Page 7 of Loki's Enemy Mate

“I don’t see a fucking hospital down here,” he snapped, glaring at me as his eyes flashed their Alpha gold. “And you’re not gonna touch me.”

“I wasn’t offering,” I replied, looking away from him.

“Didn’t think so.” He sat there for a moment, catching his breath. “I’ll set it myself.”

I didn’t try to hide my amusement. If this little Alpha thought he was gonna scare me with his big talk, he had another thing coming. I wasn’t scared of him, and he didn’t have the balls to reset his own broken bone. Nobody could do that. Not even me.

Still, I watched him from the far side of the cave as he worked himself over to the fallen stones. Hissing and groaning in pain, he worked his leg into a crevasse between two rocks, getting it good and wedged in tight. I couldn’t help but chuckle. When he inevitably failed, he’d still be hurt and extra stuck as well. The man’s pride was going to make sure he died down here in this cave. I wouldn’t even have to kill him myself.

Loki positioned himself just right and leaned back with his arms over his head. He paused for just a moment to remove his leather belt and tuck the strap between his teeth. Reaching back,he curled his fingers around a boulder behind him. Then, with one last deep breath, he attempted to yank himself backward using his arms. He cried out in pain, his teeth clamped tight around the leather. I stared in awe as this little Alpha’s muscles strained, his leg still stuck firmly between the two boulders in front of him.

Then, with a sudden crack, I heard his bones snap back into place. All the tension in his body let go at once as he slumped to the floor, his head rolling to the side. The moonlight still shone down on him, and it was plain to see he’d passed out. But, from the looks of his leg, he’d managed to get all the bones back into the right place. Now his body would finally start to heal.

He was a tough little fucker, I’d give him that. Since he was unconscious, I didn’t have to hide how impressed I was by his determination. And yet, there was more to my stares than just that. Something about him made it impossible to take my eyes off him. I couldn’t tell what it was. But ever since we’d collided with one another, I felt something strange that I didn’t understand. I was drawn to him.

I shook my head, brushing the feeling away. It was because my father had ordered me to kill him. That was all. We were connected by a thread of duty was all. Once Loki was dead and the Haiti pack put in their rightful place, everything would go back to normal.

It was a shame though. Someone as tough as Loki could be useful in the Skoll pack. Too bad he was the enemy. Just like everyone else that opposed my father’s vision for the future.

I looked up toward the hole in the ceiling some forty feet above. Judging by the moonlight, we’d been down there for at least a couple of hours. Plenty long enough for my father to get help and come back to get me out. Then again, maybe I was reading the light wrong. Perhaps it had only been a handfulof minutes. He’d need time to find the others and gather the supplies to rescue me.

He was coming back. Of that, I was sure. Just because IthoughtI saw him walk away without care didn’t mean it was the truth. I was his son and the next in line to lead the pack. He wouldn’t abandon me. Besides, I was faithful to him. I always had been. Even when it came down to choosing between him and my mother, I’d always chosen him.

He’d come back for me.

I settled against the cold bolder, staring up at the hole in the ceiling. Any moment now my father would show his face and toss down a rope.

I just had to be patient.

Chapter Five: Loki

When I came to, the first thing I noticed was the sunlight streaming down on my face. It was warm and soothing, something I wasn’t sure I’d ever feel again. Falling down into a giant hole and snapping my leg in two definitely put a damper on my outlook for life. But I was alive. At least I was pretty sure I was. So that had to count for something.

I groaned and tried to sit up, my leg unmoving from the spot where I’d wedged it the night before. Considering the flash of pain that exploded through me, I was fairly certain I was alive. Unless the afterlife was playing some sort of cruel joke on me, I’d survived the fall and the night after setting my own tibia.

Forcing my eyes open, I looked up at the hole some forty feet above me, my arm coming up to shield my eyes. It must have opened up the moment Heimdall and I collided. I’d been warned about the mountains around Fenris multiple times. Natural caverns filled the entire area along with abandoned mines and who knew what else. Usually, I avoided crawling into any of them, even in wolf form. But I never expected one to open up right under my feet. The weight and force of our fight must have been just enough to crack the thin stone.

How the hell was I gonna get out?

I looked around, searching for something that would show me the way out. Of course, I was hoping for a rope, a ladder, or even a set of stairs even though I knewnoneof those would exist. Why would they? It wasn’t like anyone knew where I was. Those that did wouldn’t be there to rescue me. They’d be there to finish the job.

The rock walls were rough and looked like they might be climbable, which was a welcome sight. The only problem was that the ceiling was not only dotted with stalactites, but domed. Getting from the wall to the opening would require a leap of over ten feet and somehow upward at the same time. That meant that climbing out would be impossible unless I had outside help.

Suddenly, I remembered my phone. Reaching down into my pocket, I pulled it out. As I clicked the button on the side, the screen lit up although I could see the glass was cracked. Despite the spider webbing, it was still functional. It was a miracle it survived the fall. However, as I opened the contact list and tapped on Baldr’s name, nothing happened. I tried again and again, but there was no ringing or anything. It wasn’t until I glanced up at the reception bars at the top that I realized I had absolutely zero service.

It shouldn’t have surprised me considering how far underground I was. But it pissed me off, nonetheless. For a moment I thought of throwing my phone across the cave. It was fucking useless anyway. But I forced myself to jam it back into my pocket. Maybe, if I could get high enough, I might be able to get enough service for an emergency call or something. That was if my leg ever healed enough so I could walk again.

I let my arms fall to my sides and let out a huff of frustration. A small bit of movement off to my left caught my eye, and I turned to face it. That’s when I saw the hulking figure of Heimdall, my brain finally remembering that he’d survived the fall too. Memories flooded through the night before, tintedwith the pain of my broken leg. I knew we’d exchanged words, none of them kind, and then I passed out. As far as I could tell, he hadn’t moved from his spot. But now instead of the tall, proud Alpha he’d been the night before, I saw a man curled into a ball, his knees tight against his chest as he hugged them with one arm. His forehead rested against his knees as he slowly rocked back and forth.

Something was wrong. That or he was fucking crazy. Neither of those possibilities excited me. Then I heard him sniffle.

“Are… Are youcrying?” I croaked, my throat much drier than I thought it was.

“N-Nobody’s coming back for us,” he whimpered, still hugging his knees.

“That’s no reason to go to pieces,” I muttered. “I thought you were some tough guy Alpha, not a fucking crybaby.”

“Fuck you!” he shouted, finally looking up at me.

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