Page 49 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 1

Victor didn’t answer immediately. He just stared at me like I’d done something odd, or odder than usual. “You’re not going to argue about that, demand you get the time we promised you? Or, I don’t know, grumble about it in some manner? I feel like this is a trick that you’re being so willing about it right now.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Look, I get that I’m a pain in the ass and that I have authority issues, but I’m not stupid. That woman I just beat the shit out of mentioned who her father is. I tried to hold back, except she just wouldn’t stop parading all your faults and flaws to that friend of hers. You mean to tell me a woman that vicious doesn’t have her own dirty laundry hiding in the closet? Either way I look at it, being officially part of your unit gives me more protection than fighting against it. I didn’t survive this long without learning to make a deal with the lesser of two evils.”

“Huh,” Victor grunted. “Smart, sassy, and clearly has a mean right hook. Not at all what I would have expected from an Omega. I think I’ll enjoy learning what other surprises you have in store for us, Little Spark.”

Chapter twenty-six

The move didn’t take long since I had nothing to my name except the things Beth had given me. Victor and Sorin took me to the supply depot and got me three changes of clothes, combat boots, socks, undergarments, and any personal grooming essentials. It was all neatly packed into a duffle and handed to me to carry. We didn’t go back to the barracks right away, there was one more stop to meet with the enlistment office to get my paperwork filed. Finished with that, I had my very own keycard that would allow me into the barracks and the other training buildings I would need access to.

“That key will open any area you are allowed to be in. If it doesn’t work, then you shouldn’t be there,” the enlisting officer warned. “There are logs of every swipe of a card. We expect the occasional new recruit to end up in a place they don’t belong, although just know we are well aware of any and all attempts made.”

“Understood, sir,” I answered.

He looked at me over his glasses like he didn’t believe me but grunted and turned back to his computer. “Your chart says you're on the injections to keep you from going into heat. This is your responsibility to maintain, no one else's. Any other medical information we need to know?”

“No, sir, not that I’m aware of.”

“Good, everything looks in order. You will be on probation for six weeks. If at all during that time you choose this isn't the life for you or your unit leader comes to that conclusion, you will be dismissed with no blemish on your record. If those six weeks pass and you flunk out, or your unit leader dismisses you, there will be a discharge record. This can affect your ability to get a higher-level job leaving you stuck with the more menial labor. So I suggest you make up your mind quickly on the matter.” The warning look I got from him told me he didn’t think I would make it six weeks.

Too bad for him, I loved proving people wrong.

“Thank you, Lieutenant Colonel Harvo. I’ll manage the rest from here,” Sorin assured the older man.

“See that you do. It’s not like you to pick such an inexperienced person to join your unit,” Harvo pointed out.

“True, but I’ve always known what my unit needs to be successful, and Danella is the right woman for the job. Good afternoon, sir,” Sorin said with a quick salute and motioned for me to head out of the room.

Outside I took a better look at the card. It was white with my name and barrack number written on it, simple and to the point. I could get behind that. In fact, I’d noticed that the South didn’t really have symbols, crests, or flags on anything. Even the uniforms just displayed your rank and what kind of unit you were a part of, but nothing about the country itself. Grabbing my duffle from where I’d left it with Victor, I tossed it over my shoulder and shoved the card into my pocket.

“Now what?” I asked.

“That’s it for the official stuff,” Sorin answered. “Why don’t we head back to the apartment, have you drop off your stuff, and I’ll take you to the training areas. This way, if you ever need to meet one of us there for some reason, you know the way.”

“You sure you’d trust me to be alone that long?” I teased.

Sorin reached out and tugged on my ponytail. “My hope is that giving you a way to release all that pent-up anger will keep you from picking fights.”

“Yeah, about that,” I muttered, kicking a stone in the road. “Lucian thought that too, but I just ended up using what he taught me to get even with those who tried to mess with me. That's when the lessons stopped.”

“Let’s see if the second time’s the charm. Plus, we'll be back on the road once we’re confident enough in your ability not to get yourself killed if a fight breaks out. I’ve already gotten pushback from us taking time, but now that we officially have a new recruit on our roster, they can’t do a damn thing about it,” Sorin explained.

When we got to the barracks, both Alphas turned to me expectantly. Grinning, I whipped out my keycard and swiped it. Seconds later it buzzed allowing me to open the door. The reality that I’d been given a key allowing me to come and go as I please hit me like a ton of bricks. Since the day I was taken from my childhood home, that privilege had been stripped from me. Now, here of all places, I was given that right back. I no longer believed I was locked away like a prisoner in a cage. I might still have guards keeping an eye on me, but I didn’t fear they would hurt me and god, did that make all the difference in the world.

“Little Spark, you coming?” Victor called from ahead.

Snapping out of my melancholy, I jogged after them. “Sorry, I just got a little lost in thought there.”

The burly man just nodded, not at all interested in prying, which I was thankful for. Sorin held the apartment door open for us, and a second realization hit me. This was now going to be my home for the next three weeks, at least. It was hard even to think that far ahead with how fast things had been changing.

Cris walked out of the far room and grinned at me. “Care to see your space?”

Swallowing my emotions, I nodded and walked over to him and peeked my head into the room. It looked exactly like Toma and Cris’s room but for the fact that Sorin had a slightly bigger bed which was now pushed to one side. A simple single-person bed was on the left side of the room closer to the bathroom, with a trunk at the end of the bed and a dresser on the wall, just as promised. Cautiously I stepped into the space and was overwhelmed by the wintergreen and eucalyptus scent that was Sorin. It was like taking a deep breath on a winter morning after a fresh snowfall; clean, crisp, and invigorating.

“There is space in the bathroom for you to put your things there, and the towel on the right hook is mine. Laundry is switched out once a week. We’re responsible for putting it all in a bag for them to take and making the beds when they drop off a clean set,” Sorin shared when he saw me peeking around the space. “I know it will take you a little time to adjust to being here, but we will do our best to make it easy on you. None of us have spent much time around a woman in roughly ten years, so you’ll have to forgive us if we do something to offend you. Our rule is if you have a problem you voice it during our weekly check-in. Unless there is something that needs to be handled right away then share it with me first and I’ll make the call on next steps.”

Setting my duffle on the bed that was now mine, I tuned and sat, dropping my head into my hands. I’d thought I had a handle on things, but the sense of being overwhelmed just hit me out of nowhere. The bed dipped as someone sat next to me and the distinct smell of patchouli and spruce told me it was Cris.

He slowly put his arm around my shoulders, giving me a gentle half-hug. “It’s okay to be overwhelmed, Dani. So much has changed, and none of it you were prepared for. You thought you were finally running to your freedom, only to end up in yet another new country with different laws and rules. Some are better, some might be the same, but none of it is what you wanted.”