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Book 5 starts right where Book 4 left off! With Zak’s mysterious arrival…
Bound to Exiles: Chapter 1: Freya
“Welcome, my fifth mate,” I said. “Or should I say, my Bonded?”
Lightning raced up my arm the moment my hand connected with Zak’s. My wolf perked up, her fur sizzling with barely restrained electricity — not from fear or protective instincts, but from excitement. The same excitement I’d felt when I first met each of my mates, but with an added layer of familiarity. Recognition sparked like memories long forgotten. We’d already shared intimate moments in my dreams, even though I couldn’t quite remember any of them clearly thanks to my heat.
His touch sent warmth spreading through me, and my wolf paced restlessly, wanting to get closer. The way his full lips curved into a knowing smile made heat pool low in my belly. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his dark, mesmerizing gaze even as my alphas’ awareness sharpened.
His playful yet authoritative words echoed across the Bonded link to us all: “My guiding star, my sweet hybrid, my darling new pupil, I’ll answer to anything you wish to call me.”
His words made me recall one of my dreams. I’d cried out to him that I was hopeless, incapable of learning magic. By the time I awakened, and the dream slid from my conscious mind, I’d lost the clarity of his reassuring voice.
Meeting him at long last sent butterflies rising in my stomach. My breath caught in my throat as I studied the man, my fifth mate, who claimed to be my future magic instructor.
With his sleeve pulled down, I could see how muscular his shoulder was. The half-moon tattoo matched the ones that graced all my alphas’ shoulders — though his dark skin tone changed how it looked. The bright half almost seemed to shine, while the shadowed half was harder to spot.
Bright silver studs and delicate hoops, maybe a dozen of them, lined his ears, drawing attention to his clean-shaven jaw and the dark-skinned curve of his neck. His closely cropped hair and smooth skin accentuated his strong features.
The light of dawn made his piercings shimmer whenever he glanced back and forth between me and my mates. I could barely peel my eyes away from my attractive new mate to make introductions.
“Zak, this is Flint, Gage, Heath, and Rowan,” I pointed out each of my mates standing in a row.
“The pleasure’s all mine.” Zak’s lips quirked up in a flirty smile, but was that a hint of dismay I caught in his eyes as my mates circled around us?
“I knew Zak’s connection with Freya gave her the fifth rune,” Heath said, “but for some reason, I didn’t expect it went both ways. Can he hear us right now?”
I held my breath, waiting to see if Zak would answer. Unlike my alpha mates, the mage didn’t project dominance with the threat of consequences for disobedience. Wrapped in his heavy wool peacoat, he carried himself with the confidence of someone who knew his own power and wasn’t afraid to use it.
“I don’t think we’ve been projecting our thoughts to include him,” Flint said after an awkward moment of all of us staring at the newcomer.
“Good, because I don’t trust him,” Gage warned.
“Neither do I. Not yet,” I reassured my alphas, not wanting them to think I trusted the mage simply because the half-moon tattoo marked his shoulder.
Testing our theory, I pushed my thoughts toward Zak. “Can you hear me?”
“Of course, my dear,” he answered for all of us to hear.
Even if I ignored the scent of magic clinging to Zak, he commanded attention. His shoulders rivaled Heath’s in breadth, though he stood closer to Flint and Rowan’s height. Like my alpha mates, his presence radiated physical power, even though my wolf didn’t sense an alpha inside of him.
The pull between us felt undeniable, but I’d been fooled by a fake fated mate bond before. My own aunt had cursed me to make it look like Luka and I were fated mates to prevent Ironwood’s alliance with the Frost Fang pack. Despite my own vision showing a mage would come to aid me in my hour of darkest need, a magic wielder claiming to be my mate made me wary. Though… my wolf certainly sensed no deception — she was pawing at the walls of my mind, begging to run and play with him.
Sensing my uncertainty, Gage stepped closer to Zak. In a low voice, he demanded, “Why are you here? Why now?”
Zak let out a soft chuckle. “Surely I can’t be the only one who saw the starbeams? I came as quickly as I could.”
I kept my grip on Zak’s hand, as that point of contact seemed to amplify the Bonded link between us, allowing a sense of his emotions. Beneath his flirtatious exterior extended depths that called to both my newfound magic and my wolf.
My wolf had never reacted positively to Luka, even when she’d been trapped inside me. And Luka and I had never shared this feeling, this sense of soul-deep connection, like the one between Zak and me. This didn’t feel fake.
Remembering my ability to sense pack bonds, I let my eyes slip half-closed, trying to bring up that power again, reaching out with all of my senses to find the bonds between us.
“That’s it, my darling pupil,” Zak whispered, startling me.
When my eyes flashed open, his full lips curved into a knowing smile. But it was his mischievous gaze that held me captive.
“I feel you drawing in your magic, gathering it around yourself. Whatever you’re doing, my magic is yours to take if you need it.”
I didn’t tell him I had no idea how to do that. That he could feel me accessing my magic made me wonder if I was barking up the wrong tree — using my mage powers instead of my Odinswolf blessings. So, I let my eyes slip half-closed once more, trying to reach that place again where the bonds had been so obvious. This time, they effortlessly snapped into place.
What I saw made my eyes widen. A web of bonds surrounded me, enveloping me in shared connections. Pausing to unravel them all, I noticed three different kinds — pack bonds, mate bonds, and the Bonded link I’d unintentionally formed between me and my mates.
The Bonded link between Zak and me crackled with barely restrained energy, but we didn’t share a mate bond like I did with my four alphas. My mate bonds with my claimed mates were thicker and stronger, and they felt far steadier.
To my surprise, I caught sight of bonds connecting Zak to my other mates, and them to him. The Bonded link hadn’t just formed between me and Zak — it united all six of us. And the faintest thread flowed outward from me into the middle of nowhere, unconnected to anyone that I could see. But the direction was obvious — it pointed toward where we’d seen the most distant starbeam fall.
As for the third type of bond, the pack bonds that united the Howling Echo did not connect to Zak, nor did the Frost Fang pack bonds that the rest of us were connected to via Gage. He had no pack, though he’d asked Gage to let him join ours.
Around us, the others spoke silently to each other over the Bonded link, letting me listen in, but excluding Zak.
“His scent seems so… familiar,” Heath murmured in our minds.
“Like Freya’s, both wolf and magic,” Flint answered.
“More witch than wolf,” Rowan warned.
“We’re Bonded,” I answered, feeling more confident now that I could see the bonds between us all. “Fate sent him to me — to us — for a reason. We need to get to know him.”
When I glanced back toward Frost Fang territory, I saw a strong pack bond running from Gage into a few wolves gathering near the border.
With a sigh, I blinked, letting my special sight fade. At least that was one ability I’d mastered, but probably only because it came from my Odinswolf, who seemed to instinctively access her power.
“Zak…” I said along the Bonded connection. Seeing the wolves gathering reminded me of the political fallout awaiting us. “I need you to hide that Bonded mark one more time. At least for a little while.”
A bolt of fear shot through my bond with him, quickly suppressed. He raised my hand between us and lightly kissed the back of it.
The rich baritone of his voice rose only loud enough for me and my mates to hear. “For you? Anything.”
Magic rippled along his cheekbone, and the rune disappeared as though it had never existed, leaving unblemished black skin beneath. Once again, my eyes were drawn to his smooth, strong jaw and the earrings lining the shell of his ears.
Heat flooded my cheeks as his smile widened. Through our new Bonded link, I felt his pleasure at my obvious appraisal. Just like when I’d first met each of them, my body responded to his presence with an intensity that left me breathless. My other mates tensed around me, their unease flowing through our mate bonds and Bonded link, but I couldn’t look away.
His origins and our meeting intrigued me. I wanted to find answers to the mysteries of fate that linked us. But first…
“Let’s get in out of the cold,” I said, pulling him toward Frost Fang packlands.
Rowan and Gage’s discomfort grew, for different reasons. A deluge of relief, joy, and desperate longing overwhelmed those emotions, all coming from Zak. But as quickly as they had come, those feelings waned, as though Zak had muted them in the Bonded link somehow.
When I turned to look toward civilization, the crowd of wolf shifters had grown. Zak stood by my side but made no further movement to cross the border, as though not wanting to appear threatening. Though I’d asked him to hide the ansuz rune on his face, I didn’t drop his hand. Eventually, I would want him to reveal his Bonded marks, and if our packmates saw me holding hands with him first, it would come as less of a surprise.
“We’re all tired after the pack run,” Gage called to the gathered Frost Fang wolves. “You can all find your beds. We’ll handle the mage from here.”
A small wolf in the front chuffed, then shifted back to reveal Fern, standing naked and unabashed in the early dawn’s rays. Flint looked away from his sister, and I sensed Heath’s irritation flicker in the bond.
“You’re inviting in this stranger while we’re all exhausted and weak after our pack run… alpha?” Fern added his rank after a belated moment’s hesitation.
Gage raised a hand toward the gathered wolves, palm out. “Not to worry. The pack alphas will rotate guard duty throughout the day to ensure everyone’s safety, but he is not a stranger. Freya knows Zak, and his trustworthiness is not in question.”
His words resonated with authority, once again reminding me how much I loved seeing Gage command the pack. Heath’s admiration and relief mingled with mine through the bond. My wolf sensed no deception in Gage’s words — after all, he knew I’d dreamed of Zak, and that the stars had revealed him as another of my mates.
Gage paused, allowing the truth of his words to carry across the pack bond, but what I found more interesting was Zak’s surprise. His fingers tightened on mine even as he leaned toward Gage, as though drawn in by his dominant power.
Raising his voice, Gage added, “Welcome to Frost Fang packlands, Zak. We have much to discuss.”
Now no one could deny the pack alpha himself had invited the mage onto packlands.
With that, Gage and Heath strode forward, and the Frost Fang shifters parted. I pulled Zak along beside me as we walked hand-in-hand behind the two most dominant alphas in the pack. Flint and Rowan fell in behind us like a rear guard.
The pack parted for Gage and Heath’s dominance — and to keep back from the scent of magic coming from Zak. Smelling their fear made my wolf tense with wariness.
“What a surprise.” Fern crossed her arms as we passed. “Of course, the two mages know each other.”
Flint paused as he passed to stare into his sister’s eyes until she averted her gaze. “Don’t forget that Freya is one of the leaders of this pack, and my mate.”
“Apologies… alpha,” Fern bit out.
“Come on,” Heath said in our minds. “We can deal with them after we’ve all talked.”
“Why wait?” Zak’s amusement floated across the Bonded link. “This Bonded link is a keener way to chat while we walk, eh?”
Before anyone else could respond, I asked, “Why were you surprised?”
Though I directed the question at Zak, I projected my thoughts to all five of them, hoping they would do the same. It would go a long way in helping build trust between us.
“You all just seemed so wary when I showed up… I didn’t expect Gage to valiantly defend my honor.” Zak smirked when the pack alpha’s back stiffened as he resolutely led the way.
“Zak, did you ever dream of Freya?” Flint asked.
“Many times. She practically summoned me here. Which is… not a mage ability that I’ve ever encountered. Not even among Bonded witches sharing magic.”
As we walked, I finally recalled more of how he’d appeared in my dreams, sometimes teaching, sometimes playful and flirtatious, always reaching for a connection that felt just out of reach… and now felt attainable. The dream fragments I could remember had always been so fleeting. But now he was here, and we could connect in person at last.
The weight of his gaze fell on me, bringing with it a sense of awe and curiosity. “How did you do it?”
Though Heath’s body language remained outwardly passive, he growled inside our minds. “You don’t ask the questions. We do. And it’s Freya’s prerogative to have her questions answered first.”
Zak merely tilted his head, but I sensed him gauging our reactions, as though filing everything away. My wolf instinctively trusted him, but my human side refused to throw caution to the wind. Still, I couldn’t seem to release his hand, as though letting go would make him disappear back into the realm of dreams.
But I took Heath’s unsaid warning to heart. Now wasn’t the time to reveal the secrets of my Odinswolf heritage.
After a beat of awkward silence, I asked, “So, what did you learn of me in these dreams?”
I expected him to return to his flirty banter from earlier, but Zak weighed his words for a moment.
“Truly? I sensed your utter fearlessness and independence. You always seemed open-minded and accepting, while also being loyal and devoted to your mates. You protected their identities even in your dreams, so I honestly never suspected all four of them were wolf shifters, or so dominant. I know now you must be a powerful woman indeed to claim four alphas as mates.”
He scrubbed his free hand over his smooth chin, thinking.
“I also discovered the reason you’re having trouble learning magic is because you fear becoming a witch like your aunt, a witch who hurt you and your mates in search of more power. We’re not all like that, Freya.”
Surprise rose from all my mate bonds, as my four alphas processed the fact that this stranger knew so many of my secrets. Zak didn’t let that slow down his words, however.
“You also… showed me compassion. A compassion borne from your own difficult experiences, I would assume.”
It was Rowan’s turn to growl inside our minds, but unlike Heath, he couldn’t hide behind a mask of indifference. With his fists clenched at his sides, his eyes shone gold as he stomped up beside Zak.
“You know nothing about what she’s been through.”
Since the rest of us kept moving, so did Rowan, prowling at Zak’s side like a tiger along the bars of his cage.
I wished I knew what to say to bridge the gap between the two of them, but it was Rowan’s reaction I’d feared the most since having the vision. He hated witches since before he’d become my mate. Now a new mage showed up, and his frosty reception toward Zak didn’t surprise me.
My other mates didn’t intervene, waiting to see how the newcomer would respond.
Zak averted his gaze from Rowan, appeasing him to some degree. But Zak didn’t drop my hand or stop walking. The bond showed no fear or defensiveness — in fact, he felt nearly absent from the bond, like he’d blanked himself out.
“I understand that, Rowan. I… appreciate the reminder. I’m looking forward to learning more about Freya.” Zak squeezed my hand. “And about all of you, as a pack. To you, my presence feels like an intrusion, and for that I am sorry. But I’m not sorry to have met you all, because I feel like I’ve finally found my place. As strange as it seems — to all of us — I belong with you, at Freya’s side.”
There was no mistaking the protective tone in his words or demeanor. For a moment, the entire bond felt like nothing but protective instincts, from every direction.
“Freya trusts you,” Gage answered. “For now, that is good enough for me. But if you step out of line with her… all the magic in the world won’t save you from us.”
Gage felt on-edge, ready for a fight. Especially as we walked through town, surrounded by shifters in both forms. I caught the whispered words of those on two legs, murmuring about the dangers of magic. Fern’s reception now felt less personal to her and more like evidence of a dam cracking, ready to break.
Zak ignored them, more concerned with the threat my mates posed.
“Let me assure you, I will never demand more than Freya wholeheartedly requests.” He squeezed my hand again, and I squeezed back, taking comfort in the touch.“If I sense her doubt or discomfort along the Bonded link, I will never push beyond her boundaries. This is new to all of you, but I have spent my entire life longing to join a Bonded circle. I won’t abuse the trust you’ve shown me, allowing me to even touch Freya like this.”
He raised our clasped hands, but his words struck me wrong, pulling a snarl from me.
“They don’t get to decide who I can and cannot touch. I took your hand, not because they allowed it, but because I wanted to.”
Zak eyes flicked from my eyes to my lips. “There’s that fiery independence that captivated me in our dreams. I only wish I knew how our dreams connected like that.”
Flint came up alongside me, unwilling to allow Zak to sidestep the issue. “It is always Freya’s choice. It always has been all along.”
He was right. Even when Gage came up with the original deal, it was up to me to accept or reject the offer, crass as it was. I’d suspected he’d hoped to turn me away by forcing my hand. Instead, he’d only ignited my passion. I’d been attracted to the three of them the moment I met them. The same was true for Rowan — technically even before I met him, as we first met in our dreams. Just as my dreams recently led me to Zak… and him to me, somehow.
Zak dipped his head, acknowledging Flint and averting his gaze. I felt a zing of Flint’s surprise and something like delight across the bond. I fully expected Zak to pounce with the same flirty enthusiasm he’d shown when he’d first met us.
Instead, he kept his eyes on the path ahead as he slowly chose his next words. “Truly, it is entirely up to you, Freya. Sometimes, not all Bonded become… well, mates with all the other Bonded. For some, it’s about the power sharing, and they might only mate with one or two of their Bonded, while the others form relationships with each other.”
“I… didn’t know that,” I answered, uncertain of how to respond.
Did this mean he wasn’t interested in being my mate?
“Nothing will happen between us unless you desire it.”
When he raised his eyes to meet mine, the hunger burning there stunned me to silence. The Bonded link carried a sense of such deep loneliness that I almost stopped on the path to hug him. But the pack was watching, and we’d walked by them silently. Though they knew I could speak privately to my mates through the normal mate bond, they wouldn’t know I could do that with Zak, or that he could talk to all of us by the same token.
Gage reached the door to our den, giving me the chance to pause. I faced Zak, studying his expression as I sensed along the link between us, trying to understand what he wanted and expected from our connection. Not only with me, but with my mates as well.
“So, it’s fairly common that not all Bonded mate with each other?”
His shoulders fell, but I felt his determination rise in the bond. “Every Bonded circle is different. All Bonded are free to define their own relationships with the rest.”
There was that ghost of pain again, like being on the outside when he wanted so desperately for me to open the door and let him in. I nodded to Gage, and he literally opened the door.
“Welcome to our den,” he said to Zak.
Despite his words, his reluctance carried through my bonds with him, making me frown as Heath followed him inside.
Zak and I followed next, then Flint.
“You’ll teach her magic, regardless?” Rowan growled.
“Of course,” Zak brightened. “I’m looking forward to it.”
To my surprise, Rowan crowded inside behind us all, shutting the door behind us.
“So,” Zak said out loud, looking around. “Who do I get to bed down with?”
My body instantly responded to his playful baritone voice. I squeezed my legs together, as though that could stop the scent of my arousal from reaching my mates.
Zak just grinned and waggled his eyebrows at Gage. The pack alpha stared down at Zak until the mage coyly dropped his gaze, squeezing my hand as if to reassure me of something, though I couldn’t be sure of what.
“Will you stand watch outside?” Gage asked Rowan.
Surprise rippled across all our bonds when Rowan answered, “No. I want my eyes on the mage while Freya sleeps.”
I frowned at Rowan, worried the two of them might always be at odds. But when I glanced back at Zak, he winked.
When his next words whispered into my mind, they were for me alone. “Don’t worry, my darling pupil. I’ll do whatever it takes to win over each and every one of them, for you.”
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I hope you love this series, but in case you haven’t started it yet, Rejected Wolf Pack is a steamy paranormal wolf shift romance series. The final installment arrives in early 2026.