Chapter 2 - Freya

Chapter 2

Freya

As he'd promised, Luka had left me alone in my prison. I sank into the comfortable furniture when day faded into night, though I doubted I could sleep. While Luka had left me to come to my senses and agree to be his mate, I mostly spent the time imagining the many violent ways he might die — both at my hands and at the hands of my Howling Echo alphas.

Later, a guard escorted me to the bathroom for a shower. When I peeked out the small window, I caught sight of the top of another guard's head. After my shower, I dozed off in the bed, thankful to be clean and comfortable despite being a prisoner of my former pack. Honestly, so far, I was being treated better as an Ironwood prisoner than when I'd lived here.

When I woke up the next morning, I was surprised I'd gotten any sleep at all, but my body was still worn out from all I'd been through recently. It had only been three days since I'd come out of the wolfsbane coma, and in that time, I'd been bitten and claimed by Gage, betrayed by my aunt, and kidnapped by my old pack.

After Luka and his father had exiled me, I'd briefly wished for them to take me back — anything to avoid the horrors of the wildlands I'd heard so much about. But now? I'd rather die than rejoin the Ironwood pack.

At last, I belonged to a good pack, and I would never turn my back on the Howling Echo. Even if I had to rule over the Frost Fang pack with my new mate, Gage.

That didn't mean that I turned my nose up at the breakfast Ironwood offered, however. I tore into the breakfast sandwich with fervor, determined to stay strong so I could escape when the opportunity presented itself.

Though I hated to wear anything Luka provided, I also changed into the thin dress I found on the coffee table. The plain white cotton dress with blue flowers wasn't really my style, but after everything my clothing had been through, I needed the new wardrobe.

When I looked more closely at the design, I realized the flowers were Forget Me Nots. I rolled my eyes. Luka had forgotten all about me — his lowest ranked playmate as a child — except when his friends bullied me. And until the fake fated mate bond tied us together. Now I wished he would forget me all over again.

When Luka returned later that morning, he opened the door to my cell with a flourish and a smile. His eyes sparkled with triumph, as though I'd promised to love him forever.

I couldn't wait to crush his dreams.

"My opinion on your ‘offer' hasn't changed, Luka," I stated coldly. "Ironwood will never be my home again."

"Those blue flowers bring out your gorgeous eyes." His gaze scanned my body, pleased by the new outfit.

Rather than allow him to continue eye-fucking me, I changed the subject. "What happened to Pandora? Where is she?"

"Your aunt abandoned you, just like your parents did. She was annoyed… said something about how you ‘wouldn't break' or something." Luka shrugged. "I only let her cross our packlands because she agreed I could have you after she was finished taking your magic."

I scoffed. "And you still think you're worthy of being my mate? She tortured me, Luka."

I shook my head when his expression didn't change one bit. He didn't care that I'd suffered unimaginable pain when Pandora had tried — and failed — to take the magic she'd once bottled up inside of me as a child.

"Where is she now?"

"She's no longer on my packlands. Not my problem, or yours. You're under my protection." He grinned. "Family can be so disappointing, but you're safe from that mean witch now."

His condescending tone annoyed me, but to my surprise, he stood back from the door and gestured into the hall as though inviting me to step from my bedroom rather than a jail cell.

"Freya, my love, I have something to show you." He gestured for me to follow him. "Two somethings, actually."

He laughed, and I cautiously peeked outside the room, wondering what new humiliation he had planned for me. I was under no illusion that his new love for me meant anything better than the treatment I'd been subjected to before as a rankless member of the Ironwood pack.

If anything, things would only worsen, so I needed to escape. And since no one had bound my wrists, this might be my opportunity.

"I don't know if you realize how lucky you were before, Freya." Luka took my hand and wrapped it under his arm, escorting me like a perfect gentleman.

I allowed it, so I could observe where we were and find a way out. This building was unfamiliar to me, but when Luka led me through the corridors, I came to realize exactly where I was — the alpha estate. The rooms I glanced into were increasingly lavish, but we didn't linger to truly see any.

With four guards trailing us, Luka led me outside the back entrance. A small, ugly-looking building squatted right behind the massive alpha residence. A strange sensation of being watched crept up my spine, but I didn't look around, too afraid of making it obvious that I was scoping out escape routes.

"My father's father loved the idea of a good dungeon, so he had one built. I guess he believed in the idea of ‘keep your enemies close,' because he had them dig out a spot behind and even underneath the alpha estate."

He led me to the squat building, and a sense of foreboding filled me as we went inside. The four guards waited outside the entrance.

"So, you've decided to treat me like the prisoner I am, after all," I said, trying not to let my voice waver as I caught sight of the jailer's vicious, welcoming smile.

My wolf instantly recognized him as an alpha. The jailer's eyes remained pure gold, as though his wolf had taken full control. Yet he bowed his head to Luka as we passed.

"This way," the jailer gestured toward a dimly lit staircase, as though there were any question about where to go. It was the only other doorway. I hesitated. My chances of escape seemed slim if I went down into that pit.

"No, no, Freya." Luka's grip tightened, and he patted my hand as we followed the jailer. "When I said you were lucky, I meant that this is how you know my father was a merciful man. He very rarely put anyone down here, and never once did he throw an Ironwood wolf in the dungeon. Not even you, rankless and lacking his pack mark."

My heart beat faster the deeper we descended into the dank stairwell. My wolf scratched at my insides, whimpering. We were meant to live outside, to see the sky, to howl at the moon. Not to go deep into the bowels of the earth.

The stairwell kept going and going, but eventually we reached a corridor, dimly lit and claustrophobic with a low ceiling.

"This way," the jailer beckoned again, his golden eyes gleaming like a wolf's in the dark.

"After you," Luka gestured me forward, because the hall wouldn't comfortably allow us to move side by side.

Having Luka at my back sent goosebumps rising across my skin. The awareness of his presence so close behind me suddenly made me aware of another presence… something I sensed inside of me… through the pack bond.

The pack bond remained new and unfamiliar to me. Since I couldn't shift, I couldn't communicate through the pack bond like the guys could. But even in human form, I'd noticed an awareness of my packmates. When I'd been in my cell, I hadn't noticed anything. But now…

My packmates were here, and dread filled me at that knowledge.

My stomach twisted into knots as the jailer led us past the iron bars of several cells, and I spotted manacles in the walls. But all of them were empty, and we didn't stop at any of those ordinary cells.

Instead, we turned the corner. If my mental map was correct, that put us underneath the alpha estate. The ceiling was higher here, but my lungs wouldn't relax enough to let me breathe a sigh of relief. The air down here felt stale, and it smelled of mold and decay.

A doorway opened ahead, and in the dim light, I saw two unconscious men chained to the wall, their bodies slack against their restraints. Recognition slammed into me, and my worst fears came true. Heath and Flint's hands dangled in manacles chained above their heads.

"No…" I moaned, realizing why I'd sensed my packmates here.

At the entrance, a woman sat on a stool, her smile widening upon seeing me. She was an alpha, too, I realized. Luka must have known not to underestimate his alpha prisoners.

She smirked when she saw my expression. "There she is. The Echo herself."

"Move aside," Luka snarled.

The guard jumped to her feet and moved the stool out of the way. Luka's hand at the small of my back had me lunging forward to escape his touch. As soon as I crossed the threshold, my throat closed over in fear.

Rope nooses circled my packmates' throats, tied in the rafters so far above that I couldn't see them in the dark. Their heads lolled, both of them clearly unconscious.

Maybe I should've tried to keep my cool, to deny I knew either of them, but my wolf slammed into me, and I rushed forward with a sob. I stood between them, looking up into their slack expressions. If it weren't for the fresh blood trickling down both their faces, I would've thought they were dead.

Both were beaten, and based on their wounded wrists, I assumed it had happened after they'd been bound. When I looked down, I realized they'd cranked the chains so tight that their feet barely touched the stone floor.

"Let them go!" I whirled on Luka, who stood in the doorway with a smug expression on his face.

"Why should I?"

That's when I realized this was his plan. He'd brought me here to show me my packmates so that I would cave to his demands.

In the back of my mind, I felt Gage's frustration ebbing through the pack bond. I could only imagine how helpless he felt with three of his packmates captured. But where was he?

Heath and Flint were here… and Gage wasn't. On one hand, I hoped that meant he'd escaped. On the other, I feared that meant he'd refused to come with them. After all, the last words I'd said to him were in anger.

"Wake them up." Luka gestured to the jailer, letting him pass by.

I shied away from the golden-eyed man, whose dark scowl warned me off. His eyes returned to a normal gray color as he opened a small jar and waved it under Heath's nose.

Heath jerked, making the manacles clank against the wall, jangling as he twitched in his restraints. The jailer did the same to Flint and got the same reaction. Then the jailer leaped away, as though expecting an instant attack.

Heath and Flint raised their heads, slowly blinking as they became aware of their surroundings. When they caught sight of me and Luka, they lunged forward, but the manacles and nooses held them back.

Luka laughed. "Go ahead and try to shift. You'll strangle to death before you even finish."

"You're a coward," Heath spat. "Having your henchmen knock us unconscious and then chaining us up while we were helpless to fight back."

"Why would I let you fight back?" Luka rolled his eyes. "That would be dumb."

He turned toward me with his eyebrow raised.

"Freya, love. Are you really going to choose them over me? They aren't very impressive."

My eyebrows shot up. Even chained as they were, Heath and Flint radiated strength and authority. Their dominance couldn't be denied.

Although the jailer and the guard were both alphas, they kept their heads down, their eyes averted, despite the fact that their prisoners were restrained. The guard positioned herself in the hallway, wary of being too close to the prisoners who were now awake.

By chaining them here, Luka had proven once again that he wasn't fit to keep his position as pack alpha. At least Nira had been willing to fight for her pack. Luka had apparently chosen to rule through fear, keeping his power in an underhanded manner.

I understood now why Willow's situation as the pack omega hadn't improved after Pack Alpha Jameson's death. She acted as a warning to any who saw her — this could be you.

I put my body between my packmates and our enemies. Raising my chin, I stared down Luka, the jailer, and the guard in the hallway. Three versus three, and I was still happy to be on Heath and Flint's side.

"I'll choose them over you every time," I answered Luka.

Luka doubled over in laughter, the sound echoing off the walls. With no one's laughter accompanying him, he looked foolish. I crossed my arms and waited for his false display to finish.

"You really are a piece of work, Freya," Luka wiped the tears from his eyes. "The forbidden child of a shifter and a mage. You're fated to Ironwood, mated to Frost Fang, and in love with two other wolves besides. You're… a mess."

My heart skipped a beat as I questioned whether he was right — did I truly feel love for them? But now wasn't the time to examine my heart for clues. To protect them, I wanted to deny that I loved them, but the lie refused to reach my tongue.

"They're my packmates," I growled instead. "Of course I care about them."

"And she's not your fated mate," Heath scoffed.

"She told me her little story." Luka rolled his eyes again. "Don't try to deny the connection between us, Freya. I'll straighten you out now that there's no alliance to worry about. No betrothal to break. No father to disappoint."

"Don't pretend like you want me," I spat. "You always treated me like shit, even before that."

For the first time, I wondered if Nira had killed Jameson… or whether she'd convinced Luka to kill his own father. Just like she'd convinced Garth to banish Gage, and then arranged Garth's death so she could rule Frost Fang alone. She'd likely been planning to the same fate for Luka.

Not that he'd believe me if I told him.

"Freya will never be yours," Flint growled from behind me.

Luka clicked his tongue, shaking his head. "Now, now, Freya. Things can get better for you. You'll see. Of course, I doubt a half-breed like you can even bear pups, but you'll have the honor of being the first of my mates. For my second mate, I'll need a real wolf shifter to become the mother of my successor."

Heath and Flint both snarled, the chains clanking as they struggled. My heart dropped, wondering how to get out of this situation. If I could manage to get the keys from the jailer…

Luka lunged forward and snatched my wrist, pulling me to his side. I shook free of him, but he ignored me, staring up at his two captives instead, their eyes going golden. I shook my head, afraid that if they shifted, they would just strangle to death like Luka said.

"Perhaps I should send your pack alpha a message. Maybe give him a couple of your fingers… to get the point across?"

He chuckled, and my stomach lurched. I didn't dare ask what had happened to Gage. Thanks to both the pack bond and the mate bond, he was the only one who could've pinpointed my location.

The last words Gage and I had exchanged replayed in my mind. I'd been so angry after he'd bitten me without even asking me first. I'd rejected his overtures to rule at his side, and he'd acted like I'd rejected him as my mate. He probably thought I'd gone to Luka willingly to spite him for claiming me.

While I was angry at first, Gage later extended an olive branch by sending Heath and Flint to me, reassuring me he wouldn't interfere with my bond with our packmates.

Right now, I would've given anything to see Gage tear out Luka's throat.

"Don't worry, Freya," Heath addressed me, ignoring Luka completely. "The others will come for us."

He pointed upward, as though he could sense our rescuers aboveground. At first, I wondered who else he meant besides Gage. Then I realized that could explain his absence — Gage had become the pack alpha of Frost Fang after killing Nira. Maybe he was gathering Frost Fang's warriors to attack Ironwood.

My heart fell at the thought of pack war. I already knew that Luka would consider those lower on the hierarchy to be expendable — including my adoptive mother and Willow.

A fierce smile lit Flint's face, his eyes glinting gold in the dim light of the dungeon. "Nothing can keep the Howling Echo apart for long."

That's when I realized Heath hadn't meant Frost Fang at all when he said ‘the others.' They'd told me I would eventually meet the final member of the Howling Echo pack who'd been away on a mission. I'd dreamed of him, and I had the sense he might be the most feral of the four packmates.

Luka had chained up two Howling Echo alphas, but two others remained free. I only needed to stall for time to protect Heath and Flint. Maybe I could even convince Luka to free them.

Despite my inability to shift, I was just as much part of the Howling Echo. And packmates protected each other. I couldn't free them while Luka, the jailer, and the guard were here. But maybe I could give Luka a reason to keep them alive — by making Luka earn my goodwill for my fake compliance.

"Spare their lives and set them free," I told Luka.

His face lit up as though he knew he'd won, but my bargain with the Howling Echo had taught me to be specific.

I raised a finger. "With all of their fingers and other body parts intact. No more beatings, either. Then I'll think about your proposal."

"Freya," Heath growled. "Don't give into this asshole's demands. It's not worth it."

He was wrong. Gage had marked me. He'd told me the bond couldn't form without my consent — that some part of me had wanted it. Which meant Luka couldn't mark me, because all I felt for him was contempt. Luka might try to claim me, but he would fail.

Because my heart had already chosen.

Gage was just as much mine as I was his, no matter the current tension between us.

And seeing Heath and Flint here, putting their lives at risk to reach me, awakened something in me. A primal instinct that told me Luka was right — I loved them all. And love meant risk.

For my mates, I would risk everything.

Luka stalked toward me, pushing me against the grungy wall of the dungeon. His disgusting breath washed over me. I'd never been more repulsed.

"My future mate is so demanding," Luka growled in my face, his eyes darting between my eyes and my lips.

Chains clanked loudly behind him as Heath and Flint struggled against their restraints, both of them growling.

I had to stall for time, but I wasn't sure what would happen if Luka kissed me in front of them. Flint and Heath might actually shift and get themselves hurt. And if Luka kissed me, I might actually throw up in his face.

"Luka," I whispered, trying to figure out how to manipulate his massive ego into doing what I wanted so I could keep Heath and Flint safe.

"Yes, dear?" Luka ran a finger down my cheek, then looked over his shoulder at Heath and Flint.

He partially shifted, and his claw nicked me — the opposite cheek of the one Nira had scarred. I didn't even flinch. I'd learned how to survive worse treatment in Ironwood. I would survive again, even if he hurt me.

But the threat of pain made my thoughts stutter to a halt.

I needed a plan, but being here, on Ironwood packlands, under threat of bodily harm again… it returned me to that dark place. My mind spiraled uncontrollably, my body tense and ready for a beating just like old times.

When I didn't answer, Luka smiled. "Maybe I'll give you what you want as a wedding gift. Because this opportunity is too good to pass up."

And then… like a spark in a dark cave, something changed. Warmth poured through the pack bond to me. The bond carried certainty and stability, lending me strength when I felt weakest. On the other end of that bond, Gage was channeling feelings of safety and power to me, lending me the innate confidence of an alpha to handle any situation.

"No, Luka," I growled. "Release them now."

As this sorry excuse for an alpha pressed his claw deeper into my cheek, I spoke, not caring how badly he scratched me.

"For you to get what you want," I stared into his eyes, "you'll have to do something for me in return."

Even if Luka and Nira left matching scars on me, my mates wouldn't care. They hadn't used the L-word yet, but I knew they loved me in spite of all my scars.

Yet they strained against the manacles to reach me, expressions furious with the promise of retribution.

Luka tsked at me with a smirk. "I think not."

"If you want—"

He pressed his claw deeper into my face, making me cry out in surprise. "I do want."

"Too bad you'll never have her," Flint growled.

"That's right," Heath added. "Gage got to her first. You'll never be able to claim her as your mate now. Go pick someone who actually likes your ugly face. If you can find anyone."

"You think I didn't notice another man's mark on my mate?" Luka laughed. "I suppose you're right, though… I'll have to kill him to break the mate bond. Then I can claim her as I should have all along."

I stared in horror as Luka turned toward me with a twisted smile.

"And thanks to the mate bond, he already knows where you are, my darling. I already have the bait. Now, to set the trap…"

I thought we'd been the ones stalling, but it had been part of Luka's plan all along. He was waiting for the grand finale — for Gage's arrival.

"Luka," I forced words past my lips, thinking on the fly. "Let Flint and Heath go free, and I'll reject Gage on the Hunter's Moon like you want."

That would buy us plenty of time.

"True," Luka said slowly. "That's another way of breaking the mate bond. But the full moon is nine days away, and I am not a patient wolf. I'd rather have your worthless mate show up so I can kill him."

Luka tapped a finger to his jaw. His twisted smile broadened as he glanced over at my packmates.

"I have an idea. What if we send Gage a message through both the mate bond and the pack bond? He'll feel Freya's pleasure while I claim her… in front of both of you."