"It's cold outside. You should go back inside, sweet girl," a soft voice sounded behind her. Ylva swirled around. She was tired on people sneaking up on her like Ullr or Loki, just to make an dramatic effect.

"Mind your own business," Ylva snapped, feeling anger rising in her chest. After the disturbing vision, she was not the slightest bit capable to calm down. The wolf was winning without even the slightest fight.

"You're just like my brother described you," the woman said cooly, only slight curiosity in her voice.

Ylva's eyes flashed yellow, and her body was tensed. Whoever this woman was, Ylva would make her regret sneaking up on her.

"Stop it," the woman spoke softly, not impressed by Ylva's change. If Ylva had been in right mind, she would have known who this woman was just by looking at her. But the wolf had taken over.

Ylva growled and jumped towards the strange woman.

"Stop. It."

The words cut through the red waves of anger. Suddenly, Ylva was back, so quick that she felt like someone had cut the threads of a puppet.

Those two words sounded like shattered glass in her ears, and it made Ylva's head hurt so much she stopped in her movements and collapsed on the ground.

Ylva covered her ears with her hands as the sound grew unbearable. Ylva opened her mouth to scream but realized she was mute.
She forced herself to look up, and finally, she saw the small woman above her.

"Please. I am sorry," Ylva moaned, and as quickly as it had begun, the pain stopped.

"Ullr has a lot to teach you. I told him a wolf like you needs to be disciplined by her alpha," the woman said with disdain.

She had white hair, so white it seemed fluorescent in the dark. It was unusually short, only reaching her chin, and the eyes of the woman seemed black as the night.

The woman smiled, a cold, sarcastic smile. Her canine teeth were slightly longer as normal.

"Are you Ullr's sister? Skadi?" Ylva asked, slowly recovering from the attack.

"Lady Skadi for you," Skadi nodded and reached out her hand to help Ylva up.

Ylva took her hand, despite her fear. Skadi was not her pack leader, but her position was just as high. Ylva had to obey.

"I am sorry," Ylva muttered, brushing over her dress.

Skadi's lips twisted into a cruel smile, making her resemble more and more to her twin Ullr.

„Tell me about your vision," Skadi commanded, and Ylva obeyed. In a few words, she described her vision of the darkness approaching Asgard.

„Is it Thanos?" she asked, fearing the answer.

The goddess of hunt shrugged her shoulders: "Ullr warned you, Ylva. We knew he was coming"

"Is there something we can do?" Ylva asked pleadingly. Skadi and Ullr radiated both separately untamed power, and together with Loki, Ylva doubted no second they could fight this Thanos.

"Thor has gone to Midgard. Odin is dead. I know what you are thinking, Ylva, but we are not enough to take the Titan down. The darkness he is sending towards Asgard will destroy everything."

"Is there really nothing we can do, Lady Skadi?" the young woman was not ready to give up. She had too much to lose. „I will not see Asgard literally fall to ashes"

Skadi looked at her, her dark eyes piercing through Ylva just like Pack Leader's used to.

"There is one thing. But it's very old magic. Magic of the time of my father, when the werewolves were ruling the woods and the mountains, and when mankind feared us as much as they feared cold and hunger"

Ylva nodded, she had expected that kind of answer.

"It demands a price, young wolf. You belong to Ullr's pack and even I can not ask something like that from you. My brother would never allow it. He would punish me if he knew I was even talking about it"

Skadi's voice still reminded Ylva of cold glass.

Loki was restless. Ever since Ylva had suddenly run away, he was constantly imagining what he could have done to set her off.

He could still hear the music from the ball, but he had no desire to go back to it.

Loki looked at himself in the mirror as he changed back into his true form. He was angry and most of all, disappointed. Again, he had been foolish enough to trust someone, and that one had turned away from him.

He clenched his hands into a fist and hit the mirror. The half-Jotun was strong enough to break it without getting hurt.

"Loki?" the door opened, and Ylva appeared, entering with hesitation.

Loki froze in his movements. He wasn't sure if he wanted to yell at her or if he was ashamed of his irrational reaction.

She looked pale, but alright.

"I want to apologize for running away… it wasn't just the dress…" she muttered, and Loki was almost relived. At least she wouldn't continue to lie to him.

"What is wrong, Ylva? Have I done something?" Loki asked, biting his tongue. He was done blaming himself for the failures of others.

She swallowed and looked up to him, and Loki was surprised as he saw resolution in her eyes.

"No. It was just getting too much. The ball, Ullr, his sister, knowing that you could never show your true self to the public. I… I want to tell you something. But I don't know how. I don't know if it will make things even worse" Ylva said sheepishly, entering the room.

"Ylva, don't you trust me?" Loki snapped more aggressively than intended.

"I trust you with all my heart, Loki," Ylva said loudly, her expression not changing the slightest bit in front of Loki's tone.

Loki stared at the woman in front of him, and he wondered how she had managed to change him in such a short amount of time. She was supposed to be his toy, his reward for taking the throne. Her wolf-gene only made her more valuable to him, and that was all he needed her to be.

He, a monster known throughout the realms, had started to care for this wild peasant girl.

Loki was willing to forgive her anything.

"Tell me," he said, his voice hoarsely.

She stepped up to him, standing on her tip toes to plant a kiss on his lips.

Her hazel eyes were just as mesmerizing as on the first day he had seen her, a mere servant seeing his true form.

"I love you," Ylva said matter-of-factly, as if there was no reason to ever doubt that.

Loki answered without hesitation: "I love you too, Ylva."

She smiled mischievously: "I know."

Ylva was more confident than ever before. She knew what she wanted in that moment, and she knew exactly what her future was going to look like. There was no going back anyways.

She turned around and pulled her hair aside. "May you help me with my dress?" she demanded, regretting that she was not able to see his face.

For a second, there was only silence. Then she felt his cool fingers against her skin, opening the bands of her dress.

They were followed by his lips, pressing soft kisses on her bare shoulders, then moving on to her neck.

Ylva let the dress slide down until the golden fabric pooled at her feet. Loki's kisses paused for a second, then he started again, holding one arm around her waist, pressing her against his chest.

Ylva closed her eyes, feeling completely at ease in his arms. She turned around to face him. His lips curled into a smug grin, but his eyes spoke with pure adoration.

He watched the young woman in front of him, her her hair framing her high cheekbones. She was thin, but she didn't look weak. She looked like she had done hard labor for most her life.

Her eyes were again catching his attention. They were burning with passion, and Loki could not decide if it was more Ylva or the wolf inside her. Maybe for once, the woman and the animal were on the same side, wanting the same things instead of fighting each other.

She lifted his tunic, her eyes fixed on his lean chest. Then she kissed him, and Loki forgot why he had been angry at her in the first place.

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