Page 7 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

“All I’m trying to say is that we need to be prepared for the fact that she might not let us kill him. If given a chance to come back to us, I believe she’d say yes. It didn’t sound like she wanted to go with him at all. The major problem is they’re now bonded,” I reminded them.

Cris dropped to his knees, looking absolutely dejected. “Then there’s nothing we can do. The law is clear on this. If she’s bonded to him, then he is her pack and we can’t claim her as long as he’s still alive. Danella, as jaded and as fierce as she is, won’t let us kill him to free her. Guys, we’ve lost her.”

“No, I refuse to believe that,” Petru growled. “The fates gave her to us. She’s ours, I know she is. Even just the week she spent with us felt like she belonged in our family and was the missing piece to the unit we’ve always been looking for. She can’t be lost to us.”

“The law—” Cris started.

“Fuck the goddamn law,” Victor blurted. “When we get to her and give her the chance to choose for herself what she wants, then we’ll figure out what to do. No one but the five of us knows about Lucian bonding to her. If the fucker will leave us the hell alone and kill off his old man, then I say more power to him. With the fucking war over no one’s gonna give two shits about what happens with our Omega.”

“What if she doesn’t come back?” Toma murmured. “What if she chooses him? A connection like theirs, forged through the fires of survival, is strong, and now if they are bonded for real it will only make that connection even stronger.”

Victor slammed his fist into Toma’s shoulder, almost knocking the man off his feet. “I’m gonna need you to keep shit like that to yourself, fucker. You can think it all you want, but don’t you utter a goddamn word of it where the fates or whoever fucking else can hear you. There is no way I’m gonna let anything keep me from getting to my Little Spark.”

“Damn it, Vic, you don’t need to break my fucking arm,” Toma groaned, rubbing the spot he was hit. “How helpful will I be if I only have one arm to use?” Victor just grunted at the man and flipped him off.

“So what’s the plan?” Petru asked. “That river runs fast. There's no telling how far they were swept downriver.”

“My bet is Lucian will drag her out in the shallows a few miles down the way where it slows down. There’s also a pretty dense forest in that area as well making for good coverage,” I said, pulling the map out of my pack and kneeling to spread it on the ground. “The bad part of all this is the forest is fairly extensive and runs for miles.”

“I could get some drones to cover the area,” Toma offered.

Glancing up at him, I quirked a brow. “What exactly would you tell the drone team you’re looking for?”

“Ah fuck,” he swore, kicking a rock into the field. “Forgot we need to do this off-grid. If the brass finds out Lucian mother fucking Bakal is here, then they’ll send out a whole strike team of men.”

“Not that they would have a chance hunting them down. We’re the only ones who can pull it off as it is,” Victor pointed out. “Let’s just tell the drone team we think someone from the attack on the plant might have snuck off into the forest and we could use some backup. This way, there are eyes on the area but nothing too suspicious. They’ll also tell us first.”

“That’s a better plan, but I really want to keep this just between us,” I countered. “The more people who know there's trouble, the more we need to lie or dodge questions. I don’t want there to be more for us to combat with once we get back to base. Think long-term, men, because the moment that Omega is back in our care, I don’t plan on her ever fucking leaving again.”

Everyone mutters their agreement, nodding their heads at that.

“Do we take the Humvee?” Petru asked. “They’ll be able to track our movements with that.”

That had me thinking we needed the speed to catch up, but on the other hand, I certainly didn’t want the higher-ups to know what was going on. “I say we go on foot. We know this land like the back of our hands and once we hit the forest we won’t be able to use it. My plan is to call in and let them know the plant is safe and no longer in danger. However, we feel that the attack might be to test out our response time for another attack, and it might be wise to let us camp out at a distance to ensure nothing comes of it. That will give us a few days before we have more questions to answer about what's taking so long.”

“What if Lucian is telling the truth and he wants to kill his father,” Cris interjected. The guys glared at him like he was being a fool to believe anything that was said, but he ignored them to hold his gaze on me. “It’s something we should consider, Major. If there is even the smallest glimmer of a chance this war could end with his help, I think it should at least be discussed.”

The Beta made a fair point. If Lucian were indeed planning to take out his father, it would be worth a conversation. “I will make a call on that matter once I get a better handle on the situation as a whole. Danella comes first, then whatever else must be dealt with happens afterward.”

Cristofor nodded, letting the matter drop as I folded the map and stood. “Alright, let’s head back to the Humvee, get the supplies we need, and get a move on it. They already have a head start on us, so let’s not waste daylight. We’ll rest for the night and hit it hard at first light since we aren’t equipped with gear for a night search.”

Everyone fell in line as we jogged back to the Humvee, which took half the time since we didn’t need to worry about stealth. With the ease of practice, we gathered what we could use, packed up, and headed out to find our Omega and bring her back home.