Chapter 18 - Gage

Chapter 18

Gage

After my warriors and I returned to Frost Fang packlands, I found two wolves waiting impatiently for our arrival. In truth, they'd been waiting for Flint and Heath, but as soon as they learned they were gone, they approached me before my warriors and I had even unloaded.

"Alpha, my name is Bea. This is Ivar. Flint sent us in search of the witch that took your mate, Freya." She bowed her head respectfully.

Ivar did the same, and his next words were so quiet, even my wolfish hearing barely made them out. "We didn't find her, however…"

"Come," I said. "Follow me."

The day after Halloween, every corner of the capital was still adorned with spooky decorations, which seemed appropriate for discussing disappearing witches. When we reached the alpha estate, I led them all to my new study, which I was happy to see had been refurnished as I'd asked. I wouldn't have to spend any more time than necessary in my brother's ridiculous throne room.

"Take a seat," I told them both, then crossed behind the imposing mahogany desk to sit down. It felt strangely good to be back. "Tell me what happened."

Bea and Ivar related their tale from the beginning, from the time when Freya had sent them away and they'd foolishly obeyed, to the moment when Flint sent them in search of Pandora, and how they'd followed her across state lines into witch territory.

"We couldn't go any farther with breaking the peace," Ivar said defensively. "No matter how strongly Flint's alpha command urged us to."

"So, you learned nothing," I growled.

Bea spoke up. "We know Pandora doesn't belong to any coven along that border. If she did, we believe she would have crossed the border where her coven controls the entrance."

Ivar bobbed his head. "That's right… they treated her like an outsider. They searched her like she was a trespasser herself."

"Did you overhear anything useful?" I prodded.

They both shook their heads.

I snarled out an alpha command. "Tell me the truth. Who has your loyalty?"

"You, Alpha Gage," they both said almost instantly.

"Tell me the truth: Do you swear loyalty to me and only me?"

"I do," both of them said. "You and only you," Bea added.

If that was the case, I didn't see how they could be withholding information, but I still prodded. "Tell me now if you're withholding anything you know about the witch or Freya's disappearance."

"I don't know anything else," Ivar swore.

"I'm not," Bea gasped under the weight of my alpha command. "I swear, I'm not withholding anything. I've told you all I know."

Ivar stood and bowed his head. "We will accept any further punishment you deem fit for us, alpha."

I considered him and Bea, both of them subordinate wolves, ranked even lower than betas. We should have left betas to guard the den, but with one of us alphas always present, we hadn't seen the need, and I had assigned all our betas to other tasks.

It wasn't their fault they'd felt compelled to obey Freya when she'd sent them away. And she was safe now, safe with all three of the Howling Echo's other alphas. From what I'd felt through the bond… they were taking good care of her. Her pleasure had briefly overwhelmed my senses, but fortunately, I'd been alone at the time.

"Freya is alive and well," I assured them. "You obeyed my mate as part of the alpha pair, which is to be expected."

I didn't mention that Freya had refused her status as part of the alpha pair at my side.

"You risked your lives to track the witch who threatened our packmate. Punishment is not warranted."

Ivar and Bea relaxed slightly, but didn't raise their eyes. They waited, as though expecting the other shoe to drop. I nearly snarled when I realized that they were probably used to any perceived failure being punished, whether warranted or not, but fortunately managed to rein it in before it alarmed them any further.

"Report to Bretton for your next assignment."

They both bowed. "Thank you, alpha," Ivar whispered.

"Yes, thank you. We tried so hard, alpha," Bea added. "Anything you need, please command us."

"Dismissed," I growled in frustration, watching them hurry out the door.

It would take time for them to trust I was different than my father, brother, and ex. I knew that, but damn was I already tired of the cringing and cowering.

It took a few days for things to go back to any sort of ‘normal.' I found a note I'd left to myself before, a reminder call on anyone who might have known Freya's family.

Ingrid had come to Frost Fang from Nightsinger, just as Flint and Fern's family had. They couldn't be the only ones. If we were really lucky, I might find someone from Freya's original pack, the Winter Wind.

I sent out a message to all Frost Fang town leaders, asking for anyone who had once been in Nightsinger, Winter Wind, or any other pack aside from Frost Fang to see me. No one immediately reached out to me, but I would be patient. If need be, I would send out a pack-wide message to everyone's emergency contact method.

A day later, Bretton burst into my study, startling a growl out of me.

"A group of Ironwood wolves requests an audience," Bretton said breathlessly, as though he'd run all the way from the border to here himself.

"Are they on our packlands?" I growled.

"No, they have followed proper etiquette and await acknowledgment outside our border. I've received word that they are… numerous, but not all warriors."

I narrowed my eyes, wondering what this could mean. Then I recalled the offer I'd made at their border.

"Defectors."

Bretton nodded, his gaze sharpening with interest. "However, I believe some are here on their pack alpha's orders."

"Spies?"

"It's a possibility."

I sighed. "Send them to me in the throne room. But make them wait."

"Of course, alpha. We want them to get the right impression."

I finished up the notes I'd been jotting down then pulled out my file on Ironwood. I'd written down everything I could remember about their defenses and numbers, in case we were forced into pack war after all. Since my packmates had seen more of Ironwood than I had, I would want them to do the same… once we were reunited. I took my time reviewing the information before leaving my study.

By the time I reached the throne room, I discovered I already had an audience. Frost Fang wolves loitered around the throne room in both forms. I spotted Flint's sister Fern among the crowd, and she bowed her head when she sensed my eyes on her.

Since they'd shown up, I felt compelled to address them before our "guests" arrived.

"My packmates," I said as I sat down.

The entire, echoey room fell silent as everyone turned toward me.

"It seems Ironwood has come to pay their respects after we so graciously spared them from pack war. There may be spies among them. Watch them closely and alert Bretton if you notice anything suspicious."

Murmuring began among my two-legged packmates. I noticed Fern's unamused expression and raised my hand to silence the crowd.

"If they seem to have good intentions and wish to defect from Ironwood, I welcome this method of weakening Ironwood's ranks. All wolves, no matter how dominant, are an asset to our pack. To any pack. And I promise I will question them even more rigorously than I did all of you. If they would join us, they will prove their loyalty first."

A cheer rose from the throats of the humans in the room, while the wolves howled. I grinned, knowing that the sound would reach the Ironwood wolves as they arrived.

Strangely, Fern remained oddly unmoved, a frown on her face despite being surrounded by approving packmates. Just then a door to the side of my throne opened, and Bretton peeked in.

"They've been sitting in a side room for the past ten minutes," he informed me. "Good enough, or shall we leave them wondering what that howl was about?"

"Send them in."

Bretton nodded, and I settled back into the throne, trying to look comfortable and in command. The Frost Fang wolves parted to either side, leaving space in the center of the throne room to force our enemies to walk tnrough the gauntlet.

For the first time, I felt truly proud of my Frost Fang packmates. They'd joined me at Ironwood's border — the ones with doubts showed no fear, and the ones looking for a fight had accepted my decision not to invade. They'd followed me home with no complaints despite having nothing to show for our adventure — since Heath and Flint had disappeared after Rowan and Freya. And now, they provided the perfect welcoming committee for our ‘guests.' I hadn't intended to be their alpha, only getting the position after Nira forced a confrontation, but I finally felt like this path would lead to a future that would be good for all of us.

The ragtag band of wolves that greeted my eyes took me by surprise. At the head of the column walked Thatcher and that toothy snake, Ryan. Fern's lips pulled back in a snarl at the sight of him, a sentiment I shared.

Behind the two alphas came a string of wolves with their eyes cast down and their shoulders hunched — all subordinate wolves, with few betas among them. Lee fell in behind his subordinate packmates, scanning the room, his body tense.

Like a proper alpha, Lee's position proved he cared more about protecting his packmates than about putting on a blustering display of dominance. From a distance, he squared his shoulders and met my gaze for a moment before bowing his head in deference to me as pack alpha of these lands.

Before I could bid them speak, Ryan practically shouted, "We come in peace… for now."

Growls tore from Frost Fang wolves throughout the room, regardless of what form they took. I couldn't let his insolence slide, or it would make me look weak in front of my pack, something I couldn't yet afford. Ryan needed to be humbled.

"Before I hear what else you have to say," I growled, "kneel before the Frost Fang throne. Visiting alphas will show me proper respect as pack alpha."

Lee and Thatcher immediately went down on one knee, their heads bowed, waiting for my word to rise. Some of their subordinate Ironwood packmates also kneeled, while the rest looked distinctly uncomfortable seeing their alphas kneeling while they themselves remained standing.

Regardless of whether they remained standing, the Ironwood subordinates all cowered, too afraid to even look around the throne room. It wasn't just because they were in enemy territory. Like too many of Frost Fang's subordinate wolves, they expected all alphas to treat them badly.

It reminded me of how meek Freya had been when we'd first met, how readily she'd accepted my brush off, banishing her back to the wildlands as effectively as Luka himself had — braving the wildlands alone had been just as dangerous, in her eyes, as making herself vulnerable to a pack with three unknown alphas. Thinking of my callous actions back then made me sick, and I was glad Freya herself had turned out to be anything but meek.

I glared down at Ryan. "Those who refuse to comply will be removed from our packlands. If they are lucky."

"Pack Alpha Luka—"

"Nothing further until you kneel," Bretton barked. Behind him, Fern grinned.

The dominance from his tone, even as a beta, was enough to make the rest of the subordinate Ironwood wolves kneel, as well as a few Frost Fang wolves, too, I noticed. But it didn't work on Ryan, alpha that he was.

"Fine," Ryan growled.

He threw a glare at Bretton, as if proving the beta's command had no effect on him. Then he slowly fell to one knee, scowling the whole time and refusing to avert his eyes. Bretton and Fern both glared at the kneeling alpha. I couldn't wait until I could sink my fangs into his throat. But for now, diplomacy, as much as I hated it.

"All the non-alphas may rise," I intoned. "Bretton will escort you somewhere more comfortable until we can question you later."

Fern's eyebrows shot up and she stared up at me in shock. Ryan's eyes narrowed in hatred as I left him kneeling on the hard floor of the throne room. Meanwhile, Bretton gestured the subordinate Ironwood wolves out, and I noticed a few of them sought reassurances from Thatcher and Lee before turning to follow Bretton.

"You will be safe on our packlands and safely escorted away if you wish to leave," I reassured them from the throne. "You are under my protection."

Only once the subordinate Ironwood wolves had left did I gesture for the three alphas to rise. Lee came closer to the foot of my throne, standing to the other side of Thatcher. Frost Fang closed ranks around them, their eyes glittering with barely restrained hostility that I wished I could unleash.

"State your business here," I growled.

"As I was saying," Ryan glared. "Pack Alpha Luka sent us to find his fated mate, Freya."

"And why should I care about what Luka expects of you?"

Ryan opened his mouth, presumably to shove his foot in further, but Lee spoke up first. "Luka promises pack war if we find any hint of Freya's scent on your packlands."

I settled back into my throne, affecting a smirk even though Luka's insistence on claiming my mate filled me with rage. "He thinks I have his fated mate? You know, a proper mate bond would allow him to sense exactly where she is. What does that tell you?"

"He also expects us to locate his… prisoners," Lee added, apparently preferring full disclosure over Ryan's posturing. "Your packmates."

"Well, at least he's not stupid enough to demand I return them." I gestured around, ignoring Ryan's sulky huff of protest. "The three of you should know their scents well, seeing as how you helped torture them," I growled. "Do you sense them on my packlands?"

Thatcher shook his head. "I smell none of them here. Pack Alpha Luka has already executed the wolves he considered responsible for their disappearances. One of them…" He bowed his head.

"He executed Thatcher's beta littermate," Lee finished for him.

"It is difficult to lose a littermate," I said to Thatcher.

Even though Garth had exiled me from Frost Fang after he became pack alpha, I'd still grieved his death. But now was no time for sympathy.

"Lee and Thatcher," I continued. "Bretton can arrange a guard detail to escort you around the packlands. Obviously there are places we cannot allow you to go, but if you wish to sniff around so that you may tell your alpha the truth, I will allow it."

Luka would be able to sense a lie, but if they weren't lying… it would do more to prevent pack war. His packmates wouldn't follow him into war if the people he sought weren't even here.

"What about me?" Ryan growled.

"You've disrespected me on my own packlands. You'll be lucky to survive being escorted to the border."

Fern's grin turned feral when I nodded to the wolves at the foot of the throne. She and three others hauled Ryan toward the exit. He growled and used his alpha bark to force the betas to unhand him. Then I simply overrode it.

"Ignore all orders from the Ironwood alphas," I commanded. "Keep Ryan contained nearby… but alive. Until I deem otherwise." Then another caveat hit me. "Or unless he attacks one of you. If he's willing to start a fight while outnumbered on another pack's land, he's too stupid to live. Just like his pack alpha," I taunted, like the mature, responsible leader I was.

Since I was the pack alpha issuing commands on my own packmates on our own packlands, my command easily overruled Ryan's. Not to mention that my dominance outranked his by a significant degree.

Bretton peeked his head back inside, and I gestured at where they'd dragged Ryan's cursing form out of the room.

"Make sure he stays put," I ordered. "Ignore all his orders."

My favorite Frost Fang beta bowed his head and then disappeared outside. I turned my attention toward the other two Ironwood alphas.

"Now, where were we?" I asked.

"Pack Alpha Gage," Thatcher intoned. "We beg of you to take our families in as you previously promised. Lee and I would love to join them and renounce our Ironwood oaths, but…"

"You see, we…" Lee shifted from foot to foot.

I cut off his unnecessary explanation. "I understand you were forced to torture my packmates."

The remaining Frost Fang wolves circled in closer behind the two of them, the threat implicit. The crowd smelled blood, and they wanted a taste.

Both alphas blanched and dropped back to one knee again as if prepared to beg for their lives. But I cut them off again.

"I spoke with Flint and Heath, and they explained how Luka used your own families' wellbeing against you, threatening them to force your compliance. I therefore exempt you from my previous promise to kill anyone who hurt my packmates… so long as you avoid harming one of my packmates ever again."

"Agreed," Thatcher bowed over his knee. "I swear never to harm your packmates again."

"I also so swear," Lee said, before adding, "And, if you would be so kind as to allow our families to defect, Luka will no longer be able to use them to manipulate us."

"Rise," I ordered the two of them. "I will question them myself. If they swear loyalty to me and to my pack, they will find a place here. And as I said before, we have no omega slaves here."

Thatcher breathed a sigh of relief. "I wish circumstances were different, and that we could join them."

"But it's best if we avoid arousing any more of Luka's suspicions," Lee finished. "Many Ironwood wolves have defected recently, so our families going missing won't be any surprise to him. But we should return and swear to him that neither Freya nor Heath and Flint are here."

Thatcher nodded. "It will prevent pack war and keep our families safe."

"A valiant choice," I praised.

It frustrated me that these two alphas — who did as alphas should, looking out for their weaker packmates — would have to go back into that pit of snakes. They could be an asset to Frost Fang.

But as I glanced around my throne room and noticed Frost Fang wolves talking amongst themselves, I realized not everyone shared my sentiments. Save a few Frost Fang wolves like Bretton, not many of them seemed to understand or respect the Ironwood alphas' actions. Most of the pack had been taught that an alpha's strength was measured in what they could take, not in what they could offer. I had been raised among them and knew the cutthroat values my father had instilled in the pack.

Starting the Howling Echo and recruiting only those I fully trusted had shown me, possibly for the first time in my life, the value in feeling safe within the pack. It led me to understand that my father's and brother's murders, as well as the betrayals that had me exiled, were a natural consequence of my father's policies. I'd been relieved to escape all of it, but now here I was, back among the Frost Fang pack, and… it made me feel restless.

Maybe I wasn't cut out to run a huge pack where I couldn't personally know all my packmates. But for now, I had to see it through. At least until I reunited with Freya, Heath, Flint, and Rowan, and we decided otherwise.

As Thatcher and Lee left the throne room to begin their fruitless search for Freya's scent, I saw Thatcher clap his packmate on the back. Lee's answering punch to the shoulder made me irrationally envious. The two of them must be best friends, and seeing the way they trusted each other and stood by one another made me miss Heath. The realization felt like a punch to the gut.

Heath and I had been inseparable since we were pups. Even when my father sought to remind Heath that Garth was the heir, not me, Heath remained steadfast in his devotion to me. I always confided in him, and he always had my back, even when Garth treated me like shit.

When I was young, I used to wish Garth were more like Heath. But my feelings for Heath became less brotherly as I got older and realized just how worthless family ties were. And… maybe for other reasons.

I still remembered one time Heath asked if I'd ever want to bed the same woman together. I'd been so stunned into silence that he'd laughed and played it off as a joke. I doubted he knew how many times I'd thought about the idea since then. After I'd become his pack alpha, it hadn't felt right to bring it up.

And in a surprising twist of fate, we now shared Freya. At first, I'd feared she would drive a wedge between us. But she'd actually managed to bring us even closer together — and we'd finally fulfilled that forbidden fantasy. I'd been so relieved to realize Heath and I wouldn't need to fight over her, because she wanted us both. And Flint. And hopefully Rowan, too, for the sake of our pack dynamics.

But in this moment, watching Lee and Thatcher leave my throne room side-by-side, shoulder-to-shoulder, it was Heath I missed most of all. Even when my own brother exiled me, Heath followed me into the wildlands, unafraid and without a moment's hesitation. He'd defied his own father to create the Howling Echo at my side.

And I hated that now he was probably heading straight into his father's clutches, all because I needed to be here to keep Frost Fang in line and Ironwood at bay. It was helpful to know that Luka had been bleeding numbers as some of his wolves defected, but I ran the same risk. I had to keep Frost Fang in hand, or else they might also start defecting… or one of the alphas I'd left in charge of defending our borders might decide to challenge me.

But I wouldn't be driven from Frost Fang again. If I left, it would be because I chose to leave.

I rose to my feet, dismissing the court. Then I strode from the room to question our defectors. If all went well, they would be sworn in as Frost Fang packmates before sundown.

Before I let Lee, Thatcher, or Ryan leave, I would question them too. And Bretton would record every piece of intel we could glean from them. Luka might not be in the position for all-out pack war right now, but a dog like him would never forgive and forget.

Personally, I looked forward to destroying the man responsible for so much of Freya's suffering.