Chapter Three Loki

T he night after Baldr teleported away in a flurry of magic was a cold one. Autumn had fully arrived in the mountains and all around me the leaves were turning gold. There were moments here and there where I reveled in the changing of the seasons. Sunrise and sunset were by far the most beautiful times of day, and being out in the wilderness meant I was always there to behold them.

But I missed the comforts of home. Running water was something I had definitely taken for granted. And having the hot springs nearby was a luxury I yearned for once again. Ever since we were kids, my brothers and I would go to the springs in the middle of the night when the weather began to change and skinny dip in the steaming water. It was a tradition we'd kept up until our father died. That day ruined just about everything I'd once known.

I pulled away from my fond memories tainted by grief as I walked through the forest, the sun long set over the western mountain. Thinking about home only made things harder. I wasn't going back. Neither memories nor Baldr's warning could convince me of that. Not when there was so much at stake. I had a vision for our people, and I wasn't about to abandon it for comfort.

Tonight, the next stage of my plan was beginning. I was going to sneak into the Skoll village and see what I could find out about these secrets Baldr had mentioned in his vision. If Tyr and his people were hiding something from the rest of the world, I might be able to use it to my advantage should I get the upper hand. I didn't know if it was a weapon, information, or some sort of damning secret. Either way, I had to know. And knowing what I did about Tyr, he wouldn't let that secret far from his sight.

It had to be in the village, so that's where I needed to go. My wandering the mountain woods for weeks had done nothing but make me hungry and sore and dirty. But tonight, I'd do something worthwhile. Tonight, I would move all the werewolves in this valley toward a lasting and proud peace where we could be both wolf and prosperous. As soon as I could find what Tyr was up to, I knew I could find a way to either use it against him or to my advantage.

I just had to get inside their territory first.

Merely walking through the boundary was probably a bad idea. No matter what form I took, my scent would be left everywhere. Unfortunately, I did not have wings, so flying in wasn't an option. But that gave me an idea. There was a patch of forest on the northern side of their territory that was extremely dense. If I could get up in the trees and climb branch to branch across their border, maybe I could get closer to the village without being traced. From what I'd seen, wolves patrolled the border, not the interior. If I could get far enough in, I'd buy myself quite a bit of time. After that, my method of retreat wouldn't matter. I'd have what I came to get.

So, I'd spent the entire day giving the mountain a wide berth as I worked my way to the northern side. Thankfully, that meant I could pass into Fenris proper and get myself a decent meal before I went on my quest. I'd been damn near starving for the past few days and, as much as I hated humans, they did make good food. Besides, being distracted by my belly wouldn't help my cause. Better to be full, energized, and prepared for any event. I may not have gotten the strength that Thor inherited, but even a small Alpha wolf was a force to be reckoned with.

Once I reached the far side of the mountain, I waited for the sun to set and the cold of night to settle in. The chill would help dampen my scent even more. When the full moon rose, I spread myself wide over the grass, drinking in its power. Then, with one last glance up at that bright silver orb, I headed into the forest and began to climb.

Finding a tree dense enough to climb wasn't an issue. The pines that clung to the rocks there were so full of branches that just getting to the trunk was more of an obstacle than actually climbing them. But, once I was ten feet off the ground, the branches thinned out a bit. It took a little doing to find my rhythm, hopping tree to tree. Werewolves, unsurprisingly, were not monkeys. Climbing wasn't exactly in our genes. But I made do nonetheless. And within a half hour or so, I was making good progress.

But that was before I heard approaching footsteps.

I stopped on the branch I was on, halfway between one tree and the next. My keen wolf senses perked up, my head turning in the direction of the noise. I couldn't make them out through the dense needle-laden branches, but it was easy to tell they were bipedal footsteps. Considering my location, they could only belong to the patrollers of the Skoll pack.

Willing my breath to steady, I hunkered down on the branch, holding the one above with one hand for balance. Narrowing my gaze, I searched the forest floor for the werewolves, hoping they were too drunk with full moon light to notice my scent drifting down upon them. The branch creaked under my weight as I leaned forward, catching sight of them at last. They were some twenty feet away and looked like they would not be passing directly under me. I breathed a sigh of relief.

I continued to watch them as they got closer. At first, I assumed they were just nobodies in the pack, submissive wolves who wanted to be subservient to Tyr. However, as they got closer, I realized the pair of them were talking. The one sounded younger and ambitious, like he was trying to impress his companion. But when his friend finally spoke, that deep voice sent a wave of fury flowing through my body, my lips curling back into a snarl almost instantly.

It was Tyr.

Leaning out further on the branch, I craned my neck to get a better look. Sure enough, the moment they came into view, I recognized the tall, thick man that was Tyr. His eyes, always Alpha gold, nearly glowed in the darkness. He cradled his severed stump against his chest in a sling. But it was easy to tell what he was up to. Walking under the light of a full moon helped elevate the healing powers of our kind. But his wound was from a silver blade. While the moonlight might help marginally, it would still take weeks for him to heal fully.

The other man I didn't recognize. Although as he moved closer, pieces of him looked familiar. Maybe I'd seen him walking around the village, or maybe he was one of the higher ups. Either way, I figured he had to be important. Not just anybody would be personally escorting Tyr along the border. Whoever he was, he must have been strong.

Ducking down further, I gripped the branch above me, leaning out over open space to watch them pass. At first, I wanted to leap down and attack Tyr in his weakened state. It was the opportunity I'd been waiting for since he'd killed my father. But the full moon would give him power. Even short of a hand, Tyr was nearly too much for Thor to handle. I stood no chance. And as for the other wolf, he would tip the scales too far in Tyr's favor.

So, I waited, my blood boiling as the pair of them passed a few feet away and kept going. I did everything I could to steady my breathing, although the pounding of my heart was so loud, I thought it would give me away instead. But neither of them caught my scent or heard my furious heart. They just kept walking.

Just as they were about to disappear into the trees and out of sight, I heard a sharp crack above me. Suddenly, my hand, still grasped around the branch, came free and I fell into open space. I didn't have enough time to react as I plummeted to the earth. My body struck three or four branches on the way down, the rough bark tearing at my clothes and scratching my skin. Then, with a dull thud, I hit the rocky ground hard , knocking the wind clean out of me and bruising what felt like every bone I had.

"What was that?!"

I looked up, trying to force air back into my lungs. I let go of the broken branch that had betrayed me and struggled to my feet. But before I could take more than a couple of steps back, the second werewolf rushed into the clearing, his eyes blazing with golden light.

He was an Alpha .

That was the moment I knew I was in deep shit.

"Who the fuck are you?" the man yelled, stopping a few feet short of me with his claws already extended from his fingertips. I watched as fangs formed in his mouth, his speech slurred as they took shape. "You aren't one of the Skoll pack!"

"No, he's not," Tyr replied before I could think of a clever lie. He walked up behind the man, a cruel grin curling across his lips. "Hello there, Loki. You're a long way from home."

I just stared, my own fangs forming in my mouth as I snarled at the pair of them. I puffed myself up, trying to look bigger and more menacing than I actually was. Neither of them flinched.

"Is your brother with you?" Tyr asked, an eager glint in his eye as he scanned the clearing. "I would love to talk with him."

"No," I snarled. "I left the Hati pack. Thor is back at the resort with his… human ."

"It's too bad," Tyr replied, shaking his head. "He would be worth my time. But you?" He just laughed to himself. "You're nobody."

"I won't be nobody when I tear your fucking throat out!"

I took a step forward, but the other Alpha threw his body between me and Tyr. He roared and I instinctively took a step back.

"Have you met my son by the way?" Tyr said nonchalantly, clearly not threatened by me at all. "This is Heimdall."

Looking up at the snarling, growling man, I realized why parts of him looked familiar. I hadn't just seen him in the village. His face, his eyes, and even his nose… they were just like Tyr's. But unlike Tyr's harsh features worn by time and a life of anger, Heimdall's were soft and handsome. Every inch of him was covered in muscle and he looked to be the kind of Alpha that would lead the Skoll pack without question or challenge from the others. I couldn't lie. I was a bit terrified to be staring him down. In a match between us, I would've put my money on him.

"I'm not interested in your kin," I spat, looking over Heimdall's shoulder. "My business is with you."

"Because I killed your pathetic, witch-loving father?"

"How dare you!" I screamed.

"I appreciate your lust for vengeance. If you weren't the enemy, I might even ask you to join our ranks. Clearly, you don't approve of the courtship between your brother and that human." He gave me a once over before clicking his tongue. "But you're a runt and your bloodline is weak. I have no use for such weakness." He turned away, waving his hand dismissively. "Kill him."

Before I could even take a step forward, Heimdall's massive body connected with mine, tackling me to the ground in a flurry of claws and fangs. I felt a sudden jolt as his skin came into contact with mine. Adrenaline coursed through my veins as I fought for my life, knowing that this Alpha wolf was going to tear me to pieces if I didn't find some way to outsmart him.

I had only seconds to figure it out before my guts would be spread through the forest like confetti.