Page 48 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter twenty-two

When I opened my eyes once more, I found it was dark. The moon was starting to grow but was still a sliver in the night sky. I’d clearly been out for quite some time if it was this late already. The fire crackled, and I saw Toma on watch sitting beside it. Shifting, I found myself in one of the guy's shirts, and the spicy clove and ginger scent told me it was Victor.

Getting up, I realized Lucian had been at my back while Sorin was still on my other side. Victor must have had to take his turn relieving Lucian from watch. It made me smile to think how well things were going when it came to sharing time with me. Each of them seemed to instinctively understand that they would need to respect each other’s time together. I’d been worried they would try to keep Lucian out of the mix or Victor would keep me to himself in the name of protection. Yet other than Cris having a hard time because of more personal issues, things had been great.

Keeping the blanket wrapped around me, I joined Toma. He instantly wrapped an arm around me, pressing a kiss to my lips as I cuddled close. “They really wore you out, didn’t they?”

“You could say that,” I giggled. “I had no idea how badly I needed that. It’s like all the tension I had in my body is now gone, I’m able to relax a little more.”

“Cris warned us that we’d need to make sure you got some extra lovin’ even when we were on a mission,” Toma commented, which had my mouth falling open. “Easy there, love. He didn’t mean anything by it other than the fact that Omegas need certain things to feel stable and secure in their packs. We don’t have a nest or a home for you to retreat to when things get overwhelming. What you have is us, and one way to help you not having these other things is to do so physically.”

I didn’t really feel like that made things any better but I could see some logic in it.

“Did we happen to find anything fresh for dinner tonight?” I asked, as my stomach gurgled in reminder that I hadn’t eaten dinner.

To my delight, Toma handed me a plate with cooked fish on it. “Lucian found a spot further upstream where a whole school of fish was trying to run upriver, so he caught a few for dinner.”

“Bless that man,” I mumbled as I peeled off the outer layer of skin to the flaky goodness inside. It had been years since I’d had fish of any kind so I didn’t care that I had to pick it off the bone with an eye staring at me as I ate.

I picked that damn thing clean, feeling the perfect amount of fullness as I relaxed against Toma. The nights were cooler than the day, making it comfortable to easily sleep. One year it got so hot it was just unbearable to try and sleep at night with no breeze. The breeding house would get so stuffy and the thick scent of sex always hung in the air making me gag. It was strange to think that was my life for a time as I now sat with one of my Alphas, staring up at the stars in the sky.

“How long do you think it will be until we find any sign of civilization?” I asked.

Toma didn’t answer right away as he considered my question, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger. “If it were me, I wouldn't want to be too close to the border. You never know who or what might be coming from that direction. Then again, being higher in the mountains would make things harder too. So my guess is we stick to the foothills, follow the river, and we’ll find signs of life sooner than later.”

“Out of all the things we have to accomplish to make this happen, getting these rebels on our side is the most important, isn’t it?” I mused aloud.

“That would be a safe bet,” he agreed, glancing down at his watch. “It’s about time to wake up Tru. Do you want to come back to bed with me, or are you going to stay up?”

With my now full belly, I let out a yawn. “Curling up with you sounds nice,” I murmured.

Scooping me up, he headed over to where Petru and Cris were sprawled out. He set me down before kneeling next to Petru, stroking his face lightly before kissing him. It took a moment, but Petru’s hand lifted to curl around Toma’s neck, keeping him right where he was. The two made out for a moment, causing me to blush as I rubbed my legs together. The three lovers didn’t really ever make a big deal about their relationship, nor did they feel the need to prove to others they were together. It was a beautiful blend of people who cared deeply about each other, first and foremost. The benefits that came with being intimate were a significant bonus.

“You’re the only one who wakes me up like that,” Petru shared as he looked lovingly up at Toma.

Toma snorted. “Do you really want Sorin and Victor making out with you?”

“Hmm… I suppose not, but it is rather lovely to experience,” Petru said, then yawned while sitting up and stretching. He then spotted me and his smile grew wider. “Would you wake me up like that, Wildflower?”

I returned his smile and nodded. “I would be happy to, but I’m not sure I’d have as much self-control at Toma.”

He reached out to gently tug on a lock of my hair and winked. “Give it time. You’ll find balance once the newness of us all together is worn off a little.”

“I don’t want that to happen,” I argued. “No matter what, I always want to feel like this about you guys. The moment you get lazy in a relationship is when you take people for granted.”

Petru took my hand and tugged me over to sit in his lap as he wrapped his arms around me and kissed my temple. “You, my Wildflower, have the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. How you strive to ensure every person feels valued and seen is beyond amazing. While I agree with you that it should never get to the point where we don’t find joy, love, and lust in our partners. I was simply pointing out that with time you will trust that none of us are going anywhere, so controlling your desires for us will become easier.”

Heat bloomed in my cheeks as he pointed out I’d probably overreacted just a little. Everything was new to me, and I was so afraid that I’d mess something up, when having a pack was the biggest dream I’d had for my life.

“Sorry,” I muttered.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s important to communicate, speak your mind, and say what you’re really feeling about things. How else is anyone going to know what you’re thinking? We can check in to see how you're feeling about things, but that gives us rather limited information,” Petru reassured me. “Now I’m going on watch. You stay here with Toma and Cris.”

With a kiss goodnight for both Toma and me, Petru got up, collected his rifle and started his perimeter check. I watched him until he couldn’t be seen, then let Toma pull me to sleep on his chest as Cris snuggled into his side, our own little puppy pile for the night.

We traveled for two more days following the river before finding the first indication that anyone other than us could be around. A stone ring that had once had scorching on it to show a fire had burned, with a small little lean-to made from wood, rocks, and a sun-bleached tarp. The place didn’t show signs of anyone having been there recently, but it gave us hope we were heading in the right direction.

It was odd to think this mountain rage was all that divided us from the North that was overrun by war. Almost like they’d forgotten there was still more land past that region and this side had far more life. There was grass, small trees, the river with fish, and at the bottom of the foothills, there was prairie like the South. I suppose I shouldn’t be all that shocked, for at one point, this whole place was one country. Why wouldn’t they have attributes that are the same.