After leaving the hospital with Loki, we decided it would be best to take a taxi. I hailed one and gave the driver directions.
Seeing Loki's hands slick with sweat and his shaking legs, I lean my head on his shoulder.
"It'll be okay," I mutter. "You're safe. You're healing and Ihlenfeld- Albert- is gone. There's nothing to worry about."
He gulps and nods, but I still feel his muscles tense as we pass Albert's Cafe. His breathing becomes slightly quieter.
"Breathe." I tilt his head so his blue eyes are looking into my brown ones. His face flashes the image of his wolf form and I pull away, my heart pounding. A look of pure hurt creeps into his eyes.
"I know you see me for what I truly am," he whispers sorrowfully. "A monster." He slides his face into his hands.
"No!" I say, my throat tightening with regretful tears. "That's not at all how I see you! You are kind to my sister. That's more than I could ever want. You are kind to me. You are brave and loving. Why would anyone see you as a monster?"
"My oaf brother, Thor saw me as one. He never cared for me. No one did. Except my mother, Frigga. But she is no longer alive now." He suddenly looks into my eyes with a look of fear. "You have no idea what I did when I made home in Asgard. It was unforgivable."
"I saw you in New York," I say. "But that's then. You aren't the same." I pause, remembering the first time we met. "Are you?"
He snaps his teeth and growls. "No!"
Without a reply, I position my head on his shoulder again and he strokes my hair.
"You've never had anyone love you?" I ask.
Loki's hand freezes. "No one. Except Frigga."
The taxi pulls to a stop and we exit as I hand the driver the money.
Once we get Loki his room, I close our door and look Sami in the eyes, my hands on her shoulders.
"Samantha," I begin. "Tell me everything Loki told you the night you went to Albert's. Did you ever see Albert? Did Loki say anything about him?"
"He didn't say anything about Albert." She chokes on his name. "Not even the name Ihlenfeld. He said nothing of his family or where he came from. All he told me about was life in the woods and the attack."
"Tell me about the attack."
"He was in the woods that night and hunting. He accidentally invaded another pack's territory and they attacked. He began running, but the alpha male caught up to him. Loki tried to run faster, but the alpha was strong and tackled him. The wolf ripped the gash in his side. He was about to bite again, but Loki escaped and ran until he collapsed in front if you. He smelled the alpha on his tail near the apartment and transformed into a human to mask his scent. That's when we saw him transform."
Suddenly, a resounding knock on our door makes us jump in unison.
I open it and Loki stands in the doorway swaying with blood on his hands and face. His body is bare of any bandages and the wounds are bleeding freely. The stump of his ear is drowned in crimson.
"Ljòn," he mutters. "Wulfenkind- waiting- sent- Ihlenfeld." He collapses to the floor unconscious. I leap forward to pull him inside when a thin, dirty hand crusted with dried blood grabs the back of his shirt and drags him away, leaving a trail of blood along the yellow carpet. Yanking a butcher knife from a drawer in the kitchen, I sprint out and down the hall. I turn sharply at the corner, narrowly avoiding the wall and continue running. I catch sight of Loki's bloody, bare foot as it disappears into the laundry room. Hesitating slightly, I enter with my sweaty hands clasped tightly around the handle of the knife. I hear a slight rattle and my head snaps to the side just in time to see a golden wolf jump into a grate and disappear out of sight.
Swearing under my breath, I take my phone from my pocket to call the police when I see a slight trail of blood coming from a washing machine.
I tear the door open and find Loki inside, unconscious and soaked with blood. I give a cry, pull him out, and drape one of his arms around my shoulder.
When I arrive at my room, I lay Loki on the kitchen table and remove his shirt. Sami hands me a towel and I dab gently at his wounds. His eyes flutter open and he begins gasping with pain, his chest heaving with labored breath. Eyes wide with fear, his head snaps to me.
Suddenly, he grabs the front of my shirt and pulls me close. Our faces are inches apart.
"Where is she?!" he gasps urgently. "Where is she?!"
"I don't know," I reply, trying to keep my voice calm. "She jumped out the grate. That's the last I saw of her."
He groans and lets go of my shirt. "Ihlenfeld sent her. She's his daughter. I knew her in the forest. We were enemies, always fighting over prey and responsibility. She is evil. Nothing will stop her from the kill, but I was fortunate because you were there. The smell of humans is so repulsive to her, she had to leave. That is how wild she has become."
"Oh" is all I can say. I finish cleaning his wounds and take the bandages from Sami and wrap them again. Loki sighs with relief and closes his eyes.
"Oh, Odin, how did I get myself into this mess?" he mutters.
"You tried to take over the world," I reply indifferently as I wash my bloodied hands. I dry them off and begin fixing three cups of chamomile tea. Sami stands next to Loki and sings the Norwegian song she sang to him in wolf form. To my surprise as I bring the cups to them, I see him slightly mouthing the words.
"You know this song," I ask.
"Yes," he answers, sitting up and taking the tea. "When I was young, my mother would sing it to me every night."
"And what of Thor?"
A mischievous grin spreads across his face. "She would not sing."
I roll my eyes and smile. "Frigga favored you," I say, growing serious. "If she was the only one who understood you- if you loved her so much, why did you commit a crime so horrible as to never see her again?"
Loki hangs his head. "I do not know completely. However, I do know that I wanted to feel the power that Odin and Thor possessed. I wanted to know what it was like to rule; to have everyone at your feet. As I slowly melted away in the forest, I realized being alone was good enough. There was no one to judge me. No one to fear me. No one to hurt me. And biggest of all: no one to make me wish I was dead."
I feel a hard pang in my heart. This is the saddest thing I've ever heard anyone say.
His head snaps up suddenly and he leaps toward the window as if he was never hurt. The tea cup he was holding falls onto the floor and shatters, tea splattering the tile.
"They're here," he says, his voice quavering. "They're here for me."
"Who?!" I reply, standing beside him, but he doesn't need to answer. I see a pack of wolves surrounding the apartment building as citizens stand far away as possible, screaming or taking pictures.
However, one wolf in particular catches my eye. The only golden-furred wolf in the pack.
"Ljòn," I mutter.
I turn to face Loki and see a black wolf, hackles raised. He barks as if to say, "Come on!" and I race after him. AS I turn to close the door, I see a whimpering white wolf sitting, looking at me with pleading eyes.
"Stay here, Sami," I order, rubbing her head. "We'll be back."
I close the door and the only thing I can here as we run is her pawing at the door.
