Page 39 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

“Welcome to our home sweet home, the Alpha barracks. The dwelling for all elite units in the Southern military. Our apartment is on the third floor so I hope you don’t mind walking up a few stairs,” Petru shared as he swiped a keycard to open the main door.

Silently I followed after him, and he hadn't been kidding about the stairs. By the time we reached the third floor, I was a little out of breath and my cheeks felt hot. Damn, I’d lost a lot of stamina. That had to change if I was going to keep up with these guys because I wasn’t going to be left in the dust. Petru led the way down the long hall to the end, where he used his keycard again to unlock the door. It was odd seeing so much technology used so casually after the past few years in the dark ages. The apartment was simple, not much of a personal touch to it. In fact, it didn’t really look like anyone lived here. It was clean, even if it smelled slightly of men, but that was to be expected.

“Make yourself at home. They might still be sleeping, though most of us are up by five. I’m going to make some coffee. Would you like some?” Petru asked as he stepped into the simple kitchenette.

“I’m sorry, did you just say coffee?” I asked, perking up at the prospect.

In answer, he grabbed a bag of it out of the cabinet and waved it at me. “Sure did, and I’m gonna take that response as a yes.”

“Yes, that’s definitely a yes. I can’t remember the last time I had coffee,” I said as I drifted closer to him. “Could I… would you mind if I just smelled it?”

His brows shot up in surprise, but he gave me a soft smile and handed the package over to me. Holding it with two hands, I took a deep breath letting the familiar smell engulf my senses. Letting out a moaning sigh, I all but cuddled the coffee to my chest with how excited I was about this simple pleasure.

“Ah…” A voice I didn’t recognize said.

In my hurry to not look like I was a complete and total freak, I thrust the coffee back at Petru. He almost didn’t catch it, completely caught off guard by my reaction, but thankfully he managed to get a hold of it and no coffee grounds were lost.

“Sorry,” the shirtless man said, rubbing the back of his head. “I didn’t mean to startle you. Just surprised to find we had a guest so early in the morning.”

Taking in his blond hair and blue eyes, I relaxed as I remembered him. He was the Beta and medic on their team. I couldn’t remember his name for the life of me, although I’m impressed I remembered anything at all from that time. My head was so rattled, and the pain had been so intense I couldn’t believe I’d been able to stand. Now here I was, barefoot, my hair was probably a wild mess from the bike ride, and snorting coffee in a stranger’s mini kitchen.

“He said I could be here,” I blurted, pointing a finger at Petru.

The Alpha chuckled and closed the space between him and the Beta to press a kiss to the man’s lips. “Good morning, Cris. I just so happened to run into Danella while dealing with other matters and invited her for breakfast.”

“You better be making a full pot, I have a feeling some of the others are going to need it,” Cris said with a smile, then reached out a hand to me. “Cristofor Ungur, it’s nice to actually meet you, Danella. I’m glad to see you looking so much better. It’s truly impressive how fast you’ve recovered.”

Taking his hand, he clasped mine gently but with confidence. “Thank you for looking after me until I could make it to the Med Center. Bethany tells me it could have been far worse if it wasn’t for you.”

The man started to blush at my words, shocking me. In a way though, it was probably the most adorable thing I’d ever seen. He dropped his gaze and cleared his throat before speaking, making me like him even more.

“No need to thank me. I’m a medic, that's what we do,” he said, slightly stumbling over his words. He turned to leave then paused to gaze at me again. “I’ll be right back. I’m just gonna grab a shirt and make sure Toma doesn’t walk out here in just his boxers. None of us want you to feel uncomfortable being here.” With a charming smile, he ducked his head and left just as silently as he appeared.

Blinking a few times while still trying to absorb the whole interaction, I looked over to Petru. “Did I make him nervous?”

Clicking the ‘on’ button, the coffee maker started to gurgle and steam rose out of the basket holding the grounds. After finishing that task, Petru grasped my hand and led me back to the couch where he sat, then tried to tug me onto his lap. Glaring at him, I resisted. If he thought I was going to cuddle him all the time now, he’d have another thing coming. This wasn’t neutral ground like Klarisa’s, this was his home with his pack. I was at a disadvantage here.

“Please, little wildflower, come sit with me,” Petru encouraged. “I promise you nothing is going to happen other than you taking comfort from me, as I enjoy being able to hold you.”

“Really and how would your lover feel when he comes back out here and sees me sitting on your lap? No, I’d rather not be the woman who causes problems in other people’s relationships,” I argued.

“I see. Well then, let me put you at ease. Neither Toma nor Cris will take issue with us cuddling. Moreover, I’m fairly certain Cris would encourage it and come to sit right next to me so he can offer you more reassuring comfort. Being here is stressing you out and I’m only trying to alleviate that emotion,” Petru explained. “Now, what other arguments do you still have so I can dissuade those too.”

The cocky confidence that every Alpha seemed to have was peeking its head out where Petru was concerned. So far, he’d been reasonable in his requests and given me a valid explanation for why he was doing something. This situation right here was a power play, and I didn’t like it one bit.

“There is only one argument going on here, and it has nothing to do with providing comfort,” I stated, yanking my hand out of his hold.

“By all means, oh feisty one. Share with the class, we’d like to know what Tru’s up to,” a raspy voice said into my ear.

Spinning to face the person, I found Victor in a pair of low-slung sweats watching me with an intense gaze. The Alpha was jacked, not quite as much as Sorin but without a shirt on it was clear to see how chiseled his chest and arms were. If this man wanted to snap me in half, he could with ease. His beard was wild having just woken up which only added to his wild intensity. Squaring up my shoulders, I balled my hands and faced off with the man. I was done keeping silent, playing the submissive role and letting things happen to me without a fight. No more. I’d never been weak, but I’d been silent, and that was just as severe of an offense to myself as well as my designation.

It was time to show these Alphas I wasn’t going to be so easily manipulated.

Chapter twenty-one

Imagine my surprise when I wake to the smell of coffee and walk out to find Petru, of all people, in a standoff with Danella. What the hell was going on? How had she even gotten in here? Did Tru bring her? Had something gone wrong with the plan? Fuck. Too many questions and no coffee, not a great way to start the day.Welp, we said this was going to be a raw and transparent conversation. Leave it to Petru to take that to heart and lay it out there. Not sure now was the best time to tell her that fate brought her to us, and he believed she would be our Omega, but what the hell. Let’s just throw that in the pot and see if the fates can take the heat.

“There is only one argument going on here, and it has nothing to do with giving comfort.” Danella all but snarled, yanking her arm back.