Page 44 of Loki's Enemy Mate

“A crumbling village, a destitute pack on the edge of extinction, and a father that watched me get swallowed up by the earth and didn’t eventryto save me.” The words burned like fire in my throat, the truth hurting me more than I could ever express. “I’m sorry you lost your father, but you still have love at home.” I let out a hoarse laugh. “When I go home, I’ll be lucky if my father even notices I’m still alive.”

He didn’t speak and he barely breathed. I saw his fingers twitch in my direction, like he wanted to reach out and hold me. But he didn’t go further.

“I know I’m stupid for defending him. I… I know he’s become a monster. I’ve known for a long time. But there’s nowhere else for me to go. I don’t want to go home without you, and I can’t go home with you. I feel…stuckin limbo. My father might not be a good man or a good Alpha, but him and his ideas are all I’ve ever known. I don’t know how to live any other way.”I shook my head, turning back toward the valley. “And no matter how monstrous he becomes, he’s my father. I can’t help loving him even though I know he feels nothing for me. My whole life was built around taking his place. Without him here… I’mnothing.”

“That’s not true,” Loki said at last, his feet crunching in the gravel behind me. “You’re my mate. You’ll always be something to me.”

“How?” I sobbed, not looking back. “How can we be anything? He’ll never accept us, and your pack will never accept me. I know you want to run away, but I don’t think I could ever forgive myself for leaving all thishatebehind.” I finally turned over my shoulder, glancing back at him. “Do you really want to leave your family behind to deal with all this alone?”

Loki let out a long sigh, shaking his head. “No. I don’t want to make them carry this war alone.”

“And I don’t want to lose my father.”

“I know,” he said, stepping up beside me. “And I understand. Truly.”

“Then what do we do?”

With a shaky hand, Loki wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning against me. I let out a small gasp as he touched me, causing him to pause for a moment. But then I pulled him close, feeling a rush of warmth through my body as we connected. We may not have mated to seal the bond yet, but it was there just the same. Having him close made me feel like everything was going to be alright, even when it was all falling apart. Ineededhim beside me, so we had to find a way out of this mess.Together.

“I’m not sure,” Loki said honestly. “But we’ll figure something out. I’m never going to let you go.”

“Even though I’m stupid?”

He looked up at me with a grin. “Stop guilt tripping me. I said I was sorry.”

“Okay, okay.” I tried to smile. “Even though I haven’t seen any movies?”

“Especiallybecause you haven’t seen any movies,” he laughed. “Do you know how much fun it’ll be to watch them again with a first-timer? It’s like going to the theater all over again!”

I hugged him against my side, looking out over the valley. “I feel like I’ve missed an entire life in that little village.”

“Don’t worry. We have time to make up for it.”

I let out a defeated chuckle. “Do we?”

“Yes, Hamball,” he replied, glaring up at me. “We do. Because we’re gonna figure this out and then you and I are going to watch movies, get fat, and fuck for the rest of time.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that. “Promise?”

“I promise.”

We were quiet for a long moment. With a sigh, I stopped trying to hold back everything I’d been feeling for the past few days. Thoughts of my father, Loki, and our packs raced through my brain, the emotions welling up inside me. When they finally all bubbled over, I found myself hugging Loki tightly, my head resting on top of his.

“Loki?” I whispered.

“Yeah?”

“I… I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Silence. For a moment I thought I’d made a mistake. But then Loki cleared his throat, as if trying not to cry.

“Too late,” he said, sniffling. “I fell for you first, Hamball.”

I just smiled, held him close, and watched as Fenris far below began to come to life for the day. All those people down there went about their lives, never knowing that two Alpha wolves, opposed in every way, stood united at the topof the mountain, desperately trying to figure out how to save themselves and their packs.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Loki

For the past three days, Heimdall and I had been taking turns surveying the Hati and Skoll packs, trying to figure out what was going on and what we should do about it. Unfortunately, getting any information from the resort was nearly impossible from the outside. That’s why I had to sneak back into the building more than once and spy on lower-ranking pack members. However, luck seemed to be on my side. A couple more trips into the laundry room garnered me an unattended wallet full of cash and a few tidbits of info.

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