Chapter Six Heimdall

I don't know if Loki ever got to sleep. But it took me until early afternoon to finally find some rest. My brain was too full of racing thoughts to do much else except overthink for some time. Thoughts of my father, thoughts of the future, and thoughts of Loki filled my mind. Eventually I wore myself into a state of mental exhaustion before I slipped into the darkness of sleep.

When I awoke, I found the hole far above us had grown dark. Moonlight streamed into the cave, shimmering against the damp stone. The air was cold. Much colder than it had been the night before. Autumn was in full swing, but the chill in the air reminded me that winter wasn't far off. Glancing down I saw Loki sitting up on his elbows, surrounded by golden leaves that had fallen from the trees and drifted down into the cavern as he gazed up at the sky.

For a moment I couldn't help but stare, that strange sensation filling the pit of my stomach once more. There was something about Loki that felt… different .

I didn't know what to make of it. Before I'd met the man, I only thought of him as my enemy. A wolf that needed to be taken out should he stand in the way of my father's plans. But something had changed. Logically I knew he wasn't someone I should trust. His family and mine were pitted against one another and had been for generations. But against my better judgement, I had this idea that maybe we could be friends. After all, he sympathized with my father's anti-human ideas. That had to count for something, right?

But did I even want to be friends with him? I looked him up and down once more, my gaze lingering on his form for some time. I felt this urge to be closer to him, to hear his story. It was almost like I was a little kid again, meeting another boy my age for the first time. I felt odd and shy, like I wanted to make conversation and learn about them, but I was too scared to make the first move. How could a stranger make me feel like that? I was a grown man and an Alpha to boot. Nobody, especially not this half-pint Alpha, should make me feel that way.

Thoughts and emotions jumbled up inside my brain and I found myself getting more confused by the moment. Without pain to distract me, my mind was running much smoother. But that just meant that it could get all tangled up faster and with greater efficiency.

"What are you staring at?"

I blinked a couple of times before I realized I'd been gazing at Loki this entire time. He was turned toward me now, his brows furrowed in agitation. For the first time I noticed his long dark hair had been pulled up into a sort of messy bun on the back of his head. A single strand of it fell over his face, draping across the sharp bridge of his nose. Those light brown eyes of his glimmered in the moonlight and my gaze drifted down, taking in the thick dark beard on his hard jaw and the fullness of his lips.

My stomach twisted into a knot as I realized why I was so enamored with him.

He was handsome .

"Sorry," I said, shaking my head and forcing myself to look away. My heart was pounding as cold anxiety coursed through my chest. "Just got lost in thought."

"That happen to you a lot, Hamball?"

I shot him a dirty look, his handsomeness forgotten as soon as he said that word. "Stop calling me that," I snapped.

He smirked. "No."

That cocky look he wore made my blood boil. I wanted to get up and punch him right in his stupid smug face.

"I thought we had a truce?"

"We do," he replied. "I said I wouldn't try to kill you. But that doesn't mean I have to be nice to you either."

I opened my mouth to argue, but he cut me off before I could get a word out.

"Is your arm better?"

Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to bite back my irritation. "I can feel it again. So, it seems to be a little better."

"Can you help me out of here?" Loki asked, gesturing toward his leg wedged between the stones. "I can't get it out."

For one brief moment I thought of just walking away. With Loki stuck there, I wouldn't have to worry about taking care of him myself once we were free of the cave. He'd just lay there and starve to death. It might take days or even a week, but eventually he'd be nothing but a desiccated pile of bones. All because I chose to go back on our bargain. He'd do the same to me if our positions were reversed. I was sure of it.

With a sigh, I pushed myself to my feet. I wouldn't stoop to his level. I was a man of my word, even if that meant helping this asshole out of a deathtrap of his own making.

"If you can shift that rock," Loki said, pointing to the smaller boulder on the left. "Then I can get my foot out I think."

I nodded, walking over to it. I took a second to stretch, making sure all my bones were where they should be and that they were no longer completely fucked. My ribs were the most sore and my arm didn't feel like it was back to full strength yet. But my legs worked and so did my other arm. That would be enough to move the boulder a couple of inches.

"Ready?" I asked, placing my back against the rock and planting my feet firmly on the floor.

"Yeah."

"Move fast," I added. "I wouldn't want you to have to gnaw your own leg off if I drop it."

"Then just don't fucking drop it, Hamball ."

"Do you want my fucking help or not?!"

Loki sighed. "Yes. Stop being so sensitive."

"Stop being such a dickhead."

We glared at one another for a long moment.

" Heimdall ," Loki said, gritting his teeth. "Move the fucking rock."

That was the best I could hope for. Taking a deep breath, I pushed my feet into the stone, legs straining as my back pressed against the boulder. With a grunting cry, the boulder began to shift. I felt my muscles go taut, the veins and tendons bulging in my neck as I pushed. Finally, the stone shifted a few inches, coming off the floor just enough for Loki to turn his ankle and pull his leg free. A second later the boulder crashed back to the floor, the stone cracking beneath it.

I sank down, my chest heaving from the exertion. Despite my werewolf healing, every piece of my body that hurt the night before began to hurt again. The strain caused all my old bruises and fractures to flare up, the pain seeping into my system once more. I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the boulder as I tried to breathe through it.

"Thanks," Loki said, his voice barely above a whisper.

So, the asshole did have some manners.

"Is your leg alright?" I asked through clenched teeth, forcing myself not to make some smartass remark. "Can you walk on it?"

"I… I think so."

Loki flexed his foot a few times before leaning forward and grabbing hold of one of the boulders. With no small amount of effort, he got himself up on his good leg before gingerly testing the other. He winced as he put his full weight on the freshly healed one, but it held before he backed off it completely. Clearly it was still very painful. Thank the gods for werewolf healing though. Without it, both of us would've already been dead.

"I can limp along," he said, leaning against the stone. He looked down at me. "Does your cellphone have service?"

"I… I don't have one."

Loki just stared at me like I'd said something insane.

"You… don't have a phone? Who doesn't have a phone these days?"

"Nobody in the Skoll pack has one. Alpha's orders."

He scrubbed his hands against his face in frustration. "Another one of your father's stupid rules."

"He says they could be used to track our whereabouts from werewolf hunters. Or find our pack on the mountain. He's gone through a lot of effort to keep us hidden."

"He's gone through a lot of effort to keep you stupid ," Loki shot back. "And your pack has suffered for it. There's hardly any of you left."

"It's just the way things are," I replied, feeling myself getting irritated all over again. "And I don't give a shit what your opinion is about it."

Loki shrugged. "Fine."

He pulled out his own phone and hit a few buttons. A bright light appeared on the back of it, and he held it up, illuminating the cavern. The moment it pierced the darkness, I let out a small sigh of relief. I'd never tell Loki, but for once I was thankful that someone didn't abide by my father's rules. Getting out of the cave already seemed impossible. But without light, I'd never know what lay more than ten feet in front of me. And considering most caves were full of bottomless holes, the last thing I wanted to do was plummet to my death because of one bad step.

"We're not getting out through there," Loki said, pointing up toward the hole we'd fallen through. "The walls are too smooth and the ceiling is domed. There's no way to reach it." He turned in a slow circle, holding his phone flashlight high. He was facing the opposite direction when he stopped. "There! We'll have to go that way."

I forced myself up, using the boulder to support my shaky legs once I was standing. Some thirty feet past Loki I saw the cavern opening. From the looks of the stone and the stalactites, it was completely natural. There was no telling where it might lead of course, but considering there was no other way out, it was our only choice.

Loki limped a few feet, waving his arm. "Come on," he urged. "This flashlight isn't gonna last forever and I want to get the hell out of here."

I followed behind him, watching him struggling to reach the mouth of the cave.

"Do you want to lean on me?" I asked, not really sure why I felt the need to offer assistance.

"Fuck off."

I guess that was a no .

Keeping my mouth shut, I trailed behind the smaller Alpha as he led the way. When we reached the opening, he put his free hand on the wall to steady himself. He kept the light low now, pointing it at the floor. Apparently, he was just as aware of the bottomless pits as I was. Then, with a deep breath, he squared his shoulders and started into the darkness.

I followed behind, my racing thoughts taking over once more. Before I got out of this cave, I needed to figure out why the fuck I thought this annoying, irritating, and downright detestable man was attractive to me. Hell, I needed to figure out when the fuck I started thinking men were attractive. That alone was enough to make the anxiety press against my chest from the inside.

Maybe it was the fall or the pain or the broken bones. Yeah. That had to be it. I'd broken a couple bones and there were probably little chunks of them in my brain, messing up my mind. That was a totally normal thing, right? It had to be. Because nothing else could explain why I couldn't keep my eyes off Loki's ass as he led the way through this death cave.

Perhaps it was desperation. I didn't really want to die a virgin and as far as I knew, we weren't going to make it out of this place alive without a miracle. Still, that was quite a leap to take since I knew I was straight. Or at least I thought I knew. What if I gave into this urge? What if Loki said yes? What if the pack found out?

What if my father found out?

No. I shook my head. Nobody was going to find out because I wasn't going to do anything with Loki. We were still sworn enemies and as soon as we were free of that cave, I was going to rip his throat out. I had to. If I didn't, he'd kill my father, and I wasn't about to let that happen, even if he had abandoned me.

He had to have a good reason, right? I hoped he wasn't dead like Loki suggested. But at the same time, I wondered why he hadn't come back for me. If he dumped me so easily, did I really owe him my unwavering allegiance? Did that mean I could give into this urge and allow myself to pursue Loki? Would Loki even want me to begin with?

Those and a thousand other questions raced through my head.

And I didn't have an answer for a damn one of them.