Chapter 7 - Freya

Chapter 7

Freya

With Rowan at a full gallop, I twisted my fingers into his fur and held on for dear life.

With Ironwood behind us, we flew through the wildlands. I leaned forward, staying as low to Rowan's body as I could to avoid branches and bushes alike. At this reckless speed, I had no choice but to hold on or get hurt. Every single muscle tensed with effort.

As time stretched and Rowan continued to run with inhuman stamina, I became more and more conscious of the feel of his body beneath mine. I began to anticipate his motions and move with him, instead of against him. And for a few moments, I let myself stay present in the new experience of riding wolfback.

Except it wasn't a wolf I rode, but a wolf shifter. My thighs were wrapped around him, his heat warming my body. And if he shifted, I'd be clutching a naked male body.

Suddenly, I longed to see him in his two-legged form. My dream hadn't shown me his face. But even Flint believed my wolf would pick Rowan as my mate. And I remembered the careful words Gage had told Heath to tell me… He wants you to know that you can be with any Howling Echo wolf you want.

They must have always known, or at least suspected, who Rowan would become to me when we met. Yet the first thing he'd done was to kidnap me, leaving behind my other mates. Of course, we had been outnumbered, but being forcibly taken away killed my hopes of getting Flint and Heath, not to mention Willow and my adoptive mother, out of there alive.

A sob tore from my throat before I could suppress it. I sniffled into Rowan's fur, feeling silly as he began to slow down. What would he think of his weak new packmate crying like a damsel in distress as he carried me off?

Somehow that thought only made me cry harder. Flint would've stopped to comfort me. Heath would've made some joke to distract me from my woes. Gage… well, I couldn't be sure how he would react to my tears. He'd probably order me to get over it.

But how could I, when we'd left Flint and Heath behind to die? Gage had promised Luka pack war, but he wouldn't get there in time to save our packmates. Ironwood was numerous, and they could easily overwhelm two alphas, no matter how formidable my mates were. I wished that I could have at least shifted into a wolf and talked to them one last time. The tears flowed freely, and Rowan slowed even more.

We traveled a few more minutes, and nothing about the wildlands seemed familiar or inviting. Through some kind of demonic endurance, Rowan kept plodding along, carrying me into unfamiliar, rocky terrain along the mountainside.

Until he came to a sudden and complete stop, nearly upending me. My fingers ached with the effort to hold onto him, as did my thighs and ass.

"You can let me down now, Rowan. We're safe enough."

He lowered himself down once more, and I gratefully slipped free of his fur. Belatedly, I realized he smelled good to me, probably thanks to my wolf. I caught hints of pine and cedar… a woodsy wildness that fit his mysterious nature, untamed and free.

He must've felt the same way, because Rowan's big snout came up right between my thighs. I laughed through my sniffles, dancing back and using my hands on his head to redirect his snout away. With his nose at my belly button, he sniffed me again.

I tolerated it for another moment, hoping this meant Rowan accepted me as his new packmate. I petted his head near his ears, and he let out a low rumble of approval. His fur was so much softer than it had any right to be.

"Well, where are we going now, huh?" I asked the wolf.

Communicating with him like this felt so strange. We'd never met before — dreams aside — so talking to him felt like talking to a wolf. I'd met Flint in wolf form too when he'd protected me in the wildlands, but he'd shifted back right afterward and introduced himself. Rowan seemed loathe to do the same.

Instead, he glanced around the forest, his snout in the air. Maybe he intended to stay in wolf form until he felt sure we weren't being followed. After all, his senses would be stronger in that form.

Since I'd never been properly introduced, I couldn't imagine my words reaching his human ears. He reacted so much like a wolf, I might have found myself questioning whether he really was a wolf, not a shifter, except that Heath and Flint had treated him as their packmate. Right up until he turned on them.

It was like he'd gone rogue. Perhaps that was the real reason he remained shifted — maybe he didn't have full control of his wolf. Yet he wasn't treating me like a rogue wolf would treat a conquest. So, I wasn't sure what to make of him.

Looking back, my wolf had never once doubted him. In fact, she'd loved watching him make those Ironwood wolves cower in fear.

Strong mate.

Not once had she been afraid. She had complete confidence in her mate's capacity for protecting her. She believed in her mates. Maybe his wolf recognized me as a mate, too, and he remained in wolf form to protect me.

After all, my wolf instinctively trusted all her mates. Even Rowan, who she'd never met before today.

Just as I'd come to realize how much the three of them meant to me, my wolf knew how important Rowan was to her. And she'd loved every second of the ride, enjoying being close to her mate.

I shivered, feeling cold without Rowan's heat in the forest's shade on a late October afternoon. And unlike Rowan, I couldn't just put on some fur. We were in this mess together now, so I needed to make the best of it. Communicating with me in human form and him in wolf form felt strange, but I had to try to tame this beast.

"We're going to need food and shelter before night falls," I pointed out.

We had to hope that Luka didn't send more wolves after me again. He was relentless. The enormity of what I'd so narrowly escaped hit me, and my adrenaline spiked as I remembered Luka's threats just before Gage called.

My chest constricted, and I bowed over, my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. Luka had planned to… My breath refused to come, and I realized I couldn't think about it, couldn't imagine what might have happened if Gage hadn't called when he had.

Rowan let out a quiet whine, which oddly helped to bring me out of my near panic attack. I reached out a hand, and his muzzle came up under it. The contact helped. I wasn't in that dungeon. Luka couldn't get to me now. I was safe with Rowan… or at least, safer.

And in the back of my mind, Gage's steady presence reminded me he'd told me not to be afraid of the dark wolf. "He's one of us," he'd said.

Warmth suffused my spirit when I realized Gage included me in that. We were pack. And packmates looked out for each other.

Heath and Flint trusted Rowan to bring me to safety. If they hadn't trusted him with me, they would have fought him — despite their wounds, despite Ironwood around us, I knew they would have. But they'd trusted him to take me out of there, even after he growled at them.

My heart fell, imagining what they must have faced when we'd left them behind. Tears pricked my eyes again, but I couldn't cry now. I owed it to them to survive. And this time, I wasn't just surviving for myself, but for them.

Rowan gave a sharp little bark, then turned to go around some boulders. He paused, looking back at me.

"You want me to follow you?" I asked.

He gave a wolfish nod, and I sighed.

"It would be easier to talk if you shifted back, you know."

The dark wolf stood before the boulder, regarding me with his golden eyes. I had the sense he was taking measure of me, and I straightened my back, wondering if he liked what he saw.

With Flint, Gage, and Heath, I'd gotten to know them before I started thinking of them as potential mates. But with Rowan… things were strained. I sensed a bond between us, but what if he didn't want to be bound to me? Was that why he was avoiding talking to me by staying in wolf form?

Or was he still expecting me to shift? Wolf form would be much more advantageous in the wildlands.

"Rowan, I would shift and join you if I could, but I can't. The alpha pair of the Moonblessed pack seem to think I might one day shift on a full moon, but…" I shrugged. "It hasn't happened so far."

I recalled that Luka had said the next full moon was coming up soon, but I didn't dare hope. Not when I'd been disappointed over so many years.

In response, Rowan yipped again, then loped between the boulders. For a moment, I was alone in the wildlands again. I shuddered, then raced toward the boulder to follow him.

He led me around a stand of trees, and on the other side, he nosed a bush. At first glance, I thought they might be elderberries, which wouldn't be good to eat raw.

Rowan clearly meant for me to have them, because when I hesitated, he ran around behind me and pushed me toward them with his snout, just as he'd done back in Ironwood.

"Okay, okay, I get it," I grumbled.

Upon a closer look, they weren't growing in big clusters quite like elderberries. And as I approached, I recognized the blueberry-looking fruits.

"Huckleberries!"

The wolf watched intently as I plucked the first berry from the bushes. It was a bit tart, but Rowan was right. I should eat and keep my strength up. At this elevation, some of the berries still tasted good well into the season.

I'd eaten breakfast in Ironwood, but that felt like a long time ago after everything that had happened. Luka had taken me into the dungeons, pushed me back against the filthy wall, and almost had his way with me. I raised a hand to my face, remembering his claw cutting into me. The thought of what had almost happened made me feel dirty and disgusting, and I shuddered.

"Rowan… I want to get clean. You brought me to these berries, so you must know this area. Do you know somewhere I can bathe? I want to get this blood off of me."

Gesturing down at myself, I pointed out the unmistakable brownish stain marring my white dress. None of it was mine — it was all from riding on Rowan, who looked like he'd practically bathed in Ironwood wolf blood. I glanced back at him as I plopped another berry into my mouth.

Rowan looked away, sniffing the air and scanning the wildlands around us. Was he sniffing for water? Or was he ignoring me?

I tried again. "I still feel Ironwood clinging to my skin. I want to be rid of Luka's scent on me."

He let out a low growl.

I nodded, feeling only slightly silly for holding a one-sided conversation with a wolf. "Yes, the Ironwood pack alpha who held me captive."

After I had my fill of berries, Rowan brought me to a river. This part of it meandered around the massive boulders at the base of a steep mountain peak. Some parts moved rapidly, but around the boulders, the flow of water circled into eddies, creating a safe place to bathe not far from the sheltering willow trees.

As I drank in the beautiful sight before me, I took a deep breath, letting the crisp, moist air fill my lungs. It smelled so good here, a mix of pine and very light wisps of citrusy witch hazel. As I glanced around, I spotted the hardy yellow flowers growing at the edge of the river, blooming even now, in October, as if daring winter to chase them away.

Rowan let out a low grumble, and ducked his head out from underneath his sling bag. He nosed the bag toward me across the rocky ground.

"You want me to look in the bag?" I asked.

He gave another curt, wolfish nod, and stepped back. Kneeling before the massive wolf intimidated me, so I snatched the bag up and looked through its contents.

Inside I found a pair of jeans made for a man who was a lot taller and broader than me. For some reason, the button-up shirt surprised me. I couldn't imagine what Rowan looked like, but I hadn't expected a button-up shirt as part of his ensemble. A heavy bar of soap fell to the bottom of the bag, and I realized that's what he meant for me to find.

"Soap! Thank you, Rowan." I smiled at the wolf, again trying to imagine what he might look like when he shifted back.

He let out a chuff and nosed me toward the river. I chuckled, realizing I'd been caught staring, and then headed for the boulders along the river's edge. Finding a good spot, I toed off my shoes, then glanced back at Rowan. His golden eyes never left me, and I felt suddenly self-conscious.

Nudity was normal among shifters, I told myself, but after everything that had happened today, I felt reluctant to disrobe in front of a man I still hadn't technically met.

"Can you… turn around?" I asked.

Rowan let out another chuff before whirling to face the other direction, and I sensed his impatience with my human propriety.

I hastily removed the dress Ironwood had provided and then rushed to the water's edge. I considered scrubbing the dress, but if I did, I would have nothing left but wet clothes to wear. The bloodstains had dried, so I decided to leave them.

The October water was absolutely freezing, so I didn't get in any farther than up to my ankles. I splashed water on myself from the edge of the boulder and rubbed the soap until it lathered up. In moments, my toes already felt numb.

The soap smelled really good, a masculine smell that reminded me of Rowan's pine and cedar scent. When I glanced over my shoulder, I found the wolf facing me again. I turned my back, trying not to feel self-conscious and failing. I pulled my long hair in front of my breasts and wished it were long enough to cover my ass, too.

Through the pack bond, warmth and a sense of security washed over me, as though Gage wanted to reassure me, even though he surely couldn't know what was happening. Or could he? As the pack alpha, he could sense us more than we could sense him through the pack bond, and the mate bond was supposed to be even stronger.

Since Gage was bonded to both me and Rowan, maybe he did know we were together. And the mate bond allowed him to sense my nudity. That was why male wolves bit their mates but didn't allow them to bite them in return, right? So they could catch them cheating?

Gage's reassurances came through even more strongly this time, and I swore the sensation was a physical one, warming my frigid skin in the October air. I shivered, realizing it was a stupid time to be distracted. I rinsed off the soap and put it on top of a small, smooth river rock to dry. Only then did I realize I had no towel.

When I heard the crunch of rocks behind me, I turned to find Rowan again nosing his sling bag toward me. I hadn't noticed a towel in his sling bag, but after stepping out of the water, I felt around inside the bag once more just to be sure. Nope, just clothes.

Then it dawned on me. "You want me to dry off with your clothes since you're not using them."

He chuffed and gave me another of those curt nods.

"You'll have to shift back eventually, though, right?" I asked.

His sides widened with his inhale, then he let out a long sigh. He headed to the water, a few strides away from me. The massive wolf strode right in like it was summer, swimming and dunking his head under to rinse off the blood.

It didn't look like he was shifting back anytime soon. I looked between his white button-up shirt and my dirty, bloody dress. Of course Luka had me dressed in something as thin and delicate — something appropriate for the meek and obedient mate he wanted. Rowan's shirt was no thicker, but it would actually cover more than the dress had.

As I grabbed out his clothes, a phone slipped from the pocket of his jeans into the bottom of the sling bag. After I got dry and dressed, hopefully I'd be able to use it to call the others.

While Rowan was occupied, I dabbed the cleanest parts of my dress along my skin to dry off my upper half. I then ran his jeans down my legs to dry them off, and the coarse material soaked up more water than I expected. The whole time, I kept my long hair pulled over my breasts, hiding both Gage's bite mark and the rune beneath my collarbone.

I heard Rowan emerge from the water. He walked farther away from me as I continued to dry off, then he shook out his coat like a dog, sending water flying. I glared when several drops reached me, forcing me to dab my skin with his jeans some more. At least he hadn't drenched me.

Rowan chuffed out a laugh, giving me his full attention again. My skin was already red from the cold water, but I went even redder as I bent over to pick up his shirt.

"I'm going to wear this since you're obviously not using it," I said.

He gave me another wolfish nod and settled in to watch.

When I looked up, I found his golden eyes lingering on Gage's bite mark peeking out from my hair. I was on full display, but the massive wolf rested his head on his paws, seemingly disinterested in me. I wasn't sure whether to be glad or not about that.

My damp skin made sliding my arms into the sleeves difficult, but I managed. As predicted, the shirt came down almost to my knees, and I began buttoning it up. Rowan must be a big guy. I was just about to try drying my hair when the massive wolf jumped to all four paws. He growled so loudly that it sounded more like a roar.

Startled, I flinched away from him, my hands still on the shirt's buttons, but I quickly realized he wasn't growling at me. I squinted in the direction Rowan was facing and caught sight of movement.

A snarling wolf emerged from the shadows of the forest, cutting off our path back the way we'd come. The unfamiliar gray wolf stalked toward us, his size revealing his alpha status. And his eyes drilled into me, expecting me to submit.