Prince's Mate

Prologue - 4

Hodur gestured and a portal opened in front of them, a doorway that opened directly into Frigga's sitting room. Loki sighed in relief when he saw and felt the familiar room. He'd spent so many of the hours of his youth with Mama Frigga in her suite, learning from her as much as he could. It was one of the most comfortable places in the entire realm to him.

Hodur led Loki through the doorway and the portal closed behind them, sealing the world of darkness away again. Hugin trilled and flew off of Dur's shoulder to perch on a raven stand nearby. There were perches for the ravens all over the palace. One never knew if a raven was a raven or a valkyrie and it was safer to be polite to every raven just in case.

Frigga was waiting for Hodur and Loki. She gave the pair a soft, sad smile. She was full of love and kindness as ever, her Omega presence soothing to all of the high strung Alphas. Hodur dropped Loki's hand as Frigga opened her arms for her baby. "Oh, darling~" she cooed to him as he rushed to her and threw himself in her arms. He was terrified and shaking, which was no surprise to anyone. Frigga pet his hair and purred soothingly for him until he calmed. Hodur had moved to guard the door. This conversation should be private.

"Mama? What's going on?" Loki asked in a soft voice as Frigga led him to the couch and helped him curl up next to her on it. "I was supposed to be an Alpha~!" He wailed with tears in his eyes. He tried to keep his composure, he really did, but he was a child who had just been through a traumatic scare. "And then all the Alphas at practice... they looked at me like a piece of meat... Even Thor!" Loki knew that Thor should have been immune. They all did.

Frigga cuddled him close and pet his hair. "I know, darling. I know," she soothed. "First, there is no 'supposed to be' when it comes to what a child will present as. You were born an Omega and that is that," Frigga told him firmly, but lovingly. It was the no-nonsense speech of a mother.

"Yes, mama," Loki said softly. There was no arguing with mama Frigga when she made a speech that intensely.

Frigga kissed his hair "Good boy," she told him warmly. "Second, your father has kept a secret for far too long and it is time for you to know the truth," the words were heavy on her tongue. This secret had been kept for far too long. Which meant that it must be important. Especially for mama to have kept something from Loki. He idolized her and couldn't think of her willingly keeping secrets from him.

Loki pulled back enough to look up into her eyes. His gaze was so open and innocent. He was still her baby. And Frigga was about to break his heart and everything he knew. "What secret?" He asked softly, though part of him already knew. He'd known for sure since the moment that Thor had been affected by the scent of him as a new Omega.

"There's no easy way to tell you," Frigga started. There were no kind words to ease this truth. Loki nodded, so she continued after a deep breath. "The truth is that you're adopted, darling," she told him as gently as he could. His eyes went wide as the truth hit, the truth of why he always felt so different from the rest of his family. He was different. "At the end of the battle of Jotunheim, your father brought you home and we raised you as our own," Frigga explained the story in a way that even a shocked child could understand.

Loki was beyond shocked. He was a Jotun?? The Jotnar were monsters, or at least that's what all the Asgardian stories said. "From Jotunheim? Why? Why me?" He asked, trying to make some sense of the story. Odin wouldn't have taken a Jotun infant for no reason. Odin always had a reason for everything he did.

"Because your biological father is Laufey," Frigga explained gently. That truly did explain everything. Or as much as Loki needed to hear to understand it. He was brilliant, even at such a young age. He understood the political reasons why an infant princeling would be raised by the conquering realm. A pawn, held ransom against Jotunheim's good behavior. His life would be forfeit otherwise.

The ramifications and reality of Loki's situation were still making his head spin. Even as Frigga explained his new role and lessons he would need to attend. Even as they went to the markets and he was fitted for his first collar.

Reality didn't set in fully until Odin made the announcement that evening at dinner, proclaiming Loki's presentation. Until he felt the utter humiliation of being seen by the entire court wearing an Omega's collar. He was supposed to be an Alpha.

He wasn't even a real prince of Asgard.

He would never be king.

He had only ever, ever been a pawn to Odin's schemes.

And that only got worse, now that he was an Omega.

So much worse.