Page 34 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter sixteen

Two days passed, and there was no word from Savo, but that didn’t stop Sorin from preparing. It was rather remarkable to watch him and Lucian working side by side. Toma had found some old maps of the Northern territory, so Lucian was helping them update them with current information. Knowing the current locations of outposts and small towns helped plot out the course we wanted to take to get to the mountains. Once we got there, though, we were going to be blind. No one knew anything about those that hid among them other than they would kill to stay out of the war.

My heat was well and truly over, even though my sex drive was now kicked into high gear. This turned out to be a problem for sparring with the guys. More than once, it had devolved into quick, gritty sex with all our clothes mostly on and no knotting. Never did I think that the mere sight of one of the guys without a shirt on would have my panties soaked. We all did our best to keep it together and get training done. There wasn’t much time left before I was going to need every skill they were trying to teach me.

It had been decided that if we didn’t hear from Sorin by the morning, we would head out on our journey North. We’d stop at one of the smaller bases along the way to gather the supplies we needed that wouldn’t attract attention. Sorin’s team was well known for going on missions that they couldn’t disclose and expected the base to keep their presence on a need-to-know basis. It was risky, but we had little choice. If we went back to main headquarters trying to ask for approval of a mission that we didn’t have any evidence of, it would be more suspicious.

Our ace that Sorin wanted to wait to use until there was no option, was to locate a Northern incursion and hunt them down. No matter what we did, there would be a point our presence would be missed, and they’d try to recall the unit. What happens when they can’t reach us is anyone’s guess. They would know our last known location, but we’d be long gone by then, without clues about where we’d gone. Although I’m betting their first thought wouldn’t be that we were on a mission to end the war.

“Wouldn’t it be wiser to leave the laptop here?” Lucian asked as we sat down for dinner. “I’m aware we don’t have much tech in the North, but I’m guessing they could track us if you use it.”

“While we are in the South, that is a possibility,” Toma agreed. “However, I think I found a workaround to mask our exact location by making the area so large they’d have no way of pinpointing us. Downside is I won’t know if the program has worked until I check it on another one of our computers. Which is why I vote to gather supplies close by since they’re aware we are, in fact, here.”

Reaching for a slice of bread, I was scooped up and plopped on Cris’ lap. “Hold her until I get her plate settled,” Victor instructed.

“We seriously need to figure out how to deal with this overwhelming need to prepare my plate for me,” I grumbled. “What will you do when we’re on the go and we have no plates?”

“Oh, we have plates. They’re part of your mess kit in your pack,” Cris pointed out.

Shifting, I glared at him over my shoulder. “Not helping,” I muttered through my teeth. “Seriously, there has to be a limit to this. What if we agreed you got to handle breakfast or just dinner, something so I don’t feel like a helpless Omega that needs to be catered to by her pack.”

All the guys paused to look at me as if I’d said something ridiculous. “What?” I asked, tossing my arms up.

“Wildflower, you are an Omega who absolutely should be catered to where we can. There are so many things that we can’t offer you in a military life, so we will take advantage of what we can do,” Petru reasoned.

“Also, no one thinks you’re helpless, so don’t even try to pull that crap,” Lucian added.

Crossing my arms, I pouted at them like the petulant Omega I tried not to be. Victor set down two plates then removed me from Cris’ lap to place me on his own. This had been his newest obsession. Not only was I unable to get my own food, but I was also now expected to sit on his lap so he could make sure I was eating enough. God forbid your stomach growled a few hours after dinner, only to get the third degree of questioning from my dear Vicky. So here I sat, in his lap where I couldn’t leave until half the plate was empty.

“Little Spark, you’re finally getting to the point your cheeks don’t look so hollow. This mission will be grueling, and I won’t let you backslide. Protection means—“

“Protecting me from myself and others,” I said, cutting Victor off, having heard this argument at every meal for the past two days. “Just you wait, I’m going to find something I can lovingly make as irritating as possible in return.”

Victor kissed my cheek, his beard tickling my skin. “I look forward to seeing you try, Little Spark.”

This had the others laughing, knowing Victor was almost as rigid in his routines and taking care of himself as Sorin. If I could find something to exploit, it would be a rather impressive feat.

“Might I suggest that whatever food supplies we gather from the base everyone holds onto until we’re in Northern territory,” Lucian commented, keeping his voice calm and neutral. “Here in the South, you have the ability to hunt and forage, which will be lacking once we cross the border.”

Whatever agreement the two men figured out between them was working. Lucian didn’t try to order or command anyone, while Sorin kept Lucian in the loop on everything. Sharing information freely with no judgment or suspicion when the commander asked questions. Much to my surprise, the person who was having the biggest trouble warming up to Lucian was Cris. It made me wonder if it had to do with his mother or all the horrible things he’s heard about what happens in the North. Everyone else was making an effort to bridge the gap. I had a feeling it would just take Cris a little more time.

“That is a rather brilliant idea,” Petru said. “The rations we get at the base will keep until we need them. No sense in needing to use them up too quickly. Plus, once we get a uniform for Lucian, there’s no reason we can’t stop in a few towns along the way to get food.”

Sorin nodded his head in agreement. “I think that’s one thing we’ll be able to learn from you, Lucian, is how to make the most of what we have and what’s around us.”

“Yeah, well, if they didn’t starve their people, it wouldn’t be a skill we’d need so desperately,” Cris muttered before shoving food into his mouth.

My brows shot up at his words. When I tried to reach out to our connection through Petru and Toma, I found he’d cut himself off from us. He knew he was in the wrong for saying that and didn’t want any of us harping on him, I suppose. My gaze caught Toma’s as he had a crinkle of concern on his forehead as well as feeling his anxiety. For now, I was going to leave things as they were. It wasn’t my place to tell someone to get over something just so it would make it easier for all of us. Cris needed to sort out his feelings. Although if he pushed this hateful attitude any further, the two of us were having a heart-to-heart, that’s for damn sure.

“I agree,” Lucian stated, then returned to his meal, seemingly unaffected by the comment.

Too bad for him that I could see just how much guilt and shame he was feeling. It tore him up inside to know his country and people were dying. If it wasn’t starvation that did them in, it was the lack of basic medical supplies. Getting an infection of any kind was basically a death sentence, one I’d seen firsthand. The North desperately needed us to pull this off so innocent people would stop dying, and people could start to live full and happy lives.

The strained silence that fell over the table was interrupted by the phone ringing. Sorin quickly rose from his chair, grabbed the phone, looked at who was calling, and frowned. “It’s not Savo’s number.”

“Answer the damn thing. What if he’s calling from another line,” Victor urged, waving a hand to make him respond faster.

I could feel the war going on inside our leader right this very second. He wanted to answer but was also afraid it could be something else, something worse. Letting out a frustrated growl, he answers the phone. “Major Sorin speaking.”