Chapter Three Thor

"H ow did I beat you back here?" Baldr asked as I walked into the main foyer of the house. He sniffed the air as I approached. "And why do you smell like blood?" He stopped, his eyes wide as he took another sniff. "Human blood?!"

"Keep your voice down," I replied, placing my hand on his shoulder. "And come with me. I need your help."

"Oh fuck… You didn't kill anyone did you?"

"What?! No! Why would I kill a human?!"

"Why do you smell like human blood then?"

"Baldr," I sighed. "Please."

He stared at me for a long moment, searching my eyes for any hint of untruthfulness. Finally, when he could find none, he nodded. "Alright. Lead the way to whatever mess you've gotten yourself into now."

"Thank you, brother."

I took Baldr through the winding hallways of the resort that our pack ran. It was still too early in the morning for the guests to be up and moving around thankfully since I was still smeared with blood. We took the elevator up to the top floor, passed through a locked door into the private section of the resort where the Alpha's family resided, my family, and took another set of stairs up to the highest point in the entire resort. That was where my private suite was that I'd inherited from my father when he died. Nobody was allowed up there except myself.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" Baldr asked as we climbed the stairs to the top.

"You're the oracle, you tell me."

"Ha-ha. Very funny. You know I can't do that on command."

"I'll tell you once we're inside," I replied.

"I'm going to regret agreeing to help you, aren't I?"

I nodded. "Probably."

I pulled open my front door, letting Baldr in first. Stepping in behind him, I quickly closed and locked the door. Given that it was still the early gray before dawn, the suite was entirely dark.

"It stinks like human in here," Baldr growled, turning my direction. "What did you do?"

Reaching over, I flipped on the standing lamp near the door. The room suddenly took on a dull gold glow. Baldr's gaze fixed on me for a moment before he turned toward the living room and stopped. There, laid over the couch on a thick blanket, was the red-headed human with the broken leg.

"Thor…" Baldr whispered. "What is that ?"

"I don't know his name," I replied. "But I found him injured on the mountain. He'd lost a lot of blood, and I couldn't leave him there."

"You should have."

I shook my head. "You don't understand," I replied slowly. "I couldn't ."

"What does that mean?"

Silence.

"Thor, tell me what's going on."

"I… I honestly don't really know." I took a few deep breaths. "But when I touched him… well, something happened. I… I heard a word."

Baldr rolled his eyes. "What word? Stop being so cryptic."

Another deep breath. "Mate."

My voice was barely above a whisper. But the moment that word left my mouth, Baldr froze up completely. He looked at me, then to the human on the couch once more.

"Him?!" he balked. "But you've never chased after men before!"

"I know," I nodded. "But with him… I don't know. It just doesn't seem like a big deal."

"Do you hear what you're saying?! He's a human, you're a werewolf! It's against pack law!"

"You think I don't know that, Baldr?" I snapped, my voice full of anger and stress. "I know! Okay? I fucking know! But I… I physically couldn't leave him behind." I breathed out through my nose, trying to calm myself. "Please. I just want to heal him up and then I'll send him home. I know the pack laws and I know they exist for a reason. If the human world ever found out about us… well, we could kiss all our hard work goodbye."

"And our lives," Baldr added. "Wolf hunters would descend on this entire town in a matter of days."

"You're right," I said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "And I'm going to send him home. But I need your help first."

"You want me to heal him, don't you?"

I nodded. "If you can."

Baldr let out a great sigh. "You're really annoying. You know that right? This is just like that time you brought home that injured skunk and it sprayed me while I tried to heal it. I had to bathe in tomato juice for a month ."

I had to bite my lower lip to stop myself from smiling. "I know. But I promise this one doesn't spray."

"He fucking better not."

With a huff, Baldr crossed over to the couch and knelt down beside the red-headed man. He pulled his eyelids up, checked his pulse, waved a hand over him a few times, and then sat back on his ankles. I had no idea what he was doing. Magic was completely foreign to me.

"He's lost a lot of blood, and the compound fracture is pretty severe," Baldr stated, glancing back at me. "I can reset the bone and stitch him up, but he'll need bed rest for at least a week or two before he'll be ready to walk again."

"I'll take him home today," I nodded. "He can rest back in his own world."

Baldr lifted an eyebrow like he didn't believe me. However, he eventually sighed and pulled out a small bottle of water from the hot springs that he used in his magic.

"I'm gonna feel like shit after healing him this much," he added. "You fucking owe me one."

"Anything you want, just let me know." I paused. "And don't tell Loki anything."

"Oh, believe me, the last person I'm going to tell is him. I don't need my brothers killing each other over something this stupid." I glanced up at me. "I do not want to be Alpha of this pack once you two murder each other."

I didn't want to be Alpha either, but I had no choice. However, I didn't say that out loud. My brothers and my entire pack needed me to be strong, especially when enemies marched so close to our borders.

"Thank you, Baldr," I said at last. "I truly do owe you."

"It's fine, Thor. Just do me a favor, okay?" He took a long hard look at me. "Don't let this get out of hand."

"Right."

Of course, I didn't mention to him that it was his vision that drove me to even attempt to help this man in the first place. Somehow, I had a feeling that it wouldn't go over too well. And, Baldr had a strange tendency to deny interpretations of his visions. He took them quite literally most of the time.

"Come over here and put your hands on my shoulders," he commanded, waving me over. "I need to use some of your energy for this. I don't have enough by myself."

"Take whatever you need, brother," I replied, doing as I was told. "I heal quickly."

"Just hold on. This is going to be uncomfortable."

"It can't be that bad–"

My words were cut off as Baldr began to chant. There was a flash and gold dust swirled in the air around us. At the same time, I felt my body stiffen, all my muscles drained of their energy in an instant. And yet, I was unable to move or pull away from him. Exhaustion crept over me like the shadow of death himself. For a moment I thought I would be bled dry, and my heart raced as I began to panic.

Then, just as fast as it had begun, the gold disappeared and Baldr slumped to the floor. I managed to stay on my own two feet, although just barely. Taking a few deep breaths, I finally looked up.

The stranger's leg was no longer a grotesque sight. Now it was just a normal-looking leg with a small scar across the front. However, I could still see the bruising under his skin. I reached out, gently touching his leg. Another streak of elation swept through me, but I pushed it away. My fingers traced his shin, and I breathed a sigh of relief. The bone was back where it belonged, and he was no longer bleeding.

But what was I going to do about Baldr?

Gathering up my strength, I managed to drag Baldr over to a nearby chair and heft him up into it. Once there, I began to pat his face, trying to wake him up.

"Baldr? Baldr!"

I gave him a hard-ish smack, and he snorted back to life.

"What?!" He looked up at me, the confusion slowly melting from his expression. "Did it work? Is he okay now?"

"He's fine," I replied with a smile. "And your power is incredible. You've gotten so much stronger." I cocked an eyebrow. "When did that happen?"

"No idea. I wasn't sure I could do it, but I guess I can."

"Don't let Loki know. You know how jealous he is of your magic."

"Don't worry, I never tell Loki anything without giving it a lot of consideration." Baldr groaned as he pushed himself up from the chair. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go pass out in my room."

"Baldr," I said, grabbing his arm. "The Skoll Alpha didn't hurt you, did he?"

"Tyr? No. He wouldn't dare."

"I don't know what kind of witch your mother was," I sighed, shaking my head. "But she must have been a terrifying woman to get that man to continue to keep a promise a decade after she died."

There was a sad look in Baldr's eyes. "She was very powerful."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned her." I patted him on the shoulder again, knowing how painful that wound still was for him. "Go rest up. And thank you again."

"Goodnight."

Baldr left the Alpha suite, closing the door behind him. I heard the electric bolt click into place and I knew the strange human and I were all alone. Suddenly my heart rate sped up as his floral scent washed over me once more. Already the smell of human blood was fading. Well, except for what was still on my skin.

I walked over to the couch and knelt down beside him. Now that I had him in the light, I could look over all his beautiful features in more detail. He had a sharp cut jaw with red stubble poking out in places. His nose had a splash of freckles across it, giving him an almost boyish look. However, it was the ropey muscles, the high cut shorts, and those pink kissable lips that made him almost irresistible. I wanted to touch him so badly even though I knew I shouldn't.

However, before I could stop myself, I realized I was leaning forward. In that moment, the wolf took over and our lips pressed together. The wave of attraction I felt when I touched him was nothing compared to the absolute torrent of emotion that threatened to consume me now. It came on so hard and fast that I tore my body away, practically throwing myself to the ground.

I looked up, relieved to see he was still asleep. Raising my hand to my chest, I pushed against it, willing my heart to stay behind my ribs. It was beating so hard I thought I might die. And it was in that moment that I realized just how much I'd lied to Baldr.

There was no way I could take this man back down the mountain yet. I couldn't give him up. Because… Well, because he was my mate . He was the one destined for me by the moon goddess herself! How could I ever hope to resist such a calling? Not only that, but Alpha mate bonds were much stronger than normal bonds. If we ever fucked… I might be able to begin feeling his emotions through our connection.

My eyes scanned up and down his body, my cock coming to attention at the mere thought of fucking him. However, that was not something I would do without his permission. Hell, I wouldn't even have kissed him if my wolf hadn't taken control for a moment.

Palming my cock through my shorts, I pushed myself off the ground and headed for the bathroom. I needed a long cold shower to wash the scent of blood off me. And hopefully to get my brain working again.

I was in so much fucking trouble.