Page 29 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

“Beth warned me the sun might still be too much. Nanotechnology is amazing and has been instrumental in dealing with many injuries we thought were too far gone. There are just some areas where it lacks the ability to heal or, in some cases, can make things worse. The eyes are one body part it can’t do anything with to heal. So while the brain is fine, any damage to the optic nerve or surrounding tissue is still healing like normal,” Sorin explained, even though pretty much all the science of it flew over my head. Not my best subject, even if I like the medical aspect of it.

Obviously, this was his game— getting me to ask a question so he could do the same in return. Fucker was clever, and it had almost worked a few times yet I wasn’t going to let him manipulate me so easily. This was going to be a game of which cat was going to corner the other first.

Once my eyes had adjusted to the sunlight, I took in my surroundings and all but gasped at the sight of lush green grass. Even the trees had leaves that waved in the breeze and cast shadows over the ground. It had been so long since I could be outside with nature that I stood there stunned, taking in the rolling mountains in the distance that had signs of green life on them as well. The breeze was light and clean, not caked with the dust of a land that had given up long ago, surrendering to the harsh sun’s light. Here it was like I’d entered a different world instead of just crossing over a river.

“It’s all so green,” I commented, ensuring nothing I said could be taken as a question.

“Yes, we are incredibly blessed to have the rains and the river to keep our land so fertile. It’s probably the biggest advantage we have over the North,” Sorin murmured as he gestured for me to follow him. “Let me show you some of the greenhouses we have on base. We like to ensure none of the military takes from the farms and other sources that feed into the cities.”

My skin itched with the desire to ask questions. The more I looked around, the more I wanted to know but I bit my tongue to keep quiet. All the buildings were made of brick or concrete, telling me this outpost didn’t move with the fight and had been here for an incredibly long time. None of the buildings were labeled with any kind of information I could use to even guess their purpose. Like everything else I’ve seen so far, everything about this place was uniform and systematic. If I wasn’t careful to keep an eye on Sorin I could get lost and have no clue how to find my way back to the Med Center.

“Major Sorin,” a man called out, causing us to pause. The man jogged up to Sorin, paused, saluted—which Sorin returned—then just waited there watching Sorin expectantly.

My gaze flicked between the men utterly confused at what was happening. Clearly, this man had something to say, and Sorin had stopped to listen so why didn’t he just spit it out already? Sorin clasped his hands behind his back and just stared at the man, whose brow started to bead with sweat. My guess is that he wasn’t used to bearing the weight of his superiors' attention in such a way. Irritation began to grow as I could see how uncomfortable this poor man was and Sorin was just standing there playing power games.

“Stop being such a prick and ask the man what he needs,” I snapped. “God, what is it with you fucking Alphas?”

Sorin flicked his gaze to me and flashed me a bright smile so fast I thought I might have been mistaken except for the fact it was emblazoned on my mind. I’d been right, that fucking smile transformed him from this hard military man into someone who I found far too enticing for my own good. “Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Danella. Allow me to deal with this private’s needs, then I’ll be happy to answer that question,” Sorin said with a smugness that made me want to slap him.

Bastard had mother fucking managed to outsmart me once. Now that I knew he’d done this whole thing on purpose, I wouldn’t lose again. If he was going to involve others in this situation, then two could play that game. He might be the one making the rules here but nothing was saying I couldn’t do the same thing.

“Yes, Private Ambroz?” Sorin asked, his voice much more clipped and gruffer than I’ve heard.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, sir, but a letter has just been wired in from the State House for you,” Private Ambroz stated.

“Was it marked urgent?” Sorin questioned.

“No, sir, but it was marked, your eyes only, or I would have brought it with me,” Ambroz answered.

Sorin nodded and waved the other man off. “Thank you for letting me know. I’ll stop by later to get the letter.”

As if a string had pulled the man upright and together, he snapped his heels and saluted once more before turning in place and heading back the way he came.

“Don’t you need to deal with that? It sounded important.” The words were out of my mouth before I knew what was happening and I wanted to kick myself. Fuck!

Sorin let out a sigh and shook his head. “The letter is from my father, and he makes them seem vastly important so I make the effort to read them on the off chance it might actually be important. While I’m his sole heir, he wasn’t at all pleased with the fact I went for the military instead of politics like him.”

To be honest, I was shocked he told me so much. I'd been expecting a brush-off on the matter but got far more information about him than I think he realized. Or maybe he didn’t care… Could it be that he genuinely wasn’t looking to hide things from me? Perhaps he believed if he showed a little of himself, then I would give up more in the false sense that we had some bond growing between us—ha. Asshole was going to need to try harder than my dad disapproves of me bullshit for us to connect.

We started walking again, but he didn’t try to push me for answers to the two questions he now could ask in return. Granted, he’d only answered one of mine, so I wasn’t going to count the other until he’d given me some insight into his need to be a dominant asshole. Who knows, I might actually learn something helpful with that one. All those worries flew out of my head as we entered an open area with men and women of all designations training. From what I could see, there was hand-to-hand fighting, people running laps, a shooting range, and an obstacle course. I’m sure there was more going on. The massive space captivated me, so I was rooted in place. I couldn’t get over seeing women facing off with the men and holding their own. It would seem that my time with the Northerners had done more to twist my mind than I thought to find this so amazing.

All that aside, I knew I wanted it. I wanted to be one of those women learning to fight and protect myself and those I loved. Now I just needed to figure out how the fuck to make that happen and not get trapped here forever.

Chapter sixteen

All I could think as I watched her observing the training grounds was— gotcha. I’d seen her fighting spirit when we found them in the badlands, but to see the wonder fill her gaze as she watched the soldiers training told me all I needed to know. We had a shot. There was a chance she would work with us if I pulled this off the right way. It would never work if I didn’t find a way to make it her idea. Through the short time I’d just spent with her, I could tell how smart and calculating she was to the world around her.

Hell, she’d caught onto my plan seconds after I laid out the rules. I’m also pretty sure if she wasn’t coming to that private’s aid, she’d have held out a lot longer. Abuse of power seemed to be a trigger and I couldn’t blame her after all she’s been through. Yet to see her going toe to toe with me, not flinching even once, was a sight. She was something special, and though I disagreed with Petru on her being destined for our pack, I could see why he’d think so. He was a man of faith, believing that the universe put people in our paths and they couldn’t be ignored. Whether or not this stubborn Omega was part of our destiny, I had a feeling she was going to be leaving an impression on us one way or another.

“Come on, the greenhouses are back this way,” I called, pulling her attention back to me. Her bright green eyes were hidden by the sunglasses, but I vividly remembered them from when she stared me down at the lunch table.

Reluctantly she followed as we walked along the outer edge of the running track. Men and women jogged by as we walked on the other side of the fence towards the open fields of our crops. Many crops could be grown in the soil without any assistance. Then, other more delicate plants, needed shade from direct sunlight to survive. Seeing Danella drink in all the life that grew around us had my chest swelling with pride that we were so visually different from the North. There was no way for her to mistake where she was. Now we just needed to prove that we in the South didn’t share the views of the North when it came to Omegas.

“Do you have a favorite fruit or vegetable?” I asked, using up one of the questions I’d managed to sneak out of her. There was no hurry since I knew she wasn’t yet cleared to leave the Med Center. A key part of all this working is if she truly believed that we had her and her friends' best intentions in mind.

I could feel her gaze on me as I opened the door to the first greenhouse and waved her in. The light inside was far more manageable and the need to have her remove the sunglasses so I could study her expression was heady. Never had I needed to convince a total stranger to trust me. I was the son of the President and a decorated Major in the military. People didn’t question my intentions the way this woman was. Lucky for her, I loved a good challenge.

“That would be using up your only question,” she pointed out, her green gaze flicking up to meet mine. “You still haven’t answered the other question I asked so it doesn't count.”