Chapter 26 - Freya #3
“Every pack Astral Freya touches has changed,” Flint pointed out. “No alpha in our alliance forces their command on their packs. None of our packs have omegas.” He glanced toward the beta who’d spoken earlier. “And we value equal mating above all.”
He pulled down the neck of his tunic to reveal my bite on the junction of his neck and shoulder. Her eyes lit up, and she looked at me with newfound respect.
“Mated to an alpha, but not an alpha yourself.”
“Nor a beta,” Zak pointed out. “She doesn’t lower her eyes to anyone.”
“We’re Odinswolves, and no alpha can command us,” Tor said. “Astral Freya isn’t compelled to obey, nor does she command anyone to obey. She’s helping all these pack alphas learn that there are better ways to rule than through fear.”
I turned to Gabriel. “Do you agree to serve the wolves of Alloy as their protector? Not to dominate them, but to lead them? Not to command them, but to fight alongside them?”
Understanding lit Gabriel’s eyes. He faced the Alloy wolves again, his posture shifting from uncertain to resolute.
“Absolutely. I know what it’s like,” Gabriel began, his voice carrying across the assembled wolves.
“To not be accepted. To have to leave everything you knew because you didn’t fit a pack alpha’s narrow vision of what a wolf should be.
” He gestured to Jasmine and his brothers.
“Snow Moon drove us out because we refused to choose. Because Jasmine wanted all three of us as mates, and we wanted her. They called it unnatural, a perversion of pack structure. So we left. We struck out on our own.”
Several of the Alloy wolves nodded, recognition in their eyes.
Marius spoke up, his voice still uncertain. “Only some of us were exiled. Others among us chose to leave their packs, like you. Some were driven out for various reasons. Others lost their packs in pack wars, through no fault of their own. So we take the threat of pack war very seriously.”
Gabriel nodded. “You banded together for survival. You looked out for each other when no one else would. You gave each other the safety of a pack without a pack bond.” His voice strengthened.
“I won’t rule you. The Astral has shown us all that’s not what leadership should be.
I will become your pack alpha in title, but I will become your protector in truth.
I’ll use my strength to shield you from other alphas who would command you.
I’ll give you the safety of a pack bond without sacrificing the freedom that brought you together in the first place. ”
Marius studied him for a long moment. “And you won’t use alpha commands to force our obedience?”
“Not unless your life is in immediate danger,” Gabriel said firmly.
A younger woman shook her head. “How do we know you mean it?”
“Gabriel doesn’t use alpha commands to force others to obey. I’ve known him my entire life, and I swear this to you,” Grayson offered.
Marius sniffed. “Of course his littermate would say that.”
“I’m willing to prove it,” Gabriel said. “I swear to you in front of everyone gathered here: After this Denraider matter is resolved, if you choose to go back to your life as it was before, without a pack alpha, I will relinquish the pack bond.”
Marius looked at Jasmine and the brothers. “And them?”
“My mate and my enforcers,” Gabriel said. “They come with me, or I don’t come at all.”
“What would you call this pack?” the hunched, downtrodden man asked.
Gabriel glanced at Jasmine, who smiled encouragingly before he spoke up.
“An alloy is a metal blended from other metals, and its strength in that mixture, rather than purity. I would keep that part of our pack name. And in honor of how Grandmother Moon has guided us all and how an astral leads our packs… I would name us, the Celestial Alloy pack.”
Murmurs rippled through the group. Marius’s expression softened slightly. “Celestial Alloy. I like it.” He extended his hand. “I’m Marius. And if you’re serious about being a protector rather than a ruler, I’ll give you a chance.”
Gabriel clasped his forearm in the formal greeting. “I meant every word.”
“Then we’ll witness your pack’s creation,” Marius said. “Just like the old ways.”
Gage stepped forward. “I’ll stand as witness for the Howling Echo.”
“I will witness on behalf of the Ironwood pack,” Thatcher said.
He leaned toward Lee, speaking under his breath, and the other alpha took off, probably to continue patrolling while his pack alpha was occupied.
“And I for the New Dawn,” Artemis called, appearing from the crowd. If she felt any resentment about Gabriel leaving her pack, it didn’t show on her face — only approval. Without warning, she added, “I hereby release you from the New Dawn pack.”
Through my Odinswolf vision of bonds, I saw the thread between them instantly sever. Gabriel stumbled for a moment as though his exile physically pained him.
Then he straightened, turning to his brothers and Jasmine. “Will you stand with me?”
“Always,” Jasmine said softly.
“Then I hereby also release your mate and your littermates from their oaths,” Artemis said. “Gabriel, Jasmine, Garreth, and Grayson, your wolves are no longer mine to command.”
Three more threads snapped, but the mate bonds between Jasmine and the three brothers held strong.
“Witnesses are invited to shift,” Gage called to the gathering.
I hurriedly stuffed my clothes into my sling bag, excited to witness this historic moment. Even Artemis hadn’t created a new pack from scratch.
Jasmine and her mates moved to an open space, then stripped down to shift. Gabriel’s massive alpha wolf emerged first. Jasmine’s white wolf appeared beside him, followed by Garreth and Grayson in their own white forms.
The rest of us soon joined them on four paws.
Gabriel’s mental voice projected clearly, reaching all of us even though we weren’t part of his pack bond. “Tonight, I form a new pack. I name this pack the Celestial Alloy. And I, Gabriel, will become its pack alpha in name, its pack protector in truth. Let any who object challenge me now.”
No one moved.
“We are honored to witness the creation of a new pack,” Gage said after a moment, his voice projecting across the group.
“We accept and welcome the new pack among our alliance,” I added. “We recognize Gabriel as the protector of this new pack, the Celestial Alloy.”
Several of the Alloy wolves startled at my words, not expecting a non-alpha like me to be able to project my voice.
Gabriel raised his right paw and bit down on his own foreleg, the traditional way to establish a new pack bond. Blood welled, and I caught the sharp scent of it on the cold air.
“With this mark, I establish the Celestial Alloy pack under the light of the stars. May Grandmother Moon and all gathered here bear witness.”
“Long may you protect,” we all intoned in response, the words shifting naturally from the traditional phrasing. “May Grandmother Moon bless this new pack, the Celestial Alloy.”
Jasmine stepped forward first.
Gabriel’s voice was gentle as he asked, “Do you swear loyalty to our new pack?”
In answer, Jasmine raised her right foreleg. He bit down carefully, and I could see the moment the pack bond snapped into place between them. Jasmine’s wolf practically glowed with contentment.
Garreth and Grayson followed, each receiving Gabriel’s bite in turn.
Then Marius loped closer, and the process began with the Alloy wolves.
With every new wolf to join Gabriel’s pack, I sensed us drawing that much closer to my late mother’s vision of a future where wolves didn’t have to fear the alpha command and where everyone would be free to choose whomever they wanted for mates.
Flint appeared at my side. “This is going to take a while. We really should eat more and keep up our strength for when Denraider attacks.”
I agreed, grateful for the excuse. Watching pack bonds form was beautiful, but witnessing Gabriel bite each individual Alloy wolf one by one would be tedious. The important part — the creation itself — was done.
We shifted back and returned to the central firepit, where many shifters continued their meals, certain the others had the threat contained.
Flint’s hand found mine. “That was well done, moonbeam.”
“I just saw a problem and offered a solution,” I protested.
“Exactly.” His smile was warm. “You’re settling into your role beautifully. From rankless in Ironwood to Radiant over all, you’re creating packs, forging alliances, redefining what leadership means for our kind.”
As night fell, my mates gathered closer, all seven of us forming a tight circle around the fire.
The Bonded link hummed with love and worry and determination.
Around us, the camp continued its preparations — wolves running drills, checking weapons, reinforcing defenses, leaving us in relative privacy.
Gage exhaled a long breath. “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. It’s surprising Denraider has waited this long, but whenever they finally come, I want us all to stay together. Keep each other safe on the battlefield.”
“Nowhere else I’d rather be,” Heath agreed.
“I can’t bear the thought of losing any of you,” Zak whispered.
“Agreed. I refuse to lose any of you.” Tor’s voice came out rougher than usual.
He stared into the fire for a beat, then huffed a quiet laugh at himself.
“I spent years dreaming about my mates, wandering from pack to pack like a ghost. I thought I was prepared for whatever the stars sent me.” His gaze slid around the circle.
“But the reality is so much better than any dream.”
Heat crept up my throat at the raw affection flowing through the bonds.
“Careful, snow wolf,” Heath cut in, bumping Tor’s shoulder with his own. “You start giving lovey-dovey speeches before a battle and the rest of us are going to start throwing salt over our shoulders.”
Tor rolled his eyes but some of the tightness left his jaw. “Fine. No last-night speeches. Consider it… a moment of clarity.” His mouth curved into a gentle smile.