Chapter 13 - Torsten
Torsten
After the evening’s festivities wound down last night, Flint and Heath had kindly set me up in a different tent not far from Freya’s larger one.
Despite how badly I had longed to sleep at her side, I hadn’t wanted to intrude on her reunion with Rowan.
I hadn’t even visited her in her dreams, letting her get some rest and shed her worries from recent days.
Now the morning air carried the scents of dying embers and sleeping wolves. A light dusting of snow had fallen during the night, coating the temporary camp in pristine white that reflected the pale winter sun. I made my way through camp toward the crackling fire, my breath misting.
Boxing Day. The humans called it that. I wasn’t sure how these packs celebrated, but what mattered was that today blessed us with relative peace, another day to strengthen bonds while our enemies regrouped.
The revelry from Christmas night still lingered. Shifters remained in wolf form near the smoldering fires to sleep off the effects of too much celebrating. Decorations hung from every tent pole or post available, helping transform the makeshift camp into a magical place last night.
A Frost Fang elder muttered complaints about Ironwood pups and their drinking habits while a young wolf from Bloody Dawn laughed too loudly at something his packmate said. The mingling of so many different packs should have been overwhelming, but instead it felt like harmony.
This was luxury I’d never imagined during my years alone in the wildlands. Safety enough to sleep deeply, to celebrate, to let guards down even slightly. And we could only afford it because my ravens kept constant watch.
Through the Bonded link, warm contentment radiated from Freya, Rowan, and Zak in their tent.
Light, satisfied drowsiness wrapped around them like a comfortable blanket.
I deliberately kept my mental touch gentle, respecting their privacy while savoring the emotional afterglow that reached me anyway.
Last night, I didn’t notice it at first, but Zak had tried to keep the Bonded link shuttered. Then, at the moment Rowan’s teeth had sunk into his shoulder, Zak had lost all control. We’d all felt the claiming, the rightness of it, the completion of another bond in our growing web.
I’d never imagined being part of anything like this — this easy, natural connection between minds and hearts thanks to a Bonded link.
These hybrids had created something unprecedented, and I somehow got to be part of it.
I’d always hoped and dreamed to join a pack with other Odinswolves, and to take those Odinswolves as my mates.
The Howling Echo took me completely by surprise.
Memory did a barrel roll overhead as I approached the central area near a giant tent covering multiple picnic tables.
Her aerial acrobatics were a good sign that she felt comforted now that she had me in her sight again.
The other ravens remained at their posts, scattered across the region, a network of living surveillance.
Near the largest fire pit with Gage and Flint, Heath lounged against a supply crate with that half-smile that seemed permanently etched on his face. Gage’s eyes scanned me from head to toe, while Heath’s followed Memory’s antics for a moment before he lifted his mug to me in greeting.
“Ravens bring us good news or bad news, big guy?”
“Mixed,” I said, settling onto a rough-hewn wooden bench not far from Flint.
Gage’s attention sharpened immediately. “Denraider?”
I closed my eyes briefly, reaching out through my connection to the ravens I’d positioned over enemy territory. Through Awareness and Skill’s keen sight, I watched the aftermath of the slave uprising Rowan had triggered.
“They’re still dealing with putting down the rebellion,” I reported. “Skill shows me fires still burning in their camp. Wolves fighting wolves. Awareness shows that the chaos is… extensive.”
Relief flickered across Gage’s features, but I held up a hand before he could celebrate.
“Unfortunately, it’s also brutal. Lydell’s enforcers are executing anyone they suspect of supporting the uprising. Many of the conquered wolves are losing their lives despite their numbers.”
Heath’s expression darkened. “Bastards.”
“They’re too busy with internal conflict to mount an attack on us,” I continued.
“That’s something, at least,” Flint said quietly.
“Creativity confirms their patrols have pulled back to defend Lydell and his enforcers, along with their… property.”
“Does that mean what I think?” Gage growled.
“Dream shows they’re moving Valkyrie, just as Rowan feared.”
The alphas exchanged uneasy glances. I wasn’t finished. Through Perception’s distant sight, I’d witnessed something else that had disturbed me.
“There’s more. The Ashworth Coven is… experimenting on Dryden.”
The temperature around our fire seemed to drop several degrees. Heath went completely still, his mug frozen halfway to his lips.
“What do you mean, experimenting?” Gage’s voice carried deadly calm.
“Perception has been watching ever since they retreated. They’ve chained him in the middle of a spell casting circle.”
The image was seared into my memory — Heath’s father, once a proud alpha, reduced to a broken figure writhing against magical bonds.
“They poured magic into that circle for hours, watching him break. I can’t be certain from this distance… I didn’t want to risk my ravens. But whatever they’re doing, it’s not healing. It’s like they’re… experimenting.”
Heath’s hand clenched around his mug hard enough that the ceramic handle snapped off. “Why?”
“They want to know what Freya did to strip him of his wolf,” Gage growled.
Heath nodded. “And they want to know if they can replicate it.”
“They won’t figure it out,” Flint said with quiet conviction. “What Freya did… that came from her Odinswolf heritage, her unique magic. It can’t be learned or copied.”
I hoped he was right. They all looked to me, hoping I would confirm Flint’s words. But even if I’d been there, I wasn’t sure I would fully understand how Freya had managed it.
“My best guess is it was a mix of Odinswolf and witch magic.”
Flint nodded as if to say, ‘That settles that.’
“Any sign of their reinforcements?” Gage asked.
“That’s one piece of good news,” I said. “My raven Advice has been circling Elder Forest. The main Ashworth force is still taking the long way around Elder Forest packlands.”
And as they all knew, it was an extensive territory with well defended borders in most places.
Gage’s eyes flicked toward the tent where we could sense Freya, Rowan, and Zak beginning to stir. Zak’s joy from the moment he fully awakened made my heart expand with pride on his behalf.
“Okay,” Gage said. “We keep patrols doubled. Nobody assumes we’re safe.” He paused, then looked straight at me. “But we also use this breathing room.”
Heath’s grin was quick. “You mean we finally bite the giant Odinswolf?”
Gage gave him a sharp look. “I mean bringing him into the pack.”
Heath’s mouth clamped shut, and the twisted ball of emotions in the Bonded link surprised me. He was… chagrined, curious, excited, worried, and more. All at once.
“They both feel it, too,” Flint smiled at me. “They’ll need to get used to the idea, though.”
I stalked closer to Flint, gazing into his deep brown eyes, as dark as the deepest forest floor. My gaze bored into his, showing the alpha I wouldn’t submit, not even to my future mates. To accept me, they needed to know that, here and now.
“And what about you?”
Flint’s eyes studied me. “I know our wolves will choose each other. It’s only a matter of time.”
I nodded, feeling the tension drain out of my body. “No need to rush it.”
Gage ran a hand through his dirty blond hair, the gesture betraying his uncertainty. “One thing you should know about us… Heath and I only just got used to having more than one mate ourselves. We’re not Odinswolves — we weren’t expecting this.”
He crossed his arms, closing himself off, and I read the subtext in his words. I was willing to bet it wasn’t just the multiple mates thing throwing the pack alpha, but the idea that he also had an interest in men.
“Understandable.” I settled back onto the bench.
“But consider this — magic-less humans are often monogamous, but sometimes choose polyamory. The reverse is true with fae and witches. They usually mate with more than one, but a few choose monogamy. Why should wolf shifters be any different? Just because most choose monogamy doesn’t mean you all have to. ”
Gage’s eyes narrowed. “But don’t all Odinswolves choose multiple mates?”
“We’re more like fae and witches in that way,” I agreed.
“The difference is that Odinswolves have multiple fated mates, chosen by the stars. It was on the night that I broke down and begged the stars to show me the way to another Odinswolf that the starbeams fell, revealing mine and Freya’s fated mates. ”
That left all of them reeling, their protective instincts rising as they imagined me lost and alone. It made my wolf pace with anticipation. Once their wolves met mine…
“I always wondered why the starlight fell that particular night,” Flint mused.
“I thought maybe it was because it was the night Freya trusted us enough to tell us of her visions,” Heath said.
“That may well be,” I admitted. “Even Odinswolves aren’t immune to coincidence.”
“But it was also the night that Zak was alone in the wildlands looking for us,” Gage pointed out.
Heath chuckled. “Grandmother Moon and her sisters know what they’re doing. Freya was lucky she got to meet us all one or two at a time. Is it strange meeting all of your mates at once?”
“Stranger still that I met you in my mind first, through Freya’s magic,” I said. “But truthfully, I hoped to discuss this with Freya first. I don’t want her to feel like another Odinswolf is showing up and claiming all of her mates.”
“She won’t,” Flint said with absolute certainty. “Freya’s not possessive that way. She wants us all to be happy.”