Page 32 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

“Meaning you don’t want to get in trouble with Beth,” Victor commented with a snicker. “Did she tell you how long she could be gone?”

“An hour, but this changes things,” Sorin argued.

There was something pleasing to know that both men were scared of Bethany. It went a long way to show they weren’t just saying things I wanted to hear. As for how I was feeling, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, my body felt like it was ten pounds heavier than normal, and how badly I wanted a nap.

“I think this has been enough excitement for one day,” I shared. “If you two are this exhausting, I can’t imagine what three more of you will be like. Do they enjoy playing mind games as much as you two?”

“Hey,” Victor snapped, leaning in to glare at me. “I don’t play no fucking mind games, you hear me?”

“Right, and acting like a prick and using your size to intimidate me isn’t a mind game? You just keep telling yourself that if it helps you sleep at night. Trust me when I say I’ve experienced more of this…” I motioned to him with a wave of my hand. “... than I’ve ever cared to endure. If you want to get under my skin, try a new tactic.”

Victor gaped at me, and I had to dig deep to keep from laughing at the sight. One point for Dani, zero for Victor. It was nice to see that I could play his game just as well, if not better than he could. Let’s see who can get under whose skin first.

“Fair enough, let’s get you back to Beth and I’ll tell her I’ll come to get you after breakfast tomorrow,” Sorin said then stooped to pick up the bucket of strawberries. “How about I take them with me, and you can have them when you join us tomorrow?”

“More bribery? Well, I suppose there could be worse ways for you to manipulate me. Food these days is always going to be a sure win,” I admitted hating how skinny I was. Just another reminder of the hell I’d been living through.

Both men paused as they led the way out of the greenhouse to look back at me. I could tell Sorin wanted to say something, but he didn’t. He just pulled open the door and let Victor and me out. Both Alphas fell in step on either side of me as if to act like a barrier to anyone who might dare to talk to me or stop us. I kept feeling like I should be afraid of them. Both these men were massive, highly trained soldiers, and my captors. Yeah, they were nice enough and treated me with more respect, but even if they told me I was going to be part of their unit I knew that wasn’t the way of things. I’d be the outsider kept at a distance to only be used for milking information from, which I was totally fine with. Once this was all over, I’d be going back to Oscad, and I just prayed my father would still be alive. I’d already accepted that my mother probably passed the day I was taken and no one ever bothered to tell me.

It didn’t take us as long to get back to the Med Center, making me question what way Sorin had chosen the first time. Bethany was there at the front desk, arms crossed and fingers tapping in irritation.

“I told you that you could have lunch with her,” Bethany snapped. “The rules were that you had to make sure that she ate and didn’t bother her until her meal was done. At no point did I say you could remove her from the Med Center. I don’t care who your father is or what rank you have, Sorin. You don’t mess with my patients.”

Victor was no longer at my side, and when I looked back I found him by the entrance. He’d left his leader to deal with Bethany all on his own. Some team they had, can’t even handle a scolding together. Yeah, that boded well for me.

“Beth—”

“Nope, I don’t want to hear it. Dani, come on, darling, let’s get you to your room. You look exhausted,” Bethany said, reaching out for me. “At least he had the decency to give you sunglasses. Taking you out in the middle of the afternoon, what was he thinking?”

Sorin cleared his throat and cut Bethany off before she could get to the door that took us back to the medical area. “Beth, I know you're mad, but there’s more going on than you realize. Danella has offered to help us and I need to meet with her tomorrow after breakfast. I’d like to take her to our rooms where I know it's safe and we won’t be overheard.”

“The hell you will,” Beth berated. “If you want to speak with her privately, I can make that happen here. How could you even consider bringing her into the barracks when she doesn’t know any of you? Good god, use your brain, will you?”

Sorin opened his mouth to answer then closed it, rubbing his head a moment. “Fine, if you can guarantee there is a place where we can talk that no one will overhear what we have to say, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“Damn straight you will. Have a good day, and I’ll see you and the boys tomorrow. Not a moment sooner,” Bethany ordered and hurried me away to my room, where she fussed over me before leaving me to nap.

It would seem that I underestimated how tired I was since I slept through dinner and woke up in the middle of the night. Glancing at the clock, I groaned at seeing it was three in the morning. My stomach rumbled, voicing its irritation for missing a meal when we didn’t have to. Thankfully Bethany had left me a covered tray of food. Lifting the lid, I found a simple sandwich and vegetables to munch on. She thought I was so strange for loving to eat raw vegetables, but I’d just missed the taste of fresh. Cooking them down would make them like the weak soup or gruel we’d eaten—a taste I wanted to avoid at all costs.

I quickly ate the sandwich, and as I snacked on the chunks of carrot, I mulled over what information I might have to give Sorin. Doing so had me remembering the days we’d be together in the house, pretending like we were fucking like bunnies. Oh, the one day he would get that’s exactly what happened. We would only take a break to eat or hydrate, but Lucian was a man of stamina. He wouldn’t knot me until the end when we’d fall asleep stuck to each other. I knew being able to knot in an Omega was a superior feeling for an Alpha, so only doing it once was for my benefit.

After hearing the other Omegas talk when I stayed at the breeder house, it was glaringly obvious that Lucian was treating me well. Many of the other women never got an orgasm since the men were more concerned with their own needs, getting in and getting off. That was never the case for me. It was almost as if Lucian liked to give me as much pleasure as he got from sex. On the days that he wasn’t in a hurry or before leaving on a mission, he would spend half the time just making me come in various ways.

The feel of his hands on me was always gentle and caring, never harsh or abusive in any way. While I hated that we had to make this agreement, I could never say he wasn’t treating my body with whatever respect he could give it and me. There were moments I wondered if he might have feelings for me as he stared into my eyes as we fucked. Once we were out of the bed and back in the real world, it was like we were awkward roommates. A strange friendship of sorts had built between us, but there were limits to how far that would extend.

He’d be telling me about a mission he just came back from or was going on, and then he would realize he was saying too much and shut down. Not to mention how careless he was, leaving papers, maps, and other information around the apartment. Of course, he was used to the fact that most Omegas couldn’t read since no one felt it was vital for them to learn. I’d always kept an open ear and watchful eye on things keeping my escape in mind.

Babaka knew more than most as well, so being around her and in her quarters gave me insight into a different side of the military. She was always in the loop about supplies and things for the outpost. Not to mention if they were sending new Omegas places. I’d come to learn that she was the head of the breeding houses, and if the General didn’t give orders for new Omegas she would decide where they went. Through her, I learned how many outposts there were and how large they were based on the amount of Omegas they had. We were a smaller outpost even though we had many of the elite soldiers stationed here. It was also the closest to the border, making it easier for them to infiltrate.

Now that I was taking stock in what I knew about the Northern army, I was impressed. So much of the knowledge I had I’d discounted since it didn’t get me out of there, but in my current situation, I had plenty to offer. If they were telling the truth about letting Tori and Violet go back to Oscad, then staying and seeing the North fall, thanks to my knowledge, would be an amazing act of revenge. That smug tyrant of a General deserved to have his world crumble at the hands of an Omega. He’d never see it coming, and I would take great pleasure in making sure he knew it was me. The Omega he handpicked to send to his son, and who wanted nothing more than to change everything his father was doing.

Too bad the bastard was too stubborn to die on the battlefield as I’d hoped, but now he hid away in the capitol city only giving orders from afar. That’s fine, there was another asshole of an Alpha I needed to settle a score with when we got there. Hopefully, that bastard of a doctor would still be alive for me to wring his fucking neck. I’d show him what it felt like to be knocked around for no reason other than just not liking him.

Diving back into those first days had my blood boiling to the point I needed to get out of this room. I didn’t care if I had to walk the halls, but I couldn’t be trapped in this space. Everything felt like it was closing in around me and I just wanted to feel the fresh air on my face. I didn’t know if I could sneak out of the Med Center, although getting out to at least walk would help some. Slipping on my shoes, I pulled open the door to my room and stepped out. They’d placed me in the wing of the Center where the long-term recovering patients stayed while they did physical therapy or whatever else they needed. The rooms were nice, clean, and simple but the best part was that I got it all to myself.

I refused to admit that it was hard to sleep without the sound of someone nearby or strong arms wrapped around me. Lucian had been gone more than ever the past few months, leaving me to deal with Babaka’s snoring. Never would I confess I slept the best when Lucian was wrapped around me, and that was the main reason I didn’t leave to sleep on the couch or enforce my no-cuddling rule. There was something about the sound of a heartbeat at my back and his soft even breathing that lulled me to sleep. These days I slept because my body gave me no choice, but I knew sleeping now would be impossible.

Everything was quiet in the early morning hours. Only the echoes of others that snored could be heard as I walked past their room. The low overhead light gave me plenty to see, yet it didn’t take away my night vision. I found my way to the cafeteria, and the room felt even larger with no one in it and the soft glow of moonlight through the windows casting shadows. The dark never scared me, because the day held far more dangers. Making my way down the center of the room, I stopped at the double doors that led out to a patio. I had no idea if there was an alarm or if they were even unlocked, but I was willing to take the risk just for a little bit of fresh air.