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“Besides, Willow appreciates my mercy, considering her brother paid the ultimate price.”
My mouth fell open in shock. Was he saying what I thought… “Did you execute Wilder?”
The guys had feared that Willow and Wilder, as subordinate wolves, would cave under alpha commands. But Willow and Wilder apparently hadn’t led their packmates straight to us. They’d resisted — at least for a little while. That’s why Ironwood hadn’t caught up to us until later.
“Was that his name?” Luka shrugged. “He was never worthy of you, Freya. And neither is this guy.”
He gestured toward Gage’s mark, but I was still processing the fact that Luka had killed my childhood sweetheart. It didn’t matter that Wilder had abandoned me when he realized I couldn’t shift. It didn’t matter that it had been Willow’s ideato warn me that Ironwood intended to execute me, not his. He hadn’t deserved to die.
“You’re just like your father,” I accused. “You don’t give a shit about your packmates. You abuse your power.”
Luka stepped back, staring at me in surprise, as though he’d never expected me to talk back. Maybe the old Freya never would have. When I lived on Ironwood packlands, I’d learned the hard way that it was better to do as I was told than to suffer another beating. I’d never imagined escaping from Ironwood to live free of them. I’d never imagined finding a place I belonged.
The realization struck me like a lightning bolt.
Two pack alphas wanted to make me theirs. But where Luka was selfish, cruel, and abusive, Gage was selfless, protective, and a true leader. He cared about his pack. And he never acted like a tyrant, like he was better than his own packmates. He treated Heath and Flint like equals — something I’d never seen another alpha do.
The deal I’d made with the Howling Echo pack had made me feel used, and when Gage had bitten me, I’d felt less-than. Like I was just his property, powerless, his to do with as he pleased.
And yet, when I looked back, I remembered how they’d treated me just before my heat began. They’d ignored the deal entirely to make sure I felt as safe and comfortable as possible, getting my consent before the heat took away my ability to say no.
Even though I couldn’t shift, they brought me into their pack and treated me like a true packmate, even mid-battle against Frost Fang. When I’d gone back to try to help Gage, Heath and Flint hadn’t tried to stop me. They’d followed me, backing me up like packmates should. Remembering how proud Gage had been suffused my body with strength and self-confidence all over again, even here in my prison, surrounded by enemies once more.
Gage had claimed me as his, but when I fought back against everything that entailed, he didn’t get physically or verbally abusive like Luka would have. Gage gave me space and then showed me he would never take away my freedom to choose. He sent Heath to prove his intentions to me, regardless of how uncomfortable he must have been from the resulting celebration. Gage had made a mistake in biting me, but he’d wanted to make amends.
Luka wouldn’t even admit what an asshole he’d been.
There was no question which pack I belonged in. The Howling Echo had earned my eternal loyalty, and, threatened by my fake fated mate, I now realized the truth. Gage, Flint, and Heath were so much more than just packmates to me. They were my mates.
Why had it taken me so long to realize it?
“You’re not my pack alpha, Luka,” I growled, stepping toward him.
Inside me, my wolf snarled. She snapped at the edges of whatever prison kept her locked away inside of me as surely as I was locked inside this room.
“I could be,” Luka said in a firm voice that practically screamed ‘Be reasonable.’
He held his ground, and I held his gaze, showing him I would never be treated as worthless again.
“We can mark over your pack mark and give you the one you should have had all along.” He gestured toward my wrist. “And in ten days, on the Hunter’s Moon, you can reject the one who dared mark you as his mate. We’ll have the wedding ceremony that night, and together, we’ll become the Ironwood Alpha Pair. The whole pack is already expecting it.”
How ironic. Luka and Nira had planned to join their two packs together under the auspicious light of the full moonknown as the Hunter’s Moon. Now he wanted to claim me under it.
“No.”
The word seemed to echo in the small room, gaining power as it did. I’d never before realized how much power that one, simple word could have. And I never would have without Flint, Heath, and Gage.
“I finally know my place, and it’s not with you or with the Ironwood pack. I’ve already chosen my pack, and they’ve chosen me.”
“Freya,” Luka’s eyes filled with pity. “I understand. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and I don’t blame you for what you did while you were banished. But—”
I shook my head as he spoke. “Before my heat, I thought I had no choice but to accept their protection, but as soon as that was over, I was free to choose. The Moonblessed pack would have accepted me — the pack you threatened. Their territory is a lovely place, governed by an honorable alpha pair. I would have been happy there. But I knew then and I know now where I belong — with the Howling Echoing pack.”
Luka snorted. “Does your tiny little pack even exist now? All three of your so-called packmates originally came from Frost Fang. They’ve gone home, just like you should. Why would they want a half-breed outsider like you?”
His sneering tone made it clear he was running out of patience with playing the concerned alpha. A few weeks ago, his words might have shaken my confidence. But now I wore Gage’s mate mark, and Heath and Flint had shown me they cared about me in spite of it. I had all the proof I needed that they wanted me as much as I wanted them.
So, I raised my chin and let my gaze meet Luka’s, unafraid.
