Page 33 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

Holding my breath, I pushed the handle down and it gave easily under the pressure. No siren went off as I stood still for a heartbeat or two, waiting to make sure. Slipping off a shoe, I stuck it in the doorway to ensure I wasn’t locked out. The last thing I needed was to be stranded out here until someone from the kitchen arrived. Who knows what trouble I would get in for being caught outside the Med Center. I wasn’t one of their soldiers. No, I was worse. I was a stranger who’d been with the enemy and might turn on them just as they were asking me to betray the North. It was all laughable, in any case. I’m not sure why anyone would want to protect the people of the North after the way they treated each and every one of their citizens. Then my thoughts drifted to Coral and how she believed with all her soul that the North was the superior nation. Goes to show that you can get anyone to believe anything if you start training them from birth.

The night air was cool compared to the warmth of the day, and it seemed to quell the heat of my anger. The patio had tables and chairs, but past that was an open grassy area. There was a large fence around the whole space to ensure we didn’t leave or anyone trespassed, I suppose. The Med Center was, as the name stated, at the center of the whole encampment. At least that’s what I’ve gathered listening to those talking around me. After being out with Sorin, it was easy to confirm that I was deep in the base's territory. Outside that fence was another world of military men and women training and doing their duties. Soon I would be joining that world and, for the first time, not be viewed as an Omega that needed to be safeguarded.

Lucian had already started teaching me to protect myself. Of course, he wasn’t happy with me for using it against his men or other Omegas, but hey, a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Kicking off my other shoe, I let my bare feet sink into the grass as I breathed a sigh of relief at the familiar feeling. How long had it been since I was free to just be? Even in the Care Center, we never ventured outside. There was a small garden, even though it was more like a conservatory with paved floors and plants in flower beds. Right now, toes wiggling in the grass was the freest I’d been since I was seventeen.

Tipping my head up to the moon, I took a long, slow, deep breath then let the breath out just as slowly, trying to purge the past from my body. Having been on strict bed rest and in recovery, I hadn’t had a chance to do any of the stretches or exercises I’d done daily. I might have lost weight, been malnourished, and been trapped most of the time indoors, but I never gave up the dream of running. It’s probably what saved us, to be honest. I’m not sure if all three of us were that weak if we’d have been able to pull it off.

“Why the hell are they making us transfer these Omegas so goddamn early?” a voice grumbled on the other side of the fence.

“They were found running from the outpost Major Sorin and Bravo team took down a week ago. The two were placed in quarantine to make sure they weren’t sick or pregnant per procedure. Now it’s time to start integration by having them stay with a host mother,” another man answered.

“Why save them at all? Everyone knows you can never trust Northern bitches,” the first man spat. “That’s the real reason we have to move them off base in the middle of the night. If anyone found out we had them here, they’d be dead.”

“Rumor is they’re from Oscad, some of the Omegas that were sold off to fatten some politician’s pocket,” a woman cut in. “That’s the real reason they were saved. If we can barter them back to Oscad, we might get the new leaders to help us win this war, once and for all.”

“Keep dreaming, Sal, no way those snooty Oscadians will help us out. They had plenty of time to side with the right half of Asturg, and from what I can see, they picked the North. Fuck them. We don’t need their pity bitches.” Grumpy guy scoffed.

My heart sank knowing they were talking about Tori and Violet. How could they be leaving the base? Didn’t Sorin say he was going to send them back after we spoke? Was this all a lie?

Resentment burned in my chest at having for one second believed they might be telling me the truth. Why the fuck would they care about a few Omegas that got dumped at the feet of the Northern army? That’s it, I wasn’t going to stand by while they took my friends someplace I would never be able to find them again. All they wanted was the information I had, but I wasn’t going to so blindly believe them anymore.

Running across the grass, I vaulted myself at the fence managing to grab the top. Bare feet scrabbling against the wood, I managed to heave myself up to get my chest over the top. Pausing, I looked around the area and spotted the trio walking ahead of where I was but no one else. Right now, I was thankful for the black clothes, even if my blonde hair was noticeable in the moonlight. Carefully and quietly as I could, I lowered myself as far as possible down the other side and dropped the last few feet. The impact made my feet burn, but shoving that aside, I hurried after the three people who would lead me to my friends.

Thankfully they were so deep in conversation they didn’t notice me. One thing I learned from living in a military town is they always believed they were safe there. Many let down their guard or didn’t keep as careful of an eye out for dangers right under their noses. That same belief was working in my favor as I trailed after them ducking into the shadows of buildings as I went. While this place was confusing and massive, there were tons of buildings to hide behind. Then they stopped in front of one and let the woman enter with a code that made the door buzz and open for them. If what they’d said was true, they’d be coming out with my friends. When they did, I planned to remind them why they should always watch their back.

Standing, I stepped out from behind the dumpster and started to cross the road. Seconds later, a hand grabbed my arm then yanked me back as another hand covered my mouth so I couldn’t scream.

Fuck, how had I not watched my own back?

Chapter eighteen

Sorin returned with the news that the feisty Omega we found was willing to help us take down the North. I wasn’t surprised at this information, since I’d known all along that she was going to give in eventually. Sorin had made the right call taking the time for her to get to know him a little with their lunch interaction. What I was surprised about is that Victor seemed rather interested in the surly little minx, as he called her. After the hell he went through with the last woman he’d been in a relationship with, I was shocked at how relaxed he was about this.

“You really think she has information we can use?” Toma asked.

Victor kicked his feet up on the coffee table and grinned. “Oh, she’s got plenty to spill. She wouldn’t risk her friends by telling us she’s got intel and not have any. Pretty sure the only thing she cares about is those two Omegas.”

“Now what?” Cristofor asked.

“First, we must get her friends off base and to a secure location until Danella is trained. I told her it would take two weeks for her to get the basics down, although seeing the look on her face as she watched those other women training, it may be faster. I’ll have to see what Beth says about her recovery. The last thing we need is to rush it and delay us even more,” Sorin explained.

“Why the rush?” Cristofor inquired. I loved that Beta with all my heart, but no one would ever say he was a strategist. He took the world at face value, living in the moment, not worrying about what was to come.

Sorin didn’t scold him for not seeing it. Instead, he just answered the question. “I’m worried that a good portion of the men stationed at the outpost were missing. I’d hoped it would take longer for news to get back to General Rasvan, but I don’t think it will happen. Those men will return, find the slaughter we left behind and run straight to the General. Question is, will he do something this time or just brush it under the rug like last time.”

“He should know that we won’t let outposts that close to the border. That town slipped past us since it’s in such a desolate place. Did you see the state of it all?” Toma demanded. “How could anyone live like that? Not to mention surviving after we took out the supply run heading for their camp that would leave them with nothing.”

“It was hard to miss,” Sorin agreed. “Beth told me that Danella only asks for fresh fruits and vegetables with her meals, nothing cooked other than her meat. Imagine being so starved for real food you want to snack on raw beets and cucumbers. I managed to learn one thing about Danella, though… Strawberries are her favorite. So no one touches the bucket I brought back with me.”

I tried not to smile, only I couldn’t help it. Just the sound of our tough, fearless leader defending a pail of strawberries for a woman he barely knew was proof I was right. This Omega we watched throw herself down a cliff to get away from us and keep her friends safe, was ours. It would take the others time to see it, but I knew they'd come to understand the longer we interacted with her and broke through her justified walls of protection. As a unit, we’d ventured as far as we could together, and we were ready for the next level. She would be the person to make it happen—the final piece of the puzzle for us to see the whole picture.

“Duly noted, but that doesn’t explain why we need to get the other two off base?” Toma stated.

While I’d expected one of us to resist what was happening, I hadn’t at all expected it to be Toma. He was the one I knew the best and loved the longest on our team. This show of stubbornness didn’t really make sense to me. He wasn’t like this when Cristofor joined the unit. Hell, he was the third in our relationship filling a void I never saw was there. How could Toma not see that Danella would be the same? However, unlike our Beta, the place she was going to fill was glaringly obvious to me.

We were a pack with roots that ran deep through years of shared experience and trust. The thing that we lacked was an anchor, or center, if you will. At first glance, you might believe that Cristofor filled that role, and even though he tried, it wasn’t his place. I knew Victor and Sorin loved Cristofor and shared intimate moments, but it wasn’t like how things were with Toma and me. To us, Cristofor was a lover, part of my soul, and Toma felt the same. The other two Alphas needed something more, something that only an Omega could give them. Each of them desperately needed a person to protect, cherish, and fulfill that primal need dominant males had to bond. Toma and I were both Alphas, but as much as I wished to mark Cristofor as mine to gain that bond that would connect us on a deeper level, it didn’t detract from what we had. Those two craved it even if they didn’t realize it, and this Omega would give them a run for their money.

“The fewer people interact with or notice them, the easier it will be to smuggle them back to Oscad when the time comes. I’ll reach out to Savo once we know Danella is making good on her end of the deal. Then between the two of us, we’ll make plans to get them back where they belong. After that, Danella can join them when it’s all over,” Sorin informed us.