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A few hours later, the phone vibrated in my hand. It was Rowan calling me back.
“Thanks for calling me back,” I said by way of greeting.
Rowan’s deep voice was quiet when he responded. “What happened?”
Apparently he still wasn’t somewhere safe enough to talk openly, since he knew I wanted nothing to do with my father. I imagined my dark-haired packmate looking over his shoulder, and it made my hackles rise. My wolf hated our packmate being separated from us, but I wasn’t about to admit it. So I cut to the chase.
“Gage challenged Nira, killed her, and took over the Frost Fang pack. Everything’s changed, and there’s no need for you to finish that job.”
Rowan didn’t answer right away. I supposed that was a lot to process.
“What now?”
“Gage wants you to come back.” That would count a lot to a wolf like Rowan, even if he wanted to stay on the job. Despite that, I felt some hesitation in his pause.
“Now isn’t the best timing.” Rowan’s low voice had me straining to hear him over the beeping of Freya’s heart monitor.
Was it just my imagination, or did her fingers flex against mine?
“My departure could invite trouble.”
“Then extricate yourself carefully,” I said reluctantly. “But get to Frost Fang packlands when you can. They’re our allies now.”
“Understood,” he said in a firm voice. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
Without waiting for a reply, Rowan hung up.
Freya’s head turned toward me, her eyes still closed. But from her lips, one word fell on a gentle sigh.
“Rowan…”
I gasped and squeezed her hand. “Freya. Wake up, my warrior wolf. Rowan will be here soon to meet you himself.”
I jostled her hand, feeling helpless as her breathing deepened. She remained unconscious.
Heavy footsteps down the hall made me tense until I felt Gage’s reassurances reach me along the pack bond. Flint and Gage came around the corner, and both looked simultaneously relieved and disappointed at what they found. I caught them up on what had just happened.
“She senses Rowan through the pack bond,” Gage mused. “It’s the only explanation.”
“Hopefully he’ll be able to make it here within the next couple of days. I’ll be glad for our pack to be together again,” Flint said from across the room, echoing my earlier sentiments. It had been too long, despite the lucrative job.
“I have every desire to leave here as soon as we can,” Gage admitted, falling into a convenient chair. He dragged his hand over his face in a weary way that told me the situation was draining him faster than I’d thought. “But Freya needs time to heal.”
“It’s not Freya’s fault we’re tied here.” Flint stood near the door in a ready stance, one ear toward the hall. He would know if anyone tried to eavesdrop on us.
“I didn’t say it was,” Gage snapped.
“If she were healed… you would leave?” I asked, surprised.
Gage shrugged, sighing. “I don’t know what I would do. Should I let one of the Frost Fang alphas take over?”
I shook my head. “I know you always expected Garth to lead… but you know everyone always thought you would make the better leader.”
Flint nodded, but Gage frowned and said, “I gave up on Frost Fang a long time ago.”
“But the past few days…” I said, gesturing vaguely in the direction of that ridiculous throne room. “Now more than ever, it’s so obvious how much Frost Fang always needed you. They suffered under Nira. You have to see that. Things clearly weren’t great under Garth before that, either. And if we’re being completely honest, they suffered under your father’s rule as well. We all did.”
I waved at Flint as proof of that. Gage’s father had exiled Flint for something he didn’t even do.
