Page 14 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

Three Years Later…

How is it that so much time has passed, but nothing about the world I live in has changed? Looking up from the clothes I was patching for the various soldiers who dropped them off at the breeding house, I caught Violet’s gaze and smiled at her. It took her a few tries, but she finally returned my smile, only for it to fall as a tear rolled down her cheek. The poor thing had carried a baby to term and held it in her arms for all of an hour as she fed the little guy before he was taken from her. It had broken my heart to hear her wailing from the secluded room they used for birthing. She was then given two weeks where she wouldn’t be expected to fulfill her breeding duties which wasn’t much at all if you asked me.

Tori had already given birth last year, but even though we’d seen it repeatedly happen throughout the year, it was never easy. All of us would do what we could for the grieving mother knowing they would never see their child again, although what else would truly help other than to put an end to this?

Lucian and I fought again after they took Violet’s son from her, only the prick had nothing helpful to say. He towed the company line saying it was just how things were here in Asturg. Fuck that. He could do something if he really wanted to. I’d seen him move mountains to ensure his men got the medical help they needed or the supplies we’d run out of. The Alpha just wasn’t willing to extend the effort for an Omega. Especially since he never had to worry about that particular problem with me.

Even now, three years later, I still haven't had my first heat. Oh, the whole outpost genuinely believed that I’d gone into heat twice, yet those three days locked in the apartment with Lucian were hell. He’d get his one day of sex and, like always, used it to his full advantage even if he gave as much as he got. The other two days however were him sleeping in, working on reports, and other things he needed to catch up on while I climbed the walls from boredom.

It had taken Lucian a week to figure out that I needed a purpose and that I couldn’t be trapped in his home all the time. Thankfully there was always work to be done, and most of it was put in the hands of the breeders. It makes sense we’re the ones who have nothing better to do if we’re not getting plowed by various males. Each day Lucian would escort me to the breeder house where I would help with chores such as mending, laundry, and helping to prepare for the evening meal that all the soldiers had together three times a week. It didn’t make sense to me, though Lucian said it was to build morale and create a stronger unit.

The only saving grace is that Lucian was sent out on missions for weeks at a time, and I would bunk at the breeder house in Babaka’s private area. How she lived her life listening to the sound of men grunting and fucking all night long, I’ll never understand. I had to make earplugs out of old foam from a pillow; it helped but didn’t change the fact that it was happening. The self-loathing I felt from knowing I only had Lucian to deal with while Tori and Violet were free to be used by whoever wanted them had turned me so jaded.

Gone was the woman who had dreams of any sort of future. I couldn’t let myself dream, realizing the chances of it ever happening were slim to none. I’d spent the first year trying to find a way to escape from here, yet every chance was thwarted by the fact Lucian had everyone watching me. It’s like he knew I would rather risk death than be stuck in this life forever. While I wasn’t actively creating a plan to get the fuck out of here, I was always keeping my eyes and ears open for news. The only news I got consistently was how the war was going, and how things seemed worse than ever.

The Southern Military was steadily recovering from losing the powerplant they’d built on the river. That had been the biggest victory a year and a half ago, with a party in the streets and a special food delivery from the General. All that victory had done was pour gasoline on the Southerners' anger, making them double down on their efforts. Rumors had been flying around that specialized task forces had been pulled from the front lines. Apparently, they’d been dealing with the General’s army further north along the border and were coming after us.

“Did you see they’re doubling the patrol teams?” Sarah whispered, not lifting her eyes from her work.

Babaka didn’t mind if we talked as long as we kept working, but she didn’t tolerate any trash-talking of Asturg. The second she caught wind of it, we’d be lashed with her cane, and for an old woman she was fairly strong.

“So you think the rumors are true about them coming after us?” Tori asked, her voice quivering with fear.

I’d never done well with being around a whole bunch of women, and these women were all scared as fuck, even if they’d been born and raised here. This outpost was known to be one that you didn’t want to get sent to, being so close to the Southern border. Actually many years ago, before Lucian was sent here, there’d been a massacre. Lucian admitted to me that he’d been sent here to prove that if the General was willing to send his heir here, everyone else needed to suck it up.

“Ladies,” I cut in, knowing that letting this go on would cause panic. “Let’s keep in mind that the South is always after us. We are at war with them, so it stands to reason that we would be their number one enemy. We should be happy about the fact that they are putting extra people on patrol, not scared.”

“Really, Danella, and why is that?” Coral asked, her tone all snark and sass. “Is there something the commander whispered to you while he was fucking you before he left?”

Coral hated me. She’d had her eyes on winning Lucian’s affection, being the Omega who was sent to him before me. He’d dismissed her right to the breeder house without even a second glance. Coral was stunning with large boobs, shiny brunette hair, and a heart-shaped face with pouty lips. The crowning trait was the fact that she was a raging bitch and made everyone’s life hell. She was born and raised here in Asturg, which added to why she hated those brought in from Oscad.

“Seriously?” I said with a scoff. “It’s simple, but I’ll break it down for you since you seem at a loss. More guards mean more eyes. More eyes mean better chances of spotting an attack. Put it all together, and we’re left with the knowledge that the Commander isn’t taking any chances. Make more sense now, Coral?”

Scrunching up her face in disgust, she sniffed and turned away from me to pluck another sock to yarn. She was so bad at mending that Babaka would only risk giving her socks to work on after she sewed a pair of pants together inside out.

“Whatever, there’s no way that the Northern army would ever let Southerners get that far over the border without getting spotted. We are the superior half of the nation, after all,” Coral added, flicking her hair out of her face. “Too bad the bitch who’s supposed to produce an heir can’t seem to entice our Commander into knotting her. It’s just so tragic.”

“Says the bitch he took one look at and sent to the breeding house because his dick couldn’t even get hard,” I muttered under my breath.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t said it quiet enough, and the next thing I knew, Coral launched herself at me. She grabbed my hair and yanked hard enough to make me hiss as I rounded on her slamming my fist into her face. The collective gasp that could be heard from the others didn’t surprise me. If any other Omega acted the way I was right now, they would be disciplined harshly and swiftly by the guards who were always watching us in the breeder house.

Strong arms wrapped around me and started to drag me off Coral but not before she got a swipe at my face with her long nails. My cheek stung even though it was worth seeing the skin around her eye already swelling. The black eye I’d just given her would last for weeks, and every time she looked at it she’d remember not to fuck with me.

“Enough,” Babaka barked, her Alpha command slicing through the tension in the room. “Take Danella into my rooms and send for the doctor.”

I didn’t fight the guards, my beef wasn’t with them, and out of the two of us I wasn’t the one who started it—this time. In the past year, I’d become far more confrontational and had zero qualms about using my fists to make a point. One thing that Asturg did right was realizing that women can fight just as well as men. So Lucian took time to teach me some basic skills in case something ever happened, and no one was around to help me, I’d be able to at least getaway. Those lessons promptly stopped happening once I started using those skills to settle scores as I’d done with Coral.

“That was foolish,” one of the guards muttered as he shoved me ahead of him. “Lucian isn’t here, and he won’t be back for another week at the earliest. That’s more than enough time for you to be punished and all signs of it heal before he gets back.”

Yanking my arm out of his hold, I turned to face him. Branko was one of four Betas assigned to guard the breeder house so he’d become a familiar face in my days. He’d also been the one who was teaching me their native language. I was pretty fluent at this point, only stumbling on more uncommon words or terms. The Beta had a kind spirit, something that he tried to hide. However, in the evenings, when it was just Babaka and me in the common rooms, he relaxed. I think it’s one reason Babaka chose him to keep a close eye on me. I was willing to at least listen to what he had to say, even if I didn’t follow his commands often.

“You watched the whole thing happen. I was defending myself from her attack,” I shot back.

Branko looked at me with a raised brow. “So it wasn’t your sharp tongue that spurred her need to attack you?”

“Hey, I can’t control what that bitch does. She should learn to have more self-control and watch her mouth before she says that kind of thing in front of the wrong person,” I countered.

“Danella,” Branko chided. “You and Coral have had a personal war since the day you met. If you keep causing a problem, the one who will be removed from here is you, not her. I know you don’t want to be trapped in the Commander’s home, but that’s what’s going to happen if the other breeders are in danger from you.”