Page 19 of Thor's Unexpected Mate

To my surprise, he sat down.

“Baldr, you and I have been over this. Both Loki and I let Dad go on his patrol alone. He said he had personal matters to attend to and I stopped Loki from following him. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me.” Before he could answer I turned to Loki. “And you! Stop being so fucking insufferable! We’re all doing our best to figure this out. If you’re going to be the Beta of this pack, you need to learn to work with others. And Baldr’s gifts have saved your life and mine many times.”

A heavy silence hung in the room, tension filling every square inch of the place. I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, trying to remain calm. That was one thing my father always taught me. An Alpha is calm in the face of adversity. He doesn’t make rash emotional decisions.

“Now, since retaliation is not an option,” I said, shooting Loki a dirty look. “We need to be defensive. Security will be increased starting tonight. We’ll have full patrols around our borders to keep the mountain and the pack safe. Those in the pack who live down in Fenris will also need some security. Any who don’t feel safe in their homes are welcome to stay here in the resort until things calm down.”

“Can the resort afford that?” Baldr asked.

“It doesn’t matter if it can,” I replied with a shake of my head. “We have to protect our own. And besides, the resort isn’t doing that well, anyway. I’m not sure either of you have noticed, but clients have been dwindling over the years. The resort has remained afloat thanks to long-term investments, but it is no longer profitable. However, the pack comes first.”

“What if that asshole comes back?” Loki asked, still not looking at either of us. “Do we just let him onto our land or let him kill the patrollers?”

I reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. “If the Skoll Alpha sets food on Hati land, he will die.”

Loki finally turned to look at me.

“There are natural caves all over these mountains. It wouldn’t take much to make sure he was never found again.” I gave his shoulder a squeeze. “I’m just as eager as you to avenge our father, but the pack has to come first. I can’t put them in danger because of my own personal feelings. But, should… Tyr step in our territory, you have my permission to tear his throat out.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“I know you do, brother. And I understand.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Baldr asked softly. “Won’t his pack hunt us down?”

“If you cut off the head of a wolf, it can still bite,” I nodded. “That is true. But it can only bite once. I expect that they’ll retaliate, but it’ll be unorganized and with less fervor than Tyr could muster. But we’ll worry about that if it happens.” I sighed again, shaking my head. “I just hope his son has more sense than he does when he takes over as Alpha.”

“Heimdall?!” Loki spat. “He’s a fucking moron.”

“He’s a gifted tracker and his senses are top-notch,” Baldr retorted. “But I see less anger in him than his father.” Baldr faltered for a moment. “He… He might be the bridge between our two packs someday…” He shook his head, snapping out of his light trance. “But I doubt it,” he added quickly.

“Baldr,” I said, having a thought I’d had a million times before. “Do… Do you know if they’re planning on coming into our territory again?”

“I’ve told you before, they don’t discuss things like that with me. In fact, they barely talk to me. I’m still a member of the Hati pack and while they won’t harm me thanks to my mother, they don’t treat me like an equal. There’s only one or two of their ranks that will even speak with me and they’re too low in the pecking order to know anything.”

“But you could… listen in on their conversations, right?”

“Thor,” Baldr sighed. “My existence around them is already tenuous. I don’t know the extent of my mother's promise and I’d rather not find out the hard way.”

“No… you’re right. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“I’ll go spy on them,” Loki offered. “I’d be happy to.”

“Both Tyr and Heimdall will smell you coming a mile away,” Baldr replied. “You’d be found out before you even stepped foot on the eastern mountain.”

“I have my own tricks.”

“None that would get past them.”

“You don’t–”

“Alright!” I barked, interrupting their bickering. “I’m sorry I brought it up. It’s a bad idea, anyway. Like I said, we need to stay on the defensive.” I turned to Loki. “Gather up security and tell them we’re doubling the guard. I want patrols around the clock.” Then I turned to Baldr. “I need you to let the pack know that they’re welcome at the resort if they feel unsafe in town. We’ve got plenty of space.”

“Right,” Baldr nodded.

“And what are you doing then?” Loki sneered back at me. “Helping more of our guests?!”

Baldr’s eyebrows shot up, but he quickly repressed his reaction. I did everything I could to hide my own as I stared Loki down.

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