Chapter 5 - Freya

Chapter 5

Freya

Gage and I caught our breaths. Sitting on his lap in his desk chair with his arms around me made me feel loved and cherished at last. This was what I’d been missing for so long.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” I whispered. I needed to know if we ever hoped to fix things between us. “Don’t tell me things have been that busy with Frost Fang.”

Gage nuzzled his nose into my hair as though he couldn’t get enough of my scent. “We’ve been apart so long… and with everything that’s happened… I’m not sure I know the words to put things right, princess.”

“I’m not angry anymore, Gage. Can’t you feel my longing through the bond?” I asked, twining my fingers between his. “Why push me away when you’re what I want?”

“Emotions through the bond are tricky,” he admitted. “They don’t tell the whole story.”

“You’re telling me,” I grumbled, thinking of how my bond with Heath felt.

“So, let’s get this straight.” Gage took a deep breath. “I made a mistake, biting you without asking you first. But I promise you, Freya, I never meant to keep you away from the others. You know that, right?”

“I know. And I’m sorry I doubted your intentions. I want to be with you, Gage, and with the others.”

He kissed my temple. “Being separated from you made me realize something, princess.”

I turned toward him, studying his expression. “That we should never be apart like that again?”

His lips twisted up in a satisfied smile. “That, and that no matter how mad you are at me, nothing will change the fact that I love you.”

I froze in shock, staring at my pack alpha. The man who had once ordered his packmates to leave me in the wildlands because he hated women. The alpha who’d killed the woman he used to love to protect me. My mate who’d sent me reassurances every time he felt my worries rise through the bond, even when he thought I was still angry with him. Unbidden tears rose to fill the corners of my eyes.

“I love you, too, Gage.”

Our relationship had changed so much, and now here we were. While I’d recognized my feelings for Gage and the others, I never thought Gage would reach this point. My heart burst with joy, tempered by worry.

“Are you okay?” Heath’s voice echoed in my mind, despite the distance.

“Gage and I are finally talking things out, and…”

I wasn’t sure I wanted Heath to know Gage had confessed his love for me. It would only make Heath feel more hopeless.

“You can bite him if you want, my warrior wolf,” Heath said, his mental voice carefully neutral. “I know you will claim us all in the end. Don’t hold back for my sake.”

“I… thanks. I’m not sure I’m ready for that with Gage yet. I don’t want Flint or Rowan to feel left out. And I can talk to all of them through the pack bond when we’re in wolf form, so… what’s the rush?”

“I trust you’ll know when the time is right.”

“Heath, I don’t want to complicate things between you—”

“There is no ‘us’ when it comes to me and Gage, love.” He sighed through the mental link, probably wondering why he’d ever confessed his feelings for Gage. “Don’t worry about me. Now, I need to focus, little wolf.”

I felt Heath recede from the bond as he turned his attention elsewhere.

Gage ran his fingers through my long hair, bringing me back to my physical surroundings. “Talking to Heath?”

His sky-blue gaze held nothing but acceptance. While it felt good to know all my mates understood how much I cared for them all, I suddenly wished Gage could know how much Heath cared for him, too.

“Yes,” I said, my mind still partly on my conversation with Heath. “What do you think of him?”

Gage chuckled, his eyebrows drawing down in confusion. “Heath has always been my best friend. My first packmate. The most loyal and dedicated shifter I know. I’m glad you two bit each other.”

“And you two never…” I trailed off, worried I was about to break Heath’s trust by asking too much.

“Never thought we would share the same woman?” Gage grinned. “We talked about it once or twice, but never actually did it… until you.”

I forced a smile, frustrated that I couldn’t just be happy Gage had told me he loved me. I should bask in the moment and let Gage and Heath solve their issues themselves.

Fortunately, Gage took advantage of my silence to add, “I heard Heath rubbed it in Flint’s face that the claiming bite didn’t bring on your heat after all.”

I laughed and nodded. “And I guess now we know that it wasn’t your bite that started it up again.”

“You think meeting Rowan for the first time…?”

“That must be it. It wasn’t until we were deep in the wildlands that I realized it was happening… again.”

Gage squeezed me tighter against him so I could feel his cock already hardening again for me. “I can’t wait… although I hope it’ll hold off until we’re reunited with Heath.”

I grinned, wondering if I could tease any hint of interest in Heath out of him. “Looking forward to sharing me again? Watching your best friend rail me half a dozen times a day?”

“Half a dozen?” Gage laughed. “We all lost count well beyond six.”

I loved seeing this playful side of Gage. But now that he’d brought it up, I had to know, “When do you think we’ll be reunited?”

Gage’s hands loosened on me, his demeanor becoming more serious. “We need to leave in the next couple days. The longer we’re here, the more risk we invite to Moonblessed.”

My breath caught in my chest, realizing this would mean precious few training sessions with Brielle remained, and so far, I’d learned nothing at all. But he was right — we couldn’t risk our friends and allies at Moonblessed.

“Of course. I mean, I wouldn’t want them to have to face Ironwood again… They might not fare so well a second time.”

Gage nodded. “I knew you’d understand. We can continue your wolf shifter training on the road and once we reach Frost Fang.”

“But this puts my magic training on pause.”

Gage squeezed me tight to him. “I know, princess. I’m sorry. We’ll find a way.”

My heart fell as I realized this also meant much less time with Shante than I’d hoped for. I slid off Gage’s lap to get dressed. Gage and I would have plenty of time together, but my time with Shante and Brielle was short.

When I turned around, I caught Gage eyeing his bite on my shoulder. I crossed to him, realizing I’d never actually told him my plans. When I cupped his cheek, his trimmed beard grazed my palm.

“I will bite you in return,” I said quietly. “I’m just not ready yet.”

Heath had given me his blessing, but I sensed the reservation hidden in the neutrality of his words. He needed more time to come to terms with it.

The pack alpha stood, still shirtless, and pulled me into his arms. He trailed his thumb over my lips before kissing me. All thoughts melted as his tongue met mine and he claimed my mouth.

When he pulled back, his expression held nothing but tenderness. “The choice is yours, my mate. I may have rushed my side of this mate bond, but I won’t rush yours.”

I smiled up at him, glad we’d finally resolved things between us. Our time apart had given me a chance to realize how much I wanted them all in my life, and Gage had taken every opportunity to show me he approved of that.

“I can wait,” he assured me.

Pulling away, I finished straightening my shirt and tossed him his. “I’m sure you’ll keep busy before we leave. You’ll probably need a shirt for some of it.”

Gage grinned when I bent to grab my jeans, and his palm connected with my ass. The smack resounded through the study.

“If I didn’t have magic training to catch up on, I’d tell you to get the other cheek.”

“Don’t tempt me,” the pack alpha warned. “Go on, princess. You’re right — we both have a lot to do before we leave.”

“Fine,” I complained. There was never enough time. “Do you know where Rowan is?”

Gage’s sky-blue eyes went distant, then he nodded and said, “Not far from Brielle’s.”

I snorted, imagining how much that must annoy the mage. She liked her solitude almost as much as Rowan did. “Maybe I’ll see him when I go visit her… if he’ll let me.”

“Has he been avoiding you?”

“More or less.”

Gage growled low in his throat. “Let me talk to him.”

Guilt and shame warred within me. Gage had just told me he loved me. Why couldn’t I be content with the three of them? Why did my wolf always think about the missing mate when she should be howling with joy over the alphas she already had?

“If he doesn’t… I mean, I shouldn’t… I don’t want to—”

Gage crossed the room in an instant to put a finger to my lips. “He wants you, princess. Don’t worry about that. When he forgets to hide it from me in the pack bond, I sense his longing for you.”

“His wolf sees me as his mate, but he never expected his mate to be—”

“—a hybrid,” Gage finished before I could say something else. “I’ll remind him you’re every bit the wolf shifter we are.”

“He touched the rune,” I said, pulling my shirt down to reveal two runes beneath my right collarbone. “I think that’s what still holds him back.”

Gage nodded. “Leave Rowan to me. As for you, focus on practicing your magic and your shifting.”

“Yes, alpha.” I smiled, rising on my toes to kiss him. “I’m glad you changed your mind about me.”

His lips met mine without reservation. But he kept it brief, pulling back far too soon.

His gaze heated as he gazed down at me. “And I’m glad you joined the pack, Freya. You’re the one we were missing. We just didn’t know it.”