Page 68 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Dani stiffened next to me, and I could feel a zing of irritation coming from her. Our feisty Omega noticed, just as we all did the veiled barb in that question, and Dani wasn’t one to let that shit slide.

“Lucian and I discussed the best way to handle this conversation last night,” Sorin responded. “Both of us know the same information and collaborate on almost everything. Although I felt that out of the two of us, Lucian needed to convince you that he was sincere. It’s expected that I would welcome the chance to take out General Rasvan and end the war. What isn’t as believable is his heir, who’s been trained since a young age to believe that the North must win at all costs, is willing to throw that aside and work alongside my men.”

“Your men,” The councilwoman quipped. “Are you referring to the other men within your pack?”

“Yes, I am the commanding officer of our unit in the eyes of the Southern Military,” Sorin answered.

I applauded his skill in sharing only what she asked for and nothing else. So many people felt they needed to prove themselves every chance they could, but all they did was overshare and give people more ammunition with which they could shoot us. It was clear he was a politician's son in the way he could word things and turn the tide on the other person without them seeing it.

“Fascinating,” Councilman Filip murmured. “So the only thing connecting you two is this lovely lady you’ve carefully placed between yourselves?”

“That is how our pack was created, but it’s not the only thing that brings us together,” I answered. “All of us do what we do in an effort to make the world safer for the people we protect. Once the dream of ending the war came into existence, we found another link in that. From there, as I’ve gotten to know the fellow men of my pack, we share much in common. Yet if you ask any of us, we will happily admit our love for this woman is the most important part of what we share.”

The man actually smiled at that and turned to Nadeja with an expression I knew well. They were profoundly in love with each other even as she tried to ignore his look. Still, she gave in and finally reached for his hand.

“I would say the same is true for us, wouldn’t you agree?” Councilman Filip questioned.

“Flip,” she warned him. “This is not the time or place.”

“Oh, relax, Naddie,” Councilman Libor said as he leaned back in his seat. “It’s obvious these three aren’t going to judge us from the way they freely talk about their own partner.”

“Hold on,” Dani blurted as she charged forward. I immediately grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back. That got me a glare, but over the years, I’d gotten used to them and now I found them rather adorable on her. “Really? I wasn’t going to do anything stupid.”

“I didn’t think you were, but the guards in the room might not have felt the same way,” I reasoned, gesturing with my chin in the direction of the two men with guns at the ready who paused in their approach.

She swore under her breath, although instead of fighting against me, she resigned herself and relaxed. But if I thought she’d given up on whatever mission she’d been on, I was mistaken.

“It was mentioned that you were Branko’s mother. Is that true?” Dani asked rather bluntly.

I cringed internally, but then I remembered that this is who she was. A ball buster in the best way and one of the reasons I fell head over heels for her.

“That is true…” Nadeja answered hesitantly. “I’m not sure how this pertains to anything, though.”

“Both of those men are your partners…husbands… lovers? Whatever you want to call them, they’re both in love with you, and you're in love with them, correct?” Dani pressed, utterly ignoring that this woman did not want to have this conversation with us.

“Ms. Holstad,” Filip said, drawing Dani’s attention. “Would you mind sharing with us what information you're trying to gather with these questions? It’s not that we are by any means trying to be evasive. However, these are rather personal inquiries that don’t have anything to do with why you’re here.”

Dani took a deep breath and centered herself before she spoke again. Through our bond, I could feel something about all this was upsetting her, yet I couldn’t figure out what it could be.

“Forgive me. I was getting ahead of myself, and I’m sure that came across as me being rude,” Dani expressed. “Branko and I were friends back at the outpost where you placed him. During that time, I noticed that he and our medic developed an intimate relationship. No, that’s not the right term. They were and still are in love with each other, but when Branko came back here, he broke things off with Jan because he is married to a woman here. With the nature of his mission, I understand why he couldn’t tell Jan about his wife, but he didn’t need to cut the man out of his life, either. We, as a society, are wired to have more than one partner. It’s those who only end up having one I feel are the odd ones out, not the other way around.”

The look on Nadeja’s face told me she had no clue about any of this. Even I could attest to the fact that while the two of them kept things discreet, it was no secret they were a couple. It wasn’t something as a commander that I should have let carry on. However, personally, I felt there was no need. They both performed their duties and never let their connection impede what needed to be done.

“Bran, my son, has another partner?” Nadeja questioned.

“Sort of,” Dani answered, teetering her hand from side to side. “Bran told me when they left the outpost to return here, and he brought the Omegas, he broke things off with Jan telling him about his wife. What I don’t understand is why would he see it as such a betrayal if he sees you happy and in love with more than one person?”

Nadeja’s shoulders sagged, and immediately her partners reached out to reassure her. “That’s my fault, I suppose. You see, neither of these men is Branko’s father. I met them both after my late husband died protecting a group on a supply run. Here I was, the first woman to be on the council, with a wonderful husband and a smart, caring son, and in the blink of an eye it was gone. Then one day, things didn't go as planned, and the Northern soldiers retaliated. They managed to kill two others, including my husband. Branko was at the impressionable age of sixteen and idolized his father above all else. Losing Matej was so much harder on Bran than I ever dreamed it would be. Overwhelmed by my own grief, I didn’t handle things as well as I should have when Libor and Filip started making their interest known a year later. I acted selfishly trying to find happiness again in my life, and soon the three of us were in love and became a family. Branko saw this as a betrayal of his father. That’s when he began to do everything in his ability to distance himself from us, not wanting to have any part in my new life.”

Hearing this story made me think of my own feelings regarding my parents. Never had my father shown much loyalty to my mother. She was one of many Omegas he kept for himself. However, I could completely understand the feelings Branko was experiencing in this situation. If his mother truly loved his father, how could she turn her back on him and create a whole new life with these two men?

“Dearest, you can’t keep beating yourself up for this,” Filip urged, grasping her one hand in both of his. “As Ms. Holstad keenly pointed out, we’re meant to foster more than single relationships. If it’s true that Bran has come to realize this by unexpectedly falling for another, then this might be the perfect time to try reaching out. He’s returned from his mission alive after three years, now would be the perfect time to offer an olive branch.”

Clearing my throat intentionally to catch their attention, I added my thoughts. “I, of course, can’t speak on your family’s particular situation but I can share from my own. Having grown up in the heart of the North, spoon-fed the ideology that my father wants everyone to believe, I understand where your son is coming from. While I can clearly see with my own eyes and hear that you view relationships as essential, there is still an undercurrent of what the North has forced you to believe. Many who join you don’t know how to have a healthy relationship or even comprehend the possibility that you can genuinely care for more than one person and not have those feelings taken away from someone else.

The love you have from one person to another is different, not less, not more, just different. Yet how long have we been told that feelings and attachments to others are worthless? It will only lead to pain and heartache, so why bother at all? Just use each other, take what you need, and move on. It makes things so much more straightforward. Now here is Branko, a man who believes in loyalty above all else, doing what’s right by his wife since he committed to her first. Only then did he meet Jan, and those perceived lines blurred until they were gone and new connections were built. I will bet you everything in the world he still loves Jan, and it’s killing him to know he’s hurt him so badly,” I shared, no longer looking at them but at the woman in my arms.

“Interestingly enough, this was the dynamic that occurred between Danella and me. While our stories are distinctly different in many ways, I understand his feelings. I was forced to find the best way to be loyal to my father and protect the woman I love. The only thing I could come up with was to keep her at a distance and stay silent about my feelings. As much as I wanted to show her the real me, it was too dangerous to be that vulnerable. Except no matter how hard I tried, my love only grew. Then she found Sorin and his pack sending me into a tailspin,” I admitted. “There was a desperation to get her back and selfishly keep her to myself after seeing how happy she was and it was as if Sorin and his team had the skill to get Danella to bloom where I was stunting her growth. This feeling had me doing irrational things that were so impulsive and unlike me. Never had I wanted to take choices away from her, especially after all she’d been through. Then I did the one thing that honestly I should never be forgiven for,” I murmured, tracing a finger over both my marks on her neck, causing a slight hitch in her breath at the touch.