Page 31 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

It took me a second to figure out what the hell Victor was doing but I caught up quickly enough. “She did say she’d be willing to do anything for her friends. I’m just not sure she really means it.”

This play was risky, yet Victor might have the right idea. If it took her getting mad and the need to protect her friends to push her over the edge, I’d do it. While I wanted to be the better Alpha for her, I still had a whole country to think about. If she could just see her way to helping us, it could change everything, and that’s what I needed to focus on. Not the fact that I didn’t want to hurt this Omega I barely knew.

“For fucks sake, just tell me what you want. I’m sick and tired of the games so just tell it to me straight,” Danella said with a sigh, her shoulders sagging some of the fire in her dimming.

Was she playing games with us now, or is she really over all of it? Not waiting for me to take the lead, Victor stepped up to square-off with her, a smirk on his face. I’d seen this side of Victor where he liked to push people to their limits to figure them out. It didn’t come out often since there was rarely anyone who seemed to pique his interest.

“You want it rough and raw, alright I’ll give it to you just as you asked,” Victor assured her. “We know you were the personal fuck toy to the Commander named Lucian, the general's heir. Seeing that you were living with him, and I’m sure you’ve heard more than your share of things over time with him, we want you to tell us how to take down the North. You give us all the information you know, come with us to make sure it’s not bullshit, and we send your friends back to the comforts of Oscad. After we win the war, I don’t see a reason we’d need to keep you with us, so you can go back home too.”

Holding my breath, I waited to see how Danella reacted to Victor’s explanation. She cocked her head and just stared at Vic like she was trying to ascertain if he was telling her the truth or playing more games. If she decided to help us out, she’d learn that Victor didn’t play those kinds of games. He would never lie or manipulate someone after the trauma he’d gone through with his past lover. Oh, he’d undoubtedly have no problem laying out the truth and pissing you off with his inability to sugarcoat anything. But, the thing with Victor is you always knew where you stood; that was a gift in our world.

“What makes you think that I know things?” Danella challenged.

“You saying you don’t? If that’s the case, why should we risk sneaking your friends over the border to the North so they can be rescued? We don’t run a charity around here. If you hadn’t noticed, we’re at war and everyone needs to pull their weight. If you can’t help with information, we’ll just have to put all three of you to work,” Victor challenged.

Her gaze shifted to me. “Is that the way of things? If I want my friends' freedom, then I have to stay here and be your walking-talking insight to the North?”

“Yes, that’s the root of things. Personally, I feel like it’s a fair deal since your friends get to go free before you fulfill your end of the bargain,” I pointed out. “If we were trying to screw you over, we’d make your friends wait until you’d given us the information we needed.”

“Hypothetically, if I said I have information and would agree to your terms, then what?” she questioned.

Standing, I tucked my hands in my pockets and approached. “You’d tell us what you know, if it’s enough for us to act on, then you’d be put into training. You wouldn’t be able to complete the full six weeks, but we’d make sure you knew how to handle a gun, the basics of defense, and how teams like ours work to help you blend into the unit. That roughly would be two-ish weeks before we act on whatever it is you share with us. I’d hold your friends for the two weeks, then I’d have a trusted team take them to the meeting point to hand them over to Oscad. Then once the war is over and we rule the North, it will be a simple matter to get you back home as well.”

“Just to be crystal clear, your only stipulation is the knowledge I have, nothing else,” she demanded.

“Danella, I know you don’t have a reason to trust when I say this, but the South does not force Omegas into breeding. To us, you are an equal member of the unit and deserve the same respect as any other member. If anyone so much as touches you without your permission, tell me and I will handle it. We need your mind and insight into the North, not your body. If you choose to indulge in physical pleasure with someone, that’s between you and that person, no one else,” I stated emphatically.

I knew this would be the hardest thing for her to understand and trust, but I wasn’t sure how much clearer on the subject I could be.

“Alright then,” Danella said with a sharp nod. “I know things.”

Chapter seventeen

It was clear that I only had one thing to bargain with, and that was precisely what they wanted. Violet and Tori couldn’t survive living in Asturg for much longer, and I knew that. They were already so broken and bruised from the past three years I feared what any more time might do to them. Now I just needed to make sure what I had to share with them would be enough information to make the risk worth it.

“So, does that mean you’ll agree to the terms I laid out?” Sorin asked.

My attention flicked back to the other Alpha who was doing everything in his power to intimidate me. His whole energy and stance were aggressive, using his bulk to try and tower over me. His spicy ginger and clove scent made my nose tingle and my hair stand on end with how vibrant it was, adding to his dominating presence. Thing was, other than the girls, I didn’t have much to fear in losing. I’d been staring down men like him every day for the past three years. None of the other males at the outpost liked me, always telling me my day of reckoning was coming the moment Lucian tossed me away.

“Is he part of your unit?” I inquired, feeling like I should remember him from when they found us, but I’d been so hazy it was hard to be sure.

The Alpha just gave me a toothy grin and a mock bow. “Victor Hosdue, explosives and hand-to-hand combat expert, at your service.”

Oh, goodie, a guy who could break my neck or blow me up without a care in the world. Aren’t I just so fortunate.

Returning my attention to Sorin, I asked the truly important question. “Do I get protection while I’m with your unit? Meaning, am I considered a captive to be killed if things don’t go well sleeping with one eye open or as a valuable asset to keep alive?”

Shock flared in his eye for a moment before he frowned. “You think I would go to all this effort to try and get you to work with us then turn around and kill you?”

“Why not? As you’ve both made abundantly clear, you’re at war and deadweight won’t be tolerated,” I reasoned.

“Fuck, you genuinely are one jaded Omega, aren’t you? Even I wouldn’t have thought that dark about the situation, even if you make a valid argument,” Victor commented with a bark of laughter. “Well, I can only speak for myself, but if you’re really going to help us put an end to this fight, I’ll make sure you live to see your home again.”

“To be clear, you would be added to our unit as an official member. The only people who would know what’s really going on would be my team. This is too important for this kind of information to be given to anyone else. As a member of my unit, you will be given all the same assurances of safety as the others. We will have your back, and we’d expect the same from you in return. Unlike the North, we see every person as someone who can fight, which applies to you. Even if we can only do two weeks of training here, we will continue it as we act on your information,” Sorin informed me, laying it all out there almost as if he was offended that I would even ask that.

“So now what?” I asked, looking between them both.

Sorin ran a hand over his bald head then let out a breath of air. “Do you feel up to talking with the rest of my team now? If not, we can do it tomorrow, I know you haven’t been out of the Med Center and I don’t want to push your recovery.”