Chapter 25 - Zak #3
“Valkyrie’s been a slave her entire life,” Brielle said quietly. “She might not even want to join us. She might be too broken to trust anyone.”
Our fellow hybrid clearly knew something about how difficult it was to trust others after having been cast out for so long.
She might have a point. I understood the burden of being different.
Of being looked at as “other.” In my old coven, I’d been the only hybrid wolf shifter among full-blooded witches.
They’d treated me like I was less than nothing, a mistake to be tolerated at best.
Had Valkyrie suffered similarly at the hands of Denraider? Rowan’s accounts suggested it was worse.
“She’s not broken,” Rowan snarled through the link. “I’ve seen her. She’s strong.”
Heath gave voice to our mate’s frustration. “If she’s anything like Freya, she’ll fight until her last breath.”
Unaware of Rowan’s words, Varden agreed with Brielle. “She’s been raised by Denraider. She might not thank us for our help.”
I frowned, recognizing the truth to his words. She might hate Denraider, but she might also not trust any outsider to offer her freedom without something in return.
“The New Dawn just merged,” Artemis added, with frustration in her voice.
“Half my wolves are still adjusting to my leadership. If I lead them into enemy territory now, before we’re stable, before they trust me…
I could lose ground fast. I want to help, but I can’t risk my pack before they’re even whole. ”
Through the mate bond, I felt Freya’s heart crack. Logically, she understood. Every word they spoke made tactical sense. But emotionally, they were telling her that her sister’s life wasn’t worth the risk. That Valkyrie, who’d survived as a slave for over two decades, didn’t matter enough.
“So that’s it?” Freya’s voice was barely above a whisper. “We just… wait for him to attack? Hope he doesn’t follow through on his threat?”
“We defend,” Idori said gently. “We prepare. And when Denraider comes to us, we destroy them.”
“Agreed,” Thatcher said. “We’ve set up defenses here. Attacking will ensure our defeat.”
Astrid sighed. “I’m sorry, Freya. We don’t stand a chance without the entire alliance behind us.”
The pack alphas had decided. They would defend, but they wouldn’t attack. Not for one unknown wolf.
The meeting dispersed with plans to increase patrols and fortify defenses. Freya stood rigid, her hands clenched into fists.
I touched her arm gently. “Come practice with me. Work out some of this aggression.”
As wolves and pack alphas drifted away, Flint passed close enough to squeeze my shoulder. The quick touch grounded me, a wordless promise that we weren’t facing any of this alone.
Freya gave me a desperate look. “Magic practice?”
“Magic attacks. Let’s see what we can do together.”
Freya’s shoulders remained rigid, her breathing controlled but shallow. I recognized that look — she was moments away from either breaking down or breaking something. I had to give her a third option.
We found a clear area away from the main camp with Tor soon joining us.
“How about… target practice. Can you direct your witchfire into that rock over there?” I pointed.
Freya opened her hands, palms up, and a smaller burst of witchfire/lightning fell from the sky, just like she’d called down on Trella.
The rock was incinerated. When the light disappeared and we could see again, only a fine dust remained where the rock had been.
She grounded the potential backlash through all seven of us, bleeding it off by sending it seven ways.
Freya’s eyes flashed as she glanced at me. “Still think I need target practice?”
I snorted. “A little more to the left next time.”
It was a sign of how worried Freya was that she didn’t even crack a smile.
“I can’t just sit here,” she said. “I need to do something.”
“Then let’s refine the pack mind,” I suggested. “Make it stronger. That’s how we’ll win against Denraider’s numbers.”
Nearby, I spotted Artemis speaking with Thatcher and Idori — other pack alphas offering advice to the new leader. The sight gave me an idea.
“Let’s expand the practice,” I said. “Include more wolves. Test the limits.”
Freya’s eyes brightened slightly. “Who?”
I looked around to see who was nearby now that the rest of Moonblessed had returned to their walls. “Hank, Varden, Dean. They’re all experienced fighters.” I spotted a familiar figure. “And Shante. She’s your friend, and she trusts you.”
“Of course.” Shante’s dark eyes lit up when we approached. “You want me to help? I’m there.”
Astrid wandered over, curiosity evident. “What’s this about the pack mind?”
“Want to try it with me?” Freya asked. “We’ll see if it only affects wolves.”
The Midnight Path alpha grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
Even Astrid’s flirty tone only made Freya’s lips quirk up the smallest fraction.
“Bring Ony,” she suggested. “Your second-in-command.”
“And ruin all our fun?” Astrid huffed, but I could tell by the way she looked across camp that she was summoning her enforcer through her pack bond.
I spoke up, unsure of the exact dynamic at play here. “It’ll help Freya work through pack structures.”
Soon we had our group assembled — Hank, Varden, and Dean from the New Dawn, Shante from Moonblessed, Astrid and Ony from Midnight Path, plus Tor and me.
“Okay,” Freya said, her voice steadier now that she had something to focus on. “Let’s start simple. Allow yourselves to be open to the pack mind.”
She let her eyelids flutter closed. With a nod to Tor, we tried out one of the methods we’d discussed to help strengthen Freya during this vulnerable moment. Through Tor’s Odinswolf powers and my magic, we bolstered her. As I drew another sigil in the air, I felt it…
“Whoa,” Ony gasped, his eyes widening as he glanced at all of us.
“What a rush,” Astrid grinned as Freya looped us in together.
For the moment, it felt almost like I shared a Bonded link with Hank, Varden, Dean, Shante, Astrid, and Ony…
only it was something so much more. I knew the moment before Dean raised his hand that he was going to scratch the stubble along his jaw.
I knew before Astrid even shifted her weight that she planned to take a step closer to Freya, her lips opening in awe.
The mental tapestry stretched between us, inviting us to work together, unlike the forced submission of an alpha command. I grabbed hold willingly, feeling the others do the same.
The pack mind settled into place like puzzle pieces clicking together.
And I felt the moment that Freya gently suggested we all pick up a stone from the ground. We each did so, and then, without words, Freya showed us the design she wanted us to create.
Stones flew through the air, landing in perfect formation without anyone speaking a word.
Several of the wolves gasped. All the men had thrown their stones toward the outer edges, while Freya, Shante, and Astrid’s stones all landed in a small pile together, like a smaller circle in the center of the larger one.
“Holy shit,” Shante breathed. “I knew what everyone was going to do before they did it.”
“I think that’s the point,” Hank laughed. His cloudy eyes moved between Freya and Tor. “I always knew Odinswolves were a breed apart, but I never guessed…”
“In battle,” Tor continued for him, “that kind of coordination will help bring us victory.”
“Let’s try something more complex,” Freya said. Her confidence was building. “Imagine we’re being attacked on multiple fronts. Hank, you’ll defend camp, pretend you have the might of the entire alliance with you.”
Then without words, the rest of us split up, hardly needing to process Freya’s thoughts before we were in motion. Varden and Dean moved to attack from the left flank with Tor. Meanwhile, Astrid and Ony joined me on the right.
Still in human form, we all rushed forward as Hank shifted into wolf form.
In perfect lockstep with Astrid and Ony, we rushed Hank without conscious thought. Across the practice field, Varden, Dean, and Tor executed their own coordinated assault. All while Tor and I kept bolstering Freya’s powers.
Just as we reached Hank, he dropped beneath our outstretched hands, charging ahead of us to reach Freya.
When Freya released the pack mind, Hank shifted back to human form and donned his clothes.
His weathered face split in an amazed grin. “I knew exactly what they were planning. Felt their intentions like they were my own thoughts.”
“That’s because it kind of was,” I said, fascinated by what I’d sensed through my magical awareness. The pack mind shimmered with starlight in my mind’s eye — Freya’s Odinswolf magic given form.
Astrid’s laugh was pure competitive joy. “Again. I want to try attacking while Ony defends.”
“Did you see how we moved?” Varden asked. “If we can do this in actual battle—”
“We’d be unstoppable,” Dean finished.
Shante’s eyes were bright with excitement. “Freya, that was incredible! It was like… like being part of something so much bigger than myself. Like being part of a pack, but with even deeper connections between packmates.”
Pride threaded through Tor’s voice. “An astral doesn’t just lead wolves. She unites them into something greater.”
We ran through a few more exercises, and each time I paid closer attention to the magic itself. The power flowed from Freya like a river, branching into tributaries that connected each of us. But it wasn’t one-way. We fed power back to her too, strengthening the connection.
Freya nodded, processing. Her confidence grew with each successful maneuver, the despair from earlier burning away in the face of this tangible progress.
When she tried to separate Astrid from Ony and Varden from Dean, I felt the resistance — their pack bond created a natural channel that wanted to stay open.
“Pack bonds work in harmony with the pack mind,” I observed aloud. “It’s harder to split packmates than to keep them together.”
On our next attempt, Freya tried a different way of splitting us against the bonds — me with Varden, Ony with Dean, Tor with Astrid.
When all three groups tried to attack simultaneously from different angles, the pack mind wavered.
Too many rivers crossing, too much coordination.
I felt her strain through our mate bond.
Then she adjusted, grouping Varden and Dean together, putting Astrid and Ony as a separate unit, and having Tor and me work as a third pair. The pack mind stabilized immediately, the natural bonds between partners making the coordination effortless as we all moved in harmony.
“Better,” Hank called. “That felt solid.”
Freya nodded, processing. “So in battle, I should keep pack units together rather than mixing them.”
“Unless absolutely necessary,” Tor agreed.
Ony shifted back, respect clear in his expression. “Pack Alpha Astrid, this changes everything we know about pack warfare. If Freya can coordinate multiple packs like this during the actual battle…”
“Denraider won’t know what hit them,” Astrid finished.
We practiced for another hour, refining the technique. Freya learned to manage multiple groups simultaneously, directing them like a conductor with an orchestra. The pack mind allowed the coordination of complex maneuvers that would be impossible through normal communication.
As the practice wound down, I watched Freya’s face. Color had returned to her cheeks. Her eyes held focus instead of despair.
“Your magic is stronger than ever,” I told her quietly.
She met my gaze. “You really think so?”
“I know so. You effortlessly draw power from the Howling Echo, without wasting a drop.”
Tor joined us, his hand finding Freya’s shoulder. “The pack mind is your greatest weapon.”
“This could turn the tide against Denraider’s numbers,” I agreed.
“But,” Tor warned, “it requires trust. Complete trust.”
“I trust all of you,” Freya said without hesitation.
“But the entire alliance has to trust you,” I replied. “That’s what makes this work.”
Tor nodded. “A lack of trust will make them fall out of lockstep and drop out of the pack mind.”
As the sun climbed higher, I felt hope and dread warring in my chest.
Hope that the pack mind would give us the edge we needed. That Freya’s unique power as an astral would unite the alliance into something greater than the sum of its parts. That we could face Denraider’s superior numbers and win.
But dread lingered too. Dread that Lydell would carry out his threat. That Valkyrie would die while Freya watched, helpless despite all her power. If that happened, the devastation would shatter Freya’s concentration. She would lose her ability to maintain the pack mind when we needed it most.
Tor must be thinking the same thing because he nodded to me. His words were private for me alone, “We have to help her. No matter what happens to Valkyrie. Or anyone else.”
I sent back my agreement just as privately. “No matter who falls to Denraider, Freya can’t be allowed to drop the pack mind before we win.”
“And most important of all, we have to protect Freya.”