Page 56 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter twenty-five

Even though I knew Lucian would never let anything happen to me, that didn’t make the anxiety any less real as we all waited for Branko’s answer. Were we going to have to kill everyone, or could we possibly find a way to make this all end peacefully?

“I will let her go only after the rest of your pack shows themselves,” Branko countered. “That’s right, I know you’re all bonded to Dani. What I want to see right now is just how much she means to you. Will you sacrifice yourself to make sure she’s safe?”

Not more than two seconds later, the rest of my guys appeared out of their various hiding places all over the cliffside. Mind you, they still had their guns aimed right at us, but that hadn’t been part of the terms. He’d demanded they show themselves, and that’s what they did. I happened to notice that Victor had a detonator in his hand, almost as a way to prove that they really did set the entrance to blow. Damn, these guys were sneaky.

“Here we are,” Sorin said, as if it had been a magic trick. “Now you’re going to unhand our Omega, and no one has to get hurt. We came to talk. That’s the whole point of us being here.”

“I’m well aware of that fact. Dani’s been telling me all about the adventures she’s been on since she ran from the outpost. What I can’t seem to figure out is why the fuck would you Southern bastards give two shits about helping the heir to the North take over? It seems like killing him would be the better option,” Branko reasoned.

Sorin nodded along as if he agreed with everything the man was saying. “You’re right, it might be the smarter thing to just kill him and be done with it. The problem with that logic, though, is that it does nothing long-term. Sure, we’ve taken out the person who’s going to be in power, but what of the bastard that sits on the throne now? Killing Lucian doesn’t weaken the General. He’s been so careful in building his power structure that no one person could topple him off his pedestal. Wouldn’t it make sense then to have someone with insight into all the inner workings of the North if I’m going to destroy it once and for all?”

“Destroy it…” Branko repeated. “What do you mean, destroy it?”

“Exactly that. I want to take out the General, his underlings, and then stop this goddamn war once and for all,” Sorin announced. “Thing is, the seven of us can’t do that on our own. We need people who want this change as much as we do. The average citizen of the North is beaten down to the point they have no will to hope or believe that a change can be made. So who better than the rebels who are already fighting against the system?”

Branko’s grip started to loosen as he listened, so I decided to take advantage of it. Lifting my leg, I slammed my foot back hitting him right under the knee, where doctors always check reflexes. Branko buckled and tried to steady himself, but my thrashing caused him to stumble and hit the ground on his side. Free from his hold, I rolled away from him and popped up on my feet the best I could, but Victor was already there, hooking me with his arm under my ass. I tossed my arms around his neck so I could hold on as he darted off. Toma and Petru were hot on our heels, leaving Lucian and Sorin to deal with things. It was then I realized Cris hadn’t been with them, which honestly shouldn’t be a surprise since they didn’t like to put him in harm’s way. We ducked under a ledge that took us down a narrow path with rock walls on either side. When we came out the other side, it opened up into a grotto of sorts. There was another way out that looked like a similar path, although you could also climb up.

Had this been how Lucian got behind them without being noticed?

All thoughts ceased as Victor slammed his lips to mine and kissed me until I was breathless. A blade glided along the skin of my inner arm as someone cut the bindings off of me. The second I was free, someone pulled me from Victor and crushed me in a hug.

“Wildflower, I thought we told you never to scare us like that again,” Petru mumbled against my neck.

I hugged him back just as tightly. “I’m so sorry, I tried to get away, but they tied me up and kept my head covered the whole time we were walking to the cave.”

Another body pressed up against my back hugging Petru and me. Toma buried his face on the other side of my neck, so I was wrapped up in them both, cloaked in their scents. It was soothing, yet I knew we didn’t have time for this. “Guys, I know we’re all really happy to be together again, but we need to talk about what’s happening. Lucian and Sorin better leave them alive, or they’ll fuck this up for us.”

The two Alphas separated and set me down, only for Cris to grab my face and kiss me roughly. I slid my arms around him knowing he needed to make sure I was okay before we could move on. Breaking the kiss, he leaned his forehead against mine as we both caught our breath.

“Sorry, I just had to,” Cris apologized, pressing one more quick kiss on my lips.

Twisting in his arms when he didn’t seem like he was going to let go, I faced the others. “What happened? How did they get the drop on us?”

Toma hung his head, which told me he’d been the one on watch when it happened. “I went to wake Lucian up for his turn and before I could, a dart hit me right in the chest, quickly followed by another. They took out everyone simultaneously and I managed to stay alert long enough to realize what was happening, but that’s it.”

“They used a sleeping nightshade. It’s a toxic plant that, if too much is used, could kill a person. Thankfully whoever made the darts knew what they were doing and just knocked everyone out. I woke up first and was able to get meds into them before things got too bad. Once everyone was recovered, we came after you,” Cris explained.

Toxic darts? Who would have ever thought of such a thing? Branko did say they were stealing supplies, but what if they didn’t have enough weapons or ammo? It would make sense that they’d need to devise a different plan to fight.

“Tell me, Little Spark, did they do anything to you?” Victor asked as his hands balled into fists.

“No,” I answered and shook my head. “They tied me up, tossed me over someone’s shoulder, and then I ended up in the cave. I have to ask…were you really going to blow up the cave?”

Victor grinned. “Why on earth would I do that? I could have hurt you.”

“I knew it,” I blurted, pointing a finger. “I mean, I didn’t know it but I guessed you might have been bluffing. But damn, you guys put on a good show.”

“There was no other way we could think of to get you outside the cave except you managed to convince that asshole to do it all on your own,” Toma muttered. “Was that man special to you, back at the outpost?”

I burst out laughing from seeing Toma’s jealous expression, looking like he’d just eaten a lemon. “No, he was one of the guards at the breeder house. Not to mention he was in a relationship with the doctor and, as I’ve come to learn, also married. Those two kept an eye on me when Lucian was sent off on missions. They were friends of a sort.”

“Ah, so that’s how he knew you were a fighter,” Petru determined. “I couldn’t figure out why he would know something like that about you.”

“That’s because he had to break up most of my fights regarding the other women in the breeder house. There’s a chance once or twice he might have stepped in when I was about to start a fight with another soldier as well,” I shared. “You have nothing to worry about in that regard. I have zero interest in anyone but you six.”

A collective sigh of relief could be heard from each of them at this news, making me smile.