Chapter 24 - Gage
Gage
The first rays of sunlight broke over the mountains as I stood before what remained of Frost Fang — my birth pack, the source of so much pain and, somehow, still capable of hope. The golden light spilled across the assembled wolves, painting them in shades of amber and rose. Dawn. A new dawn.
The timing had been the new pack alpha’s idea.
Beside me, Artemis stood with her shoulders squared. The only sign of her nerves showed when she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, waiting for our packmates to assemble.
On my other side, Freya’s presence burned through our mate bond — warm but edged with frustration.
Last night, she’d tried to dreamwalk to her sister.
But for reasons unknown to me, she’d failed.
The only thing keeping her from spiraling into a dark mood was Torsten’s confirmation that Valkyrie was alive and unbroken.
His ravens had given her a glimpse of her sister, which soothed her somewhat.
Still, I could feel her simmering irritation like a low-grade fever.
The rest of our Bonded stood as a unified front — Heath scanning the crowd with a carefree smile, Flint’s steadiness calming us all, Rowan waiting sharp and alert, Zak glancing around with curiosity, and Torsten staring into the distance as he communed with his ravens.
Heath’s presence behind me grounded me more than I’d admit out loud.
Zak stood at Heath’s side, his other shoulder pressed against Flint’s.
Torsten had his arm wrapped around Freya, and when he leaned in to whisper something, her full-body shiver hit us all through our bonds as his breath teased his bite.
We didn’t need to cling to each other to feel connected, but those small points of contact reminded me what I was really fighting for.
They were my true pack. My chosen family. The Howling Echo.
But today wasn’t about us.
Today was about setting Frost Fang free.
Bloody Dawn and Frost Fang wolves filled the clearing, ringed by witnesses from our allied packs. Some were in wolf form, but many stood in human form, no doubt taking cues from all the pack alphas being in human form.
I spotted Astrid at the edge of the gathering, her blond braids visible even from here. The Midnight Path alpha watched with interest, her posture relaxed. Beside her, some of her shifters stood in human form, arms crossed but eyes attentive.
Idori and a few Moonblessed wolves lingered off to the side. No doubt Hugo remained on watch, as he’d offered his wolves for patrols while the rest of us were occupied.
Closer to the front, Brooke stood with a cluster of Frost Fang and Ironwood wolves.
The former Ironwood refugee who’d defected to Frost Fang looked at peace, her shoulders no longer hunched in perpetual fear like when she’d first arrived in the Frost Fang throne room.
She gave me a small smile before averting her gaze.
Bretton stood just behind her, arms folded, his expression as unreadable as ever. He met my gaze for a heartbeat, giving the smallest of nods. I hoped in time he and Artemis would get along as well as he and I had.
Thatcher and Lee from Ironwood stood together not far off, their expressions serious but supportive. They’d brought a handful of their wolves to witness this moment, and I appreciated their presence.
This was bigger than just Frost Fang. Rowan had relinquished Ironwood, and now I was about to do the same with Frost Fang. I hoped it would reinforce to all our shifter allies that pack wars and alphas fighting alphas for dominance weren’t the only ways that leadership could change.
It could be peaceful.
Artemis stepped forward, and the murmuring crowd fell silent. Her voice carried across the clearing, strong and clear.
“Thank you all for being here. Wolves of the Bloody Dawn, wolves of Frost Fang, and our honored allies.” She inclined her head toward the gathered packs. “We’re here not to give the Frost Fang pack yet another new pack alpha. We’re here to acknowledge our shared pain and our shared strength.”
She paused, letting her words settle.
“The Bloody Dawn pack are survivors of the Dawn Chaser pack — a pack Denraider conquered and tried to erase. They killed most of our alphas and turned the rest of us into slaves. My grandfather clawed a handful of us free, and we’ve lived by our wits in the wildlands ever since.”
She glanced toward Hank, then let her gaze travel over the Frost Fang wolves.
“And Frost Fang has known its own nightmares under three different pack alphas who ruled through fear instead of care. Both our packs have been broken by tyrants. Both have lost wolves we loved. Both have endured despite devastating odds.”
My chest tightened. Hearing Frost Fang’s darkness spoken aloud by an outsider stung, but I couldn’t deny the truth. My father had been narrow-minded and ruthless. Garth had been short-sighted and cruel. Nira had been conniving and vicious.
I’d tried to reverse some of the damage in the short time I’d been in control of Frost Fang. But my heart had lain elsewhere, with the Howling Echo. And we all deserved to move on from the legacy my father and brother had left.
Artemis lifted her chin. “What we need now is a new path. Not the traditional ways of fear and domination, but something better. A pack where strength comes from standing together. Where alphas protect instead of control. Where every wolf matters.”
She glanced back at me, and I gave her a slight nod. This was her moment.
“The Howling Echo befriended us in the wildlands,” she said.
“A pack that never played by the rules and proved that different could be stronger. They showed us that being a small pack didn’t make us weak.
That being without packlands didn’t make us prey.
That we could choose a different path. The Bloody Dawn is ready to forge our future.
I need wolves who are willing to build something new with me. ”
Movement rippled through the crowd. Then Fern stepped forward.
I stiffened, unsure what she would say or do. She’d challenged my authority, nearly torn Frost Fang apart with her beta council. But she’d also fought beside us against the witches when it mattered most.
Fern stopped before Artemis and me, her posture neither submissive nor defiant.
“I made mistakes,” she said, her voice carrying clearly. “I let my anger at past alphas blind me. I decided all alphas were the same. I thought the only way to protect Frost Fang was to tear down alpha rule entirely.”
She looked straight at me.
“When Gage came back from exile, I refused to see he wasn’t like his father, brother, or ex-lover. I lumped him in with them. And I was wrong.”
Then she turned to the crowd.
“The problem was never the rank. It was the wolves who abused it.”
Fern drew a breath and faced Artemis.
“You’ve already showed us a different way to lead. You fought beside us when you could have walked away. If you keep a council, I’ll serve on it — to advise, not to undermine. I want this pack to heal as much as you do.”
Murmurs rippled through the assembled wolves. Some Frost Fang betas nodded in agreement. Others looked uncertain but hopeful.
Artemis inclined her head with respect.
“I accept your pledge. And I’ll need your voice on my council. You understand the betas’ concerns better than I ever could. Together, we’ll make sure every wolf is heard.”
Before anyone else could speak, Freya stepped forward. The glowing ansuz runes beneath her collarbones seemed to brighten for a moment, a visible reminder of her witch half. The assembled wolves quieted immediately, drawn by her presence.
She stopped beside Artemis, her expression serious.
“And what is your pledge to your future pack, Artemis?” Freya asked.
“Can you lead Frost Fang into the future? Do you pledge to serve the pack, protecting it, and creating a new path? Do you pledge to reserve your alpha bark for dire moments when it is most needed, not to abuse it on your subordinate wolves?”
The question hung in the air, a challenge and an invitation all at once. Freya’s words felt like the beginning of a new kind of pack bonding ceremony, the kind where alphas had to prove their loyalty first.
“I can. I will. And I pledge to use my alpha bark only in life or death situations, such as in battle.” Her voice rang with conviction.
Perhaps if Freya had been an alpha, her next words might have started a dominance battle. As it was, Artemis listened closely.
“Can you be the kind of leader who listens to betas and subordinates, not just alphas?” Freya continued. “Can you build a council that represents different types of wolves in your pack? Can you prove that alphas don’t have to dominate to lead?”
Artemis met Freya’s gaze steadily, unflinching.
“The Bloody Dawn survived by working together, by valuing every member. We had no choice — we were too few, too weak to waste anyone’s potential. But now I can’t imagine it any other way. I’ll bring that same spirit to Frost Fang.”
Pride swelled in my chest. Freya wasn’t challenging Artemis — she was giving her the opportunity to publicly commit to a new way of leadership. And the pack alpha was rising to meet it.
Artemis turned to face the Frost Fang wolves directly.
“I know many of you are uncertain. You don’t know me. I’m not from your pack. But the Bloody Dawn and Frost Fang have more in common than you might think. We were both broken, but now is our chance to pick up the pieces of our packs. Not to merely repair the old, but to create something new.”
She paused, letting her words sink in.
“If you accept me as your pack alpha, I promise you this: I will lead with strength, but not with cruelty. I will protect you, but I won’t control you. I will build a council made up of alphas, betas, and subordinates — wolves from every part of our hierarchy. Every voice will matter.”
Her expression grew fierce.
“But I need to know you’re willing to accept me. That you, too, believe in this new path.”