Page 10 of Baldr's Secret Mate

I wasn’t sure what I was trying to say. Of course I wanted Baldr to get me out of this dome, to rescue me from this fucking nightmare I’d been living for years. But at the same time, I didn’t want his family to get hurt because of me. If he somehow figured out how to get me out, Tyr would come after them.

“If Tyr finds out…” I began.

“By the time he does, it’ll be too late,” Baldr said, cutting me off.

“But he… he’ll attack your pack.”

Baldr lifted a hand, placing it on the side of the dome. I did the same, the magic barrier between us buzzing pleasantly.

“There’s going to be a war whether I save you or not,” Baldr said, his voice full of resolve. “Nothing will change that. Besides… my visions… I’ve seen you in them. And I’d rather have you be free because of me than because Tyr finally broke you.” He looked up at me, those golden eyes full of sad determination. “Let me do this for you. Please. In case this war goes poorly, I want to make sure you’re free so you can keep on living.”

The idea of Baldr not surviving the fight made my stomach twist into a wretched knot. I felt suddenly nauseous,but I bit it back. He didn’t need me overwhelming him with anxiety just before he was about to leave.

“I can’t stop you, can I?” I said at last, realizing the truth.

“No. You can’t.”

“Promise me you’ll come back.” My voice was shaking despite my best efforts to remain calm. “Don’t let that witch hurt you.”

“I promise,” he nodded. “And if she’s lived in these mountains as long as I think she has, I have nothing to worry about. My mother’s promise will protect me. She made sure everyone agreed to it.”

“I never met her,” I said sadly. “I wish I had.”

There was a brief hesitation before Baldr replied, “I wish you had too. She was a wonderful person before she…”

I could feel the pain sweep through his thoughts. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t hide it from me. For a moment, I counted myself lucky. Not being able to remember my parents, it was hard to grieve for the loss of them. I knew I had some and the idea of missing out on that made me sad. But I didn’t feel like I’d really lost anything. How could I lose something if I couldn’t remember what it was like to have it in the first place?

“Anyway,” Baldr said, forcing himself to smile. “I’ll come back for you and I’ll get you out of this fucking bubble, alright?”

“Okay,” I nodded. “But be safe. I want to… I want to see you again.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll come back. I promise.” He gave me one last smile as he pulled his hand away from the dome. “Bye.”

Baldr turned away and headed for the woods, the telepathic connection between us severing as the magic faded. I felt a sudden rush of anxiety and fear fill my chest. My only friend in the entire world was leaving and I didn’t know if he’d make it back. He’d promised of course, but he didn’t know what the road ahead might hold for him.

I felt a tinge of regret as he disappeared into the woods. If this was the last time I was going to see him, I’d missed my chance to tell him how I really felt. That I was fairly certain I was in love with him.

And now, all that was left to do was wait and hope as the snow fell down around me.

Chapter Six: Baldr

The moment I left Mist’s dome, I ducked into the trees to grab my backpack. I’d taken a detour back into the hotel after I found Loki’s letter to collect a few supplies. The place hadn’t been stripped clean, so there were still snacks in my cupboards. I stuffed a few into my bag along with an extra pair of clothes before I headed down the mountain. And now that I was done letting Mist know where I was going, it was time to head out.

I stripped off my clothing, tucking it into the bag along with my shoes. Getting to the witch’s cottage would be much faster on four feet instead of two. I knew I was running out of time. With Tyr already attacking the pack outright, I could only hope for a day or two more of peace before he moved against the Hati pack again. Hell, I wasn’t even sure there was that much time to spare. But I had to find the witch because I knew that Mist needed to be set free. Loki was right, he was the key to Tyr’s takeover. Without him the Skoll pack would be outnumbered five to one.

Still, I found myself hesitating in the snow, my bare feet stinging with cold. Part of me wanted to put this off for as long as possible. The visions I’d had were clear when it came to Mist. He was going to find his power eventually, of that much I was certain. And some… people were going to die because of it. All of their faces were fuzzy in my vision, meaning their fates could be changed. However, no matter how many times the sight came to me, one face always remained perfectly clear regardless of what the circumstances were.

I shuddered, but pushed it away quickly. The future was going to happen one way or another and while most of it remained open to change, there were certain points in time that were fixed no matter what. This just happened to be one of those points. Still, I endeavored to make it as positive as I could despite the end I saw coming. Mist didn’t deserve to be tortured any longer. And if he was going to find his power, I’d rather it be from freedom than from anguish.

Steeling myself, I stuffed everything in my bag and pulled the zipper shut. There wasn’t time to tell Thor or Flynn what I was doing. They’d want to come along and that would only slow me down. There just wasn’t time for that.

Taking a deep breath, I called upon the wolf deep inside of me, ushering it to the surface. Runes rose up beside it in my mind as the shift began. My shifting was slower than the others in my family, probably due to my half-blood heritage. However, the magic side of me made the transition painless despite my cracking bones and shifting flesh. In a matter of moments I found myself on four paws in the snow, shaking the itchy feeling from my fur. I glanced back at myself, the familiar creamy white fur covering my body lending me protection from the cold almost instantly. My paws, however, were black. Thor always teased me, telling me it looked like I’d permanently wadedthrough mud. But I sort of liked it. The coloration was unique and set me apart from the others.

Reaching back, I snapped up my backpack in my jaws and started west, taking the long way around the dome so as not to be discovered by the Skoll pack. It took me a good ten minutes before I reached the southern side. From there I followed my wolven senses, my nose and instincts carrying my south. As soon as I was out of Skoll territory, I picked up the pace, intent on being at the witch’s house by morning.

I just hoped I could keep up the pace.

???

---