Chapter 16 - Gage

Chapter 16

Gage

It took us some time to get around the packs controlling the few roads crossing the Milk River to go deeper into Montana toward the Midnight Path packlands. As rolling hills gave way to grassy flatlands, I knew we would make it by nightfall. In the meantime, Heath caught Freya up on what she could expect from Astrid and her strange pack.

“Astrid is a bear shifter,” Heath explained. “A massive bear, as big as a grizzly, but her fur is dark brown, almost black.”

“But her pack… Are they mostly wolf shifters?” Freya asked. “I didn’t think bears had packs.”

Heath nodded. “Yeah, they’re mostly wolf shifters, but she has a soft spot for strays. She’ll help any shifter who’s trying to reach Canada and escape pack law here in the US.”

“What about mages? Does she welcome them, too?”

Heath and I exchanged a glance, and I shrugged. “She’s never mentioned one. We can ask.”

“Wouldn’t hurt, right?” Freya asked. “It might give me some kind of hope of ever learning my magic.”

Heath pulled Freya against him and kissed the top of her head. “We’ll see, my little witch. If not, we’ll get you through this heat, kick Ironwood’s ass, and then figure something out.”

The way his words soothed her through the mate bond also soothed something in me. Every day, it became clearer to me that our strength came from each other. Freya needed us, and we needed her. Together, we were pack.

Except, no matter how much I’d hoped things wouldn’t get weird, they had. During the trip, Heath didn’t spare me so much as a glance, and he only spoke to Freya. At the restaurant earlier today, I’d felt every centimeter of space between us, while he seemed totally at ease. Especially when he snatched the ketchup. His playfulness followed by the cold shoulder treatment confused and irritated me.

When we traveled past Wolf Point, Heath told Freya, “We’re technically on one of the last Indian Reservations created before magic returned to the world. Flint would probably know more about it. These days, they operate under pack law and keep most outsiders out, but they still allow passage along the neutral highways. And they’re allied with the Midnight Path.”

We took an unmaintained road that had turned into a trail over the years. It was a shortcut only the Midnight Path’s allies knew about — though not a particularly easy one. It skirted a few packlands, none of which claimed it or maintained it, apparently. But that’s what made it perfect for Astrid and her pack to smuggle runaways north to her allies and then to the Canadian border.

I’d previously given Astrid the heads up we would likely arrive today or into the wee hours tomorrow, so we weren’t surprised to see a cheetah shifter of all things trailing along beside us through the tall grasses of the Montana prairie.

“Looks like they noticed we’re here,” a Frost Fang packmate commented.

As twilight fell, the ground became lighter, until I realized they’d had some recent snowfall here. Not much, but enough to coat the grass and brush in white. Ahead, a blazing bonfire greeted us, illuminating the flatlands all around it.

Once again, as soon as our caravan rolled to a stop just off the side of the trail, our Frost Fang bodyguards jumped out to check out the area. The cheetah shifter and three wolves met them, refusing to shift into their human forms. It presented a problem, since none of the Frost Fang wolves we’d brought with us were alphas — they couldn’t project their voices to non-packmates. I reached for the door handle, then paused when a massive black shadow glided across the white plains toward the standoff.

Every wolf shifter from both packs cowered under the massive wolf’s deadly serious gaze. Rowan could project his alpha voice for any shifter to hear. After I rolled down my window to see if I needed to give him any backup, a Midnight Path shifter changed back to human form. She bowed first to me and then to Rowan.

“Our apologies, alphas. The Howling Echo and your new packmates are always welcome on Midnight Path lands.”

I didn’t bother to remind her they all knew we were coming. The pissing match had been entirely unnecessary, but shifters were like that sometimes. Frost Fang likely would have done the same thing to our visitors unless I ordered otherwise.

Heath opened the door and helped Freya down from the vehicle, and I joined them. The Midnight Path packmates fell back, making way for a powerfully built, wide-shouldered woman striding through the trodden-down grasses toward us. Tight blond braids along her head gave her the look of a warrior, and she grinned when she saw us.

“That’s… Pack Alpha Astrid?” Freya asked Heath in confusion.

“What gave it away?” Astrid answered in a strong, even voice that was deeper than most women’s.

Freya gaped at her, then glanced back at me. “I just… thought you’d have brown hair since your bear is brown.”

Astrid’s throaty laugh and easy smile put Freya at ease. She glanced between me and Heath, no doubt noticing the matching rune on our faces. Though she raised an eyebrow, she didn’t remark on it.

“Come over to the bonfire and warm up!” Astrid gestured. “It seems we have much to catch up on.”

I once again ordered one wolf from each vehicle to remain behind, but Astrid rumbled out a bearish growl. “Why bother? There’s no one out here for miles but us. Just lock ‘em up if you’re worried.”

“Fine,” I growled. “Two wolves stand guard and stay in each other’s line of sight. The rest, come with us. You’ll all take turns.”

A chorus of “Yes, alpha,” met our ears.

I didn’t look back to see that my orders were followed, but the correct number of Frost Fang wolves joined us in tromping across the grasses toward the rows of one-story buildings ahead. Astrid’s cheetah packmate took off across the plains, no doubt to continue their assigned patrol.

Set back from the nearest building by several meters, the bonfire raged at a height much taller than me or Heath. Astrid turned toward us, her boxy body silhouetted by the bonfire.

“There, now that I can see you properly, let’s have some introductions!” Astrid hooked a thumb toward herself. “I’m Astrid, the leader of this merry band of misfits we like to call the Midnight Path, seeing as how we like to shepherd our friends up the path to Canada after midnight.”

“You know Gage and Rowan,” Heath said. Then he stepped forward and pointed out Flint. “Do you remember meeting Flint, our fourth Howling Echo packmate?”

“I remember him very well,” Astrid’s voice dropped into a flirtatious tone, and Freya stepped in front of Flint, her lips drawn back in a silent snarl.

“Our fifth packmate, Freya,” Heath chuckled. “And also our mate.”

Before Astrid could ask, he hurried on with the introductions, somehow remembering the names of every single one of our Frost Fang packmates. Heath had always been the one I sent to deal with people on any of our jobs, because he knew how to schmooze everyone.

“Drinks for our guests!” Astrid called, and one of her nearby wolf shifters yelped, jumping to obey.

Somehow, despite being a bear shifter, Astrid had the dominance to boss around her wolf shifter packmates like an alpha would. It seemed more psychological than anything, because she didn’t have an alpha bark like wolves. Yet her dominance seemed to fall somewhere below Heath’s but above Flint and Rowan’s.

A Midnight Path shifter I vaguely remembered pushed a drink into my hand, and I thanked him. His gaze never reached higher than my chest. Sniffing the drink, I found the beer acceptable and took a big gulp. Freya made a face, but the rest smiled and started drinking with our new friends.

Astrid’s packmates arranged chairs close enough to enjoy the heat without catching falling cinders. The chairs clustered together in small circles of five to eight each, and Astrid motioned us toward a circle of six.

She sat farthest away from the bonfire, and Freya took a seat right beside her. Flint took Freya’s hand and sat beside her, with Heath beside him, and me on his other side. As we settled in, Astrid took a long drink.

Rowan nosed aside the sixth chair and laid down in his wolf form closer to my chair than to Astrid’s. I smiled at him, realizing he was doing it to put Freya at ease. Now she and Rowan were the ones closest to Astrid, and in his wolf form, he wouldn’t interact much with our host.

Astrid smiled at Rowan and shook her head. “Still prefer that form, even after all this time?”

She didn’t wait for Rowan to answer, knowing better than to expect one. Instead, she leaned toward Freya, her ice-blue eyes boring into our mate. I opened my mouth to turn the conversation toward the matter at hand — our bribe and what we wanted in return, but Astrid beat me to the punch.

“So, is it true? Did the newest Howling Echo wolf steal the hearts of all four alphas?”

“They’re all my mates,” Freya answered, her voice steady.

Her hand closed tightly around her drink, as though she expected some kind of pushback. With her other hand, she threaded her fingers through Flint’s, as if to prevent Astrid from getting her claws into him. The mate bond revealed Freya’s caution, and I imagined her wolf was in full protective mode. Flint gazed impassively at Astrid, but he squeezed Freya’s hand to reassure her.

We’d known her heat might be a problem, but if we could get Astrid on the same page, tonight would be the only time they came in contact. Astrid would come to the Frost Fang packlands as Freya began her heat, and we would retreat with her before any problems arose with the unmated pack alpha.

“And do you plan to steal any more mates from my pack while you’re here?” Astrid teased.

“Astrid—” I snarled, but she held up a hand.

“This is a friendly conversation between ladies, Gage, don’t worry.”

Heath snorted, proving he thought the word ‘friendly’ was going a bit too far as well. Freya’s eyes darted to Heath. For a moment, she said nothing. I hoped whatever mental conversation they were having would put her at ease as much as my other packmates strove to do in their own ways. Freya seemed to gather herself before answering.

“I didn’t steal my mates from anyone, and I don’t plan on more than these four,” Freya answered tersely. “That’s not what we came here for.”

Astrid chuckled. “My apologies, Freya. I don’t mean to put you on edge.”

She leaned forward again, her eyes raking over our mate’s lean form.

“I’m just wondering… if you’ve ever considered what it’s like to be with a bear, hmm?” She raised an eyebrow. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again… I’d take these alphas into my bed in a heartbeat.” Freya bristled, but Astrid continued, “Especially if you’re part of the package, babe. Hell, I’d even let your skinny ass be on top.”

Freya’s mouth snapped shut, and her outright shock smashed through the mate bond. She hadn’t expected Astrid to come onto her.

Heath laughed and explained, “Don’t worry, love. Astrid isn’t really trying to become your fifth mate. I doubt she’ll ever be tied down. She has too much fun fucking whoever she wants. Especially since she can just send them up to Canada when she’s bored with them.”

Astrid roared with laughter, then took a sip of her drink. “He knows me too well! But here’s the thing…” She loud-whispered to Freya, with her hand beside her mouth like she was telling a secret. “I’ve never fucked an alpha, and I’ve always wanted to.”

I growled, growing tired of Astrid’s games. She knew we were here for a reason.

Turning the conversation to more useful ends would’ve been smart, but for some reason, what I found myself saying was, “That’s because most alphas don’t like being the bottom.”

As Astrid roared in laughter again, Heath also choked back a strangled laugh, his hand clapping down on his thigh. With a speculative glance at me, Heath brought his drink closer to his lap. What was he covering up? Surely my words hadn’t turned him on?

Now I suddenly wondered if Heath enjoyed being the top or the bottom. As a very dominant alpha, surely he claimed the top?

The thought suddenly consumed me. I couldn’t remember him ever being with a wolf more dominant than him… So he’d probably never bottomed. And why did I suddenly care? My body heated, and I had a feeling it had nothing to do with the bonfire.

“Fair point,” Astrid said. “To be honest, I’m just jealous. I’ve always wanted an alpha, and now to hear you’ve got four wrapped around your little finger… Mmm mmm mmm. You’ll have to tell me your secrets.”

Freya let out an actual growl this time, and I intervened before Astrid could piss off our mate any further.

“To move this along… We brought something for you, Astrid.”

“Oh?” She raised her eyebrows, but her gaze never left Freya’s face.

“Remember that island you’ve been eyeing?”

Now I had her full attention. Astrid leaned forward, her forearms resting on her knees, her beer dangling from one hand.

“We moved the pack house there a few months back,” she informed us. “And I’ve moved there, too. The entire pack could retreat there if we had to.”

I nodded, knowing I’d made the right choice of bribe. “We had the Snow Moon pack make you a metal drawbridge that will replace your current bridge across. It can’t be burned to leave you stranded. And you can raise it from your side on the island so no one can ambush your pack.”

For the first time since I’d met her, Astrid looked surprised. Her eyes widened, and her full lips parted, but she said nothing.

“Pulley, winch, hinge… we brought it all. Some of it needs to be welded together, though.” I waved back at our vehicles. “Now you see why we wanted to protect them?”

She waved me off. “Nobody out here would mess with your stuff. Not with me and my neighbors here to kick their asses.”

“Caution has saved our tails more than once,” Flint pointed out.

Astrid looked at me, then dipped her head, averting her eyes from me for the first time.

“Thank you, friends. I hope we never need to retreat, but it’ll give me peace of mind to know we can. I hear there’s unrest stirring out west. I hope we’re far enough east to stay clear, but you know what they say… pack war is the most contagious disease there is.”

Now that we were tied down to a pack west of here — Frost Fang — I hoped the stability we provided would stave off the unrest we kept hearing about.

“May our packs remain strong.” Flint raised his cup, and we all drank to that.

Astrid’s eyes fell on Rowan, then circled around to each of us before landing on Freya.

“Let me guess… you need something in return.”

“Nothing you can’t handle,” I assured her.

“We have a trap to set,” Heath explained. “And our own pack war to avoid. We want to end it in one decisive victory.” He gestured to Freya. “Our mate will play the bait.”

My brave mate spoke up. “Ironwood plans to attack us on the next full moon, but we want to draw them out before they’re ready. My heat is coming soon. We think it’ll start in less than a week. When it does, we’re going to fall back to a place of our own… but ours will appear to be much less defended. To keep our people safe, it’ll also be far from any of Frost Fang’s major towns. Knowing that my heat will keep my alpha mates distracted should be too tempting for them to resist.”

Astrid pursed her lips, nodding her head as her eyes scanned Freya up and down. “I see why you like her.”

“We expect Ironwood to attack before Freya’s heat is through,” Flint added, squeezing Freya’s hand. “And when they do, our Frost Fang packmates will be ready.”

“That’s quite the plan. How does my pack fit into all this?”

“We don’t want to fall into our own trap,” I said. “If we take our best wolves with us, it’ll leave Frost Fang undefended. And as much as I’ve tried to root out the unrest in our own ranks, I can’t guarantee I’ve exiled them all.”

“Exiled?” Astrid snorted. “You’re getting soft, Gage. That only lets them regroup out in the wildlands to stab you in the back later. Or join Ironwood.”

Her words sparked an idea. “Good point. Perhaps I should ‘exile’ someone who will conveniently leak our plans to Ironwood.”

“He’d have to either be brave or an idiot,” Astrid said.

“And an alpha,” I mused. “To avoid buckling under the interrogation.”

“That leaves us with one fewer alpha to kick their ass when they fall for our trap,” Heath warned.

“And,” Flint added, “Luka might decide to torture them, since he wouldn’t be able to use his alpha command on them.”

“We’ll discuss it on the drive back,” I said.

“So, I still don’t understand… your packlands will be undefended…” Astrid trailed off.

“Since you’re allies with all of your neighbors, we were hoping you could afford to leave your packlands with a few of your strongest warriors and alpha wolves. For about five or six days.”

Astrid’s jaw fell open. Then she guffawed. “You want me and my boys… to occupy Frost Fang on your behalf?”

I nodded, studying her expression. “I never expected to end up with packlands of my own. If I’m taking all my alphas with me to protect Freya and ambush Ironwood, I need someone I can trust to defend our packlands while we’re away.”

Astrid crossed her arms, her drink forgotten on the ground beside her chair. I took another sip of my own.

“What’s to stop me from taking over?”

“Aside from pack law and the fact that you didn’t defeat me in an alpha challenge?” I asked.

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “You think your dissidents give a damn about pack law?”

“If any of them want to defect to the Midnight Path and go with you when you leave, they can be my guests,” I growled. “Save me the trouble of exiling them.”

“And if they give me any trouble while I’m babysitting your packlands?”

I shrugged. “I’ll back your decision, whatever it may be.”

“It sure as hell won’t be exile. Not if they fuck with my guys.”

Heath grinned. “Sounds like the problem solves itself.”

“If any of my packmates end up injured—”

“They’re welcome to stay as long as they take to heal, and we’ll negotiate some kind of recompense,” I assured her.

“Hmm,” Astrid murmured, considering the options. Well, let’s see these drawbridge parts.”

She might seem tough as nails, but Astrid truly cared about her packmates and the strays that came seeking her help and the refuge she offered. Strays like us. Before Flint had joined our pack, Heath, Rowan, and I had come here, which was the start of our alliance with the Midnight Path. We’d run several jobs for them since, including one since Flint had joined. Astrid and I always reached a fair compromise. I was confident we’d do the same this time.

“In the morning,” I said. “Unless you’re kicking us out.”

“I have an empty house that the five of you—” Astrid glanced down at Rowan. “Scratch that. The four of you can stay there. Your Frost Fang packmates will have to take turns either sleeping in your trucks or in the pack house. We have inflatable mattresses enough for most of them. It’s what our strays sleep on,” she explained for Flint and Freya’s benefit.

“They’ll take turns at patrol and standing guard near the vehicles, so as long as you don’t mind them crossing back and forth to the island all night…” Heath said.

“Nope, whatever form they choose is fine. I’ll make sure my current patrols get a good sniff of them and then pass the word along that we have guests. In the morning, I’ll check out your bribe,” she gave me a pointed look, “And then we’ll iron out the details.”

“Great,” I said, standing to stretch.

Glancing around, I already saw Frost Fang wolves mingling with the shifters of the Midnight Path, not all of whom were wolf shifters. I hoped this would give them a wider perspective of the world and open their minds, which would only benefit us all.

Frost Fang would become more accepting of witches under my watch. I would make sure of it — for Freya’s sake.

As though reading my mind, Freya spoke up. “One last thing, Astrid.”

“Yeah, pretty wolf?” Astrid practically purred.

“Do you have any mages in your pack?”

The bear shifter’s brows shot up. “Not in a long time. It’s rare that a mage makes it this far into the shifter-controlled territories. If a mage wants to escape their coven, they usually try to flee east instead, into the Chicago Collective.”

Freya nodded. “Would you keep us posted if one shows up?”

“Sure thing, babe.” Astrid raised her voice and her drink. “In the meantime, we party!”

Simultaneous howls, hoots, and the screeching screams of big cats heeded her call. I crossed the circle of chairs and pulled Freya to her feet.

“We’ll find you a teacher soon, my mate,” I whispered to her before lifting her chin so I could kiss her.

She’d been tense the whole meeting, but now she melted into my embrace, and Flint crowded in behind her to run his hands along her arms in reassurance.

“Don’t stop on my account,” Astrid laughed. “I’d love to see that little minx climb you like a tree.”

“There’s no hard wood here for you, Astrid.” Heath stepped between Astrid and us, keeping his tone light, though his actions showed he would protect Freya even from our ally.

She peeked around Heath. “This time, it’s not the wood I’m after.”

Freya laughed, finally at ease. “She’s a horndog, isn’t she?”

Astrid winked. “Let’s just say this bear likes to climb trees just as much as she likes honey.”

“Don’t worry,” I whispered low enough only Freya could hear. “She may not act like it, but Astrid knows the meaning of the word ‘no.’ She’s never pushed us farther than we allowed.”

Freya’s head whipped over to look at Heath, and I wondered if he had just confessed or not. If not, he would need to admit to our mate what had happened between him and Astrid once. I’d never looked at Astrid that way, myself. In part because I’d still held a grudge against women for what they’d done to me and Garth. But my feelings toward Astrid felt more brotherly. She was what I liked to imagine a sister would have been like, if I’d had one — a tough, strong-willed badass.

Walking backward, Astrid gestured toward a beer keg her packmates had dragged closer to us.

She called to Freya, “C’mon, pretty wolf, your heat isn’t here just yet, and the night is young.”

Freya rose on her toes to give Heath a peck on the lips. Neither of them said a word, but from their long look, I had a feeling they shared a private conversation. My heart wrenched with jealousy that they shared a connection I longed for, but for the first time, I wondered which of them I was more jealous of.

We’re both Freya’s mates, I reminded myself.

It didn’t matter what curiosity I had about Heath. We were both mated to Freya. She came first. Always.