Chapter 85: Interesting
Thor
"What if I said you would no longer have to complete the ritual?"
The moment the words left my mouth, Raven’s entire body jerked violently, like I had physically shaken her.
Her eyes locked onto mine immediately, searching desperately for the smallest hint that I was lying.
There was none.
The disbelief on her face was almost painful to look at.
But beneath the disbelief was something stronger.
Desperation.
Raw and unmistakable.
She looked like someone who would willingly sacrifice anything for the rest of her life if it meant never enduring the ritual again.
For a few seconds, I simply watched her reaction.
Her lips parted slightly in shock before closing again. Then opening once more as she struggled to form words.
"What... what do you mean?" she whispered.
She stared at me so intensely it was almost as though she was trying to determine whether I was truly Thor or someone pretending to be him.
I already knew I could replace her in the ritual easily enough. Another omega could always be found.
For my plans, Raven’s participation in the ritual was merely an advantage.
Useful.
But not necessary.
"You heard me," I said calmly. "I’ll even make a moonbound oath never to use the ritual on you myself or allow anyone else to force you into it."
That was the moment I knew I had her.
She simply hadn’t realized it yet.
I watched her carefully as she stared back at me, visibly shaken.
Whatever plan she already had clearly wasn’t as appealing as the offer I had just made.
And she couldn’t hide that fact from me.
"You’d make a moonbound oath?" she repeated quietly.
Her voice came out strained and rough.
She understood exactly what that meant. If I broke such an oath, my life would belong to her.
"Why?" she asked bluntly.
Heavy anxiety laced every word.
"Without the ritual, I have nothing else to offer you."
I said nothing immediately, allowing her panic to continue building.
"Mating?" she asked again. "You could choose any other woman. Why would you go this far for me?"
I nodded slowly.
It was foolish from her perspective.
I was offering her freedom, protection, and security while receiving seemingly nothing worthwhile in return.
The difference was that I had already considered everything carefully long before approaching her tonight.
"Keep in mind," I said evenly, "that with this arrangement, I would not kill Rex."
Her expression tightened slightly.
"But I would be taking you away from him," I continued. "That alone should already be enough."
While speaking, I mentally reviewed my plans again, searching for flaws or weaknesses I might have overlooked.
I found none.
Meanwhile, Raven only looked more confused the longer I spoke, as though she genuinely couldn’t understand why any of this was happening.
Eventually, I decided to explain further.
"I feel the mate pull toward you," I admitted.
Her expression immediately shifted with suspicion.
"And I’m curious."
That only made her look less convinced.
She opened her mouth to interrupt me, but I continued before she could speak.
"I’m curious why the goddess would think a weakling like you—with nothing useful to offer me—could possibly be a suitable match."
Her face darkened instantly.
But unlike before, she didn’t interrupt.
Good.
"There are very few things in this life I truly care about," I continued. "Hunting is one of them."
The cold night air shifted around us quietly.
"And the other was some of the people you helped kill."
At that, Raven visibly folded into herself like I had physically struck her.
I watched her shoulders tense.
"They’re dead," I said simply. "You played a role in it, yes. But perhaps they would have died regardless."
Death was inevitable.
"That much never changes," I added calmly. "Eventually, all of us die."
I didn’t understand the point of clinging endlessly to the dead when nothing could bring them back.
"But there is something else that bothers me," I admitted.
This time, Raven slowly lifted her eyes toward me again.
"The divine."
Confusion flickered across her face.
"The strange way my body reacts around you," I continued. "Sometimes it refuses to obey me."
I exhaled quietly.
"Sometimes I think about killing you simply to make the feeling disappear."
Fear instantly flooded her expression.
She physically shuddered, eyes widening as panic gripped her again.
Before she could spiral further, I shook my head slightly.
"I’m not going to kill you," I said, lowering my voice somewhat.
Though honestly, that depended entirely on future circumstances.
"My point is that I considered the alternative," I continued. "Remaining here. Following Gessia’s plans. Allowing others to dictate my strength and future."
Disgust curled faintly inside me at the thought alone.
"I dislike placing my life in someone else’s hands."
That was the truth.
Especially now.
"I need to become stronger," I said firmly. "Far stronger."
Images flashed briefly through my mind.
The human weapon.
The metal pellet lodged inside my knee.
The pain of digging it out while my flesh refused to heal around it.
Humans had begun creating things capable of killing us.
If I remained stagnant, eventually I would die.
And dying held absolutely no appeal to me.
Raven continued staring at me like she still couldn’t process what she was hearing.
"You’re serious," she whispered finally. "You want to help me simply because you’re curious whether I might eventually become useful to you?"
I nodded once.
That was close enough to the truth.
What I didn’t say aloud was far simpler.
If the strange feeling beneath my skin ever disappeared completely, then so would she.
I had no interest in dragging useless things behind me forever.
Not when I intended to keep growing stronger.
Not when I intended to seek more powerful enemies and more interesting challenges.
Silence settled between us again.
Finally, I spoke.
"You may return to your room now."
Honestly, I expected her to leave immediately.
Instead, she hesitated before quietly asking one final question.
"Would we truly form a mate bond?"
The question surprised me slightly.
But only slightly.
I could hear what she truly wanted beneath the words.
Security.
Stability.
Something permanent in a life where she had clearly never possessed either.
"Yes," I answered. "If I decide it is necessary."
Her breathing visibly steadied.
"And you will not refuse," I added calmly.
I already knew she wouldn’t.
After a brief hesitation, Raven nodded slowly.
Then she turned and began walking back toward the alpha building with the guard following closely behind her.
I watched them disappear into the darkness without moving.
At least the guard understood one important thing.
He knew better than to spread my business around.
If he did, I would kill him myself.
And make certain everyone believed it was merely an accident.
