Page 54 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

“Well, when you put it that way, it sounds rather unbelievable,” I muttered, hooking my bound arms over my knees to rest my head on them. “As I mentioned before, there were lots of fights. More with words than fists because they knew I was connected to him. Seriously though, it doesn’t make sense. Even to me. And I’m the one they’re doing this for. When my first heat hit me like a fuck ton of bricks, I wouldn’t have been able to manage with only Lucian. I’m sure we would have figured it out, although after that time we spent together training, it showed me there was a different way for Alphas and Omegas to co-exist. Each and every one of those men respects me, listens to what I have to say, and finds my smart-ass personality endearing. Which, as you know, not many people say that, like ever.”

“That still doesn’t tell me how they allowed the heir of the North to live when they could have killed him and been done with it,” he grumbled. “Why the hell would they let that chance slip through their fingers.”

“Evidently you’ve never been in love before,” I quipped.

Branko’s face scrunched up in a mix of confusion and disgust. “What does love have to do with it?”

“Do you love Jan?” I asked, changing tactics.

He jerked away from me as if I’d just slapped him. “What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

My brows shot up at his anger. “Ah… did I miss something? He told me you two were together, together. Was that not correct?”

“He never would have told you that,” Branko snapped.

“Whoa, you need to take a deep breath before you draw everyone's attention, and I’m guessing that isn’t what you want to be doing right now,” I said, keeping my voice low. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that would be such a major question. The only reason Jan said anything is because I made a comment that you two were a cute couple and it was nice to see people actually caring about each other in the North. He didn’t confirm it immediately, but when he did, he asked me to keep it to myself. Well, then, a day later all hell broke loose. So trust me when I say I’ve not spoken to anyone about this.”

The man before me lost control of the mask he was hiding behind and I saw the tortured expression on his face. “It was never supposed to happen, he and I. There was too much at stake to risk getting close to someone, but I couldn’t help it. Jan was so easy to fall in love with, no matter how hard I tried to fight my feelings.”

“Branko, did Jan die?” I whispered for fear that saying it out loud would make it true.

Jan was unlike any Northerner I’d ever come across. He treated people equally and with kindness. He was a healer through and through, making him invaluable to the outpost, which is why Lucian never let him come on missions.

“No, Jan is alive and thriving as a doctor for the rebels. Believe it or not, we have far more medical supplies than you’d think since we steal all that we can heading to various bases in the area,” he replied, but the tone of his voice was so sad.

“Then what happened?” I pressed.

“I have a wife.” Branko divulged, the self-loathing thick in his words. “I fell for Jan when I had a woman waiting for me to come home to her. A woman that I’ve loved since I was a teen and managed to convince to marry me. You think I don’t know what it means to love someone? Well, being raised in the rebel city, we fight against all ideologies the North forces on their people. Summit Stronghold is a place for people to be free of the oppression of war and have a fulfilling life. Ester is my life. I can’t picture a future without her, so how could I betray her like that?”

While I suppose I should’ve felt bad for his wife and Branko, I couldn’t help but see this as the fates providing me with someone who would truly understand my situation.

“Let me ask you that question again. Do you love Jan?” I asked, holding my breath, hoping he would be honest with me as well as himself.

The man looked up from his hands, and I could see the answer in his eyes before the words came out of his mouth. “Yes,” he whispered. “I love him deeply, and it’s not a love that replaces how I feel about Ester. She still means everything to me. I was overjoyed to be back home with her, but it killed me to tell Jan we couldn’t be together anymore.”

“When I say this next thing, I need you to understand I’m not trying to put salt in the wound or make you feel bad. I think you’re just missing something important,” I explained, as he gave me a quizzical look. “If you are truly a rebel, and you’re bucking the system and going against all that the North has taken from people, then why the fuck did you break it off with Jan? How is it that you seem to have forgotten one fundamental thing about who we are as a species? Bran, we are wired to love more than one person, have packs, have family units, and share love and responsibility with those we want to create a life with. How dare you make Jan feel like the other woman in your life. Also, give your wife a little credit here; Jan is the most loveable person in the fucking world. Maybe, just maybe, you were all meant to be together. Only you thought you knew best and fucked it up.”

We both just sat there for a moment staring at each other. It was clear I’d blown his little rebel brain, and now I just needed to give him a minute to get his head wrapped around the concept.

“Dani—” Branko started to speak, when suddenly the sound of a car horn being blasted through the cave had everyone jumping into action.

What I wouldn’t give to cover my ears as the sound echoed off the walls and made it so much worse. I assumed it was some kind of alarm that an intruder tripped, but the confused and panicked faces of the men told me that might not be the case. Everyone had guns at the ready and was falling into formation, telling me that this group of rebels made it through training or were taught by those who had.

Branko grabbed my arm and hauled me up to stand, with me acting as his shield. “What the fuck, Bran?” I yelled over the sound of the horn.

“Look, you want me to believe you’re everything to them, right? What better way to find out than to see how they react when I have a gun to your head.” The lunatic explained just as the deafening noise stopped.

I tried to yank myself out of his hold, but with my legs and feet still tied up, I wasn’t able to do much. “All you’re going to do is get yourself killed. You don’t understand how seriously skilled these men are. All they need is enough space for a bullet to fit, and you’re dead.”

“Then I suggest you make sure they don’t do that if you want me to take you to the stronghold,” Branko countered.

I let out a growl of frustration, pissed that I was once again stuck in a position to use none of the skills I was given. When was I going to catch a mother fucking break? There had to be something I could do to minimize the damage. The last thing we needed was for my guys to kill all these men and fuck us over with the rebels.

“What about your men?” I blurted. “If you keep me hidden back here, they will kill everyone else. Take me to the front entrance, let them see you have me, and ask to negotiate. Be smart, Bran. You want to go home to Ester and Jan, right? I can help you do that, but you can’t hide back here to cover your own ass, be a fucking leader and protect your men.”

I thought he would ignore what I’d just said for a moment, but instead, he dropped to his knees, cut the ropes around my ankles, and dragged me to the front. His men scattered out of the way, all shocked to see me coming along with him. When we got to the entrance, Branko grabbed me with an arm around my waist and lifted me so I was covering the important parts of his body.

“You fucking coward,” I spat. “How the hell did I think you were a good man all this time? You know what, you don’t deserve Jan. Let the man be so he can find a better man to love him.”