage asked.
I sighed. “As well as it can be, given the circumstances.”
“I never imagined I would be using witch magic to meet… any of you,” Tor laughed.
“Never imagined you’d have a hybrid for a mate?” Zak asked, clearly meaning me.
He didn’t dare to include himself among Tor’s mates yet, despite what had happened in the dream.
“Neither hybrids nor alphas,” Tor admitted, making it plural with an air of certainty.
I cuddled closer to Zak. He and Rowan had surprised me with how easily they’d accepted Tor as their future mate. I hoped they would do the same in real life when the time came.
“It’s more fun than you might think,” I laughed, wondering how quickly Tor would bond with my alphas.
I imagined Gage’s eyes narrowing. “Princess… I’m going to remind you exactly how fun alphas are when I get my hands on you next.”
I could hear the smile in Tor’s mental voice as he said, “I can’t wait to find out for myself.”
“Be safe,” Gage urged. “Don’t take any unnecessary risks on your way here.”
“Let’s hope we agree on what’s necessary then,” Tor chuckled. “See you soon.”
“Soon,” Zak agreed.
And then he pulled the curtains between everyone except the two of us. He rolled over to look at me, letting me have his full attention as he brushed my hair away from my face.
Tor and Rowan were still in danger, and the rest of us were still bracing for attack. But right now, in this moment, there were no urgent crises demanding our attention. Like Flint said, I wanted this stolen moment with Zak.
I smiled, looking at him through my lashes. “We’re alone.”
Just me and the man who had crossed borders, given up everything he’d known, and risked it all to find me.
The beta wolf who had fought off years of suppression to join our pack.
The witch who had helped me bind Tor to us even without a Bonding ceremony, strengthening the connections between us all, regardless of broken or absent pack bonds.
Zak’s eyes darkened. “Freya…”
“I want you.” I draped my leg over his hip. “I have for a while, but the timing never seemed right.”
“Then you’ll have me now.” He smiled against my lips before kissing me, his hands wandering below my waist.
When his fingers traced the soft skin between my thighs, I added, “I want to feel those piercings you’ve been teasing me with.”
His breath caught, and desire warred with uncertainty in his expression. “We don’t have to—”
I silenced him with a kiss, pouring all my want and affection into the connection between our mouths. When I pulled back, his pupils were blown wide with hunger.
“I’ve been curious about them since the first time I saw you naked,” I confessed, my hand trailing down his chest to trace the path toward his cock. “I want to know how they feel inside me.”
Zak’s control snapped at my words. He rolled me beneath him, his mouth claiming mine with desperate hunger.
I welcomed his intensity, my nails raking down his back as he pressed his body against mine. The weight of him, the scent of him and his magic, the sound of his harsh breathing against my ear — it was intoxicating.
“I’ve wanted this since I first dreamed of you,” he confessed, his voice rough with desire. “To be with you with nothing between us, no commanding alphas, no barriers, no hesitation.”
His hands explored my body with reverent touches, mapping every curve and sensitive spot as if committing them to memory. When his fingers found the wetness between my thighs, I gasped and arched into his touch.
“You’re already ready for me,” he murmured. “So beautiful.”
I nodded, my body aching for him. “I need you, Zak. All of you.”
Instead of immediately taking me, Zak laid on his side beside me, his expression reverent. His mouth found mine in a kiss that started gentle but quickly deepened, his tongue teasing mine as his hands continued their exploration.
When I couldn’t stand the teasing any longer, I rolled on top of him, straddling his hips.
“That’s it, my little spark.”
He took himself in hand, holding himself steady for me, his eyes meeting mine with complete trust. Zak had been infinitely patient, never pushing for more than I could give. Now, at last, I felt ready to complete what had begun in my heat dreams.
“You’re mine,” I whispered.
Even though I ached for him, I took my time. Spreading myself open, I slowly lowered myself over him, ever so carefully notching him and that magic cross against my entrance. I always expected piercings to be cold, but his body heat had them warmed up for me.
The first slide of his cock inside me drew a gasp from my lips — the sensation of his piercings was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. Each metal barbell stimulated different spots inside me as I carefully took him inch by inch, creating ripples of sensation that had me trembling above him.
“Oh goddess,” I breathed, my eyes widening at the intense feeling.
“Good?” Zak asked, his eyes studying every detail of my face with intense focus as he fought not to move, not to thrust.
I paused for a moment, letting my body adjust, then gave a tentative attempt at moving up and down on his shaft.
The piercings weren’t just decoration — they were designed for pleasure, each one perfectly placed to enhance every movement. None of them stuck out far from his shaft. Instead, they felt like bumps on his length, sliding in and out of me.
“That’s incredible,” I said, my voice filled with the wonder I definitely felt.
Zak’s smile was both proud and tender. “I was hoping you’d like them.”
“Like them?” I laughed breathlessly, rolling my hips experimentally and moaning at the exquisite friction. “I think I’m addicted already.”
My hands gripped his biceps as I slid up and carefully thrust back down until our hips met, enjoying every rounded piercing along his adorned length.