Chapter 32 - Freya #3
The pull of destiny tugged on my very bones. “I want to build something permanent with you all — not just a pack, but a legacy of peace. Something that will outlast us, that will show future generations what’s possible when you choose love over fear.”
The massive bed drew us together like gravity. I settled in the center, and one by one, my mates arranged themselves around me. The bed that had seemed impossibly large when empty now felt perfectly sized for us all.
Gage was the first to speak, his sky-blue eyes holding mine with unwavering intensity. “You made me believe in love again, princess. And that made us unstoppable. Ten years from now, we’ll still be discovering new ways to love each other.”
“And we’ll make every moment count, moonbeam,” Flint affirmed.
Heath’s hand found my cheek, his touch reverent. “You saved us all, little wolf. You were worth the wait — worth everything.”
Rowan’s eyes blazed with fierce devotion. “You tamed the beast in me without caging it, lightning bolt. You changed everything for the better.”
Zak’s voice broke with emotion as he spoke. “My fellow hybrid, you’re the magic that made everything possible. I love you infinitely.”
Finally, Tor’s gaze met mine. “I searched for years for my constellation. Finding you all… it was like watching the stars themselves fall into perfect alignment. My astral, I love you across time and space.”
The words washed over me, each declaration settling into my heart where it would remain forever. Through the bonds, their love flowed together like rivers to the sea, creating something greater than the sum of its parts.
“This is what we were all seeking, even if we didn’t know it,” I whispered, my voice thick with pure joy.
My mates’ arms tightened around me, and I felt their wolves rising to the surface, not in aggression but in recognition. Our wolves had found their perfect matches, their mates for life.
We prepared for bed with a domestic normalcy that delighted me to my core. Was this what forever felt like? Calm and peace, a moment to revel in the small treasures of watching my mates’ biceps bulge so nicely as they performed simple tasks like brushing their teeth?
Outside our windows, night had fallen, and the lights of Three Forks twinkled like earthbound stars, a testament to the transformation already taking place. But inside our sanctuary, wrapped in the arms of my six incredible mates, I felt the profound satisfaction of a day well spent.
A month well spent. We had formed the Astral Packs.
We had given hope to thousands of wolves across multiple states.
We had proven that cooperation could triumph over conquest. We’d made huge strides toward bringing peace and prosperity to our corner of the country, and all the hardships we’d been facing were finally laid to rest.
Staring at the big moon outside the window, I realized that tomorrow would be the Wolf Moon. Perfect for our own pack run — the first of many in this new future.
As the others settled into drowsy contentment in the bed around me, I felt a faint thread of worry through my mate bond with Heath. His concern wasn’t for himself, but for how I’d taken the news about his Congressional duties.
My own anxiety flickered in response — images of planes carrying him away, marble halls where I couldn’t follow, Heath far from our bed when I needed him most.
“Hey,” Heath murmured softly, his voice barely audible in the darkness. “You’re thinking too loud, little wolf.”
I turned toward him. “I’m scared that politics will steal you from us.”
“Never.” His hand found my face, thumb brushing across my cheek. “I’m going to DC to defend what we built, not to start a new life without you. I’ll base myself here in Astral packlands as much as possible.”
“But the sessions—”
“I won’t let politics steal me from this bed or from our pack,” he said firmly. “This is temporary, my warrior wolf. The Astral Council will help find a long-term representative — maybe Wendell or Rose. Someone who comes from Elder Forest as they expect, but shares our values.”
From beside us, Gage’s voice rumbled through the darkness, eyes still closed. “Congress trips will be treated like missions. Heath never goes alone when things are tense. But we always remain based here, not in DC.”
The simple certainty in their voices calmed the anxious flutter in my chest. With our bonds, long-term separation wasn’t on the table.
I chose to trust Heath with this role instead of fearing it.
As I drifted toward sleep, my last conscious thought lingered on Valkyrie’s face in that clearing — the sister I’d finally found, only to watch her disappear again with her three dangerous protectors.
That thought became a bridge between our dreams.
I found myself standing on a vast snowy plain beneath dancing aurora, the scent of crisp winter winds in the air. Across from me stood a white wolf, lightning sparking subtly along the tips of her pure fur.
Valkyrie.
We approached each other slowly, and when our foreheads touched, the connection blazed to life.
“Sister,” she said with both wonder and wariness.
“How are you?”
Here in the dream, our voices seemed to sound out loud.
She eyed me warily for a moment, choosing her words. “Free but not safe. We’ve been traveling constantly, killing Denraider scouts when we find them. These guys are good at what they do.” A pause. “What about you?”
I shared images through our connection — the Astral Packs forming, the alliance spanning three states, packs choosing cooperation over conquest.
“Things are changing,” I told her. “There’s a place for you in this new world, when you’re ready.”
Valkyrie looked away, her posture uncertain.
“Since you’ve met your mates—”
“They’re not my mates.”
“Ask your wolf. She knows what’s true.”
Valkyrie let out a long exhale.
“After you’ve met your mates,” I started again, more gently, “Your heat should arrive one moon later.”
Her wolf stiffened. “I won’t be caged again. Especially not by these three.”
“They don’t have to bite you, or you them,” I tried to reassure her. “Not until you’re ready.” Her stubborn look told me she thought she’d never be ready, but she would discover how inevitable those bonds could be, just like I had.
I continued, “For us Odinswolves, it’s… intense.” I let her feel a memory of my own heats with my mates — the overwhelming pleasure, the safety, the strength that came from being completely accepted.
“It’ll be safer to face it in protected packlands than near ex-Denraider territory.
I can offer you options. Moonblessed, New Dawn, Elder Forest, Ironwood — but I think Midnight Path would be best. It’s farthest from Denraider.
They have river islands as natural barriers, and escape routes into Canada if needed.
And Pack Protector Astrid is used to sheltering strays. She knows how to handle your men.”
Valkyrie’s mental voice carried her conflict. “Leaving the area feels like abandoning other slaves who need rescue.”
“You have to take care of yourself first,” I cautioned, knowing she’d never had the freedom to do that before.
“Seeking safety for your heat isn’t weakness.
And the Astral Packs are taking responsibility for the wildlands.
Any Denraider slaves found in the lands we protect will be safe.
Trust us to take care of them, at least for a little while.
Then, after your heat, you can pick up where you left off. ”
After a long moment, she decided. “If we survive the road, and if this Astrid will have us, we’ll try to make it there.”
“I’ll give the Astral Packs a heads up you might stop in over the next month. You’ll be honored guests during your heat, not prisoners.”
“And after?” she asked. “I’ve made my own bargain with these three. They might not agree.”
“After your heat, you decide if you want to join us more permanently. But Valkyrie — those three men are your mates. They’ll follow where you lead, even if it doesn’t seem that way now.”
We touched foreheads again, and the dream began to fade.
I woke in the darkness of our astral house, surrounded by the steady breathing of my mates. Knowledge settled into my bones — my sister had a destination now.
Tor’s eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, and I whispered along our mate bond, “I dreamwalked to Valkyrie. Told her to come here to the Astral Packs if she needs to.”
His satisfied nod told me he approved. “No wonder I couldn’t find you in my dreams, then.”
Giving him a grin, I dared him, “Come find me this time.”
I drifted back to sleep, content in the knowledge that our constellation was growing stronger, guiding other lost stars home.