Page 76 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter thirty-two

War was exhausting.

It forces you to give a hundred percent every day all day long. Since that first battle, we’ve taken out four other bases and one more training camp, leaving the General with one left. Our plan to recruit along the way has been the most miraculous part of all this. As we took over bases with established soldiers, convincing them to join us was easier. They were so sick and tired of starving, day in and day out, and fearing a simple scratch might get infected and they die a horrible death. We didn’t have to convince them how shit their life was— they were well aware of it.

The influx of soldiers took some to adjust, since we now had more mouths to feed. We took all the supplies from the bases, meager as they were, and that helped to balance things slightly. Oscad willingly supplied rations and other supplies we needed, but Lucian and Sorin wanted to do that as minimally as possible. They were thankful for the assistance but didn’t want to abuse the newly forged alliance when we didn’t have much to offer in return. Marius explained it was an investment in the future and had no problem helping however he could. Even still, the pride of Asturg men was something that couldn’t be changed and I believe that with Savo’s help, everyone agreed it would be food assistance only for the time being.

Out of the twenty bases and outposts that covered Northern Asturg, we now controlled five at the country's center. Lucian had plotted this on purpose since it would force the General to send his men, but they would have to travel for two or three days to get from Stalhold City to us. That way when we took the secondary group of soldiers Oscad was sending, they couldn’t return to fight in time, leaving the city defenseless. There’s been no word yet if the General has deployed them, but I believe once word of the second training camp we took yesterday will seal the deal.

“Dani-girl, take a break and come eat something,” Sorin urged from the doorway to the infirmary.

I shifted in my chair, which was placed next to the bed where a very pregnant Omega was resting. This training camp had a breeding house, and two of the women were pregnant. Except this poor girl had gotten sick. No one knew what caused it, but she had an extremely high fever and was spotting. Cris and I worked all night long to get the fever to break and now she was finally resting peacefully. We’d needed someone to watch over her, so I volunteered knowing if she woke she’d feel better seeing a woman by her side.

“I can’t leave, not until she wakes up,” I whispered.

Sorin’s gaze softened at my words. “I figured you’d say that, so I asked Tiffany if she would sit with her while you took a break.” He stepped to the side, revealing the woman behind him.

Tiffany was a Beta that we’d rescued from a breeder house on one of the other bases. She wanted nothing more than to learn to fight and protect herself. So she stayed with us instead of heading to the refugee camp Oscad set up for women such as herself. To see a woman like her bound and determined to take back her life was inspiring and it became something we bonded over.

“Go on, girl, I got this,” Tiffany assured me as she rested a hand on my shoulder. “I know right where to find you or Cris if anything happens. You won’t be of any help to anyone if you don’t get some sleep or eat something.”

Letting out a sigh, I gave in. Tiffany pulled me to my feet proving just how tired I actually was. Glancing back at the woman whose name no one knew, since she didn’t speak a word, or so the other girls told us. Her heart-shaped face was finally relaxed as she rested. I’d instantly become attached to her because of how young she was, reminding me of Tori when she first arrived at the Care Center. Everything in me wanted to protect and keep her safe from the world that saw her as nothing but a breeder. People like her drove me to keep fighting this war even if I was bone-deep tired and pushing myself to the max. It would be worth it when I knew places like breeding houses would never exist again.

Sorin took my hand and led me down the hall and out into the midday sunshine. The hot season was officially upon us and it was brutal for everyone as we marched from location to location. Thankfully Oscad provided special additives to help combat dehydration and heat stroke. I turned to head for the mess hall, only Sorin just shook his head and tugged me to follow him into another building up a flight of stairs. Eventually, we ended up in what looked like an officer's quarters that reminded me a lot of Lucian’s apartment above the supply depot. The rest of the guys were also there with a huge wooden basin that had steaming water in it.

“Is that a bath?” I questioned.

“Damn, it's been so long she doesn’t even remember what a bath is,” Victor teased, for which I flipped him off, making him smile. “Ah, so she’s not tired enough to have lost her sass. Good to know. Now get naked and hop in.”

Too tired to argue, I stripped off my uniform, cursing that it was all black and with Toma’s help climbed into the bath. I let out a little whine of pleasure as I sank into the water. “Oh god, this is amazing.”

“We figured you could use a little pampering,” Toma mentioned as he soaped up a cloth and started to wash my arm. “War doesn’t give many opportunities for us to dote on you like Omegas need, although we’re trying our best to find ways to make that happen. So lay back, relax, and leave this to us.”

They didn’t have to tell me twice. Within minutes I was happily dozing as Victor washed my hair and Toma scrubbed every inch of my sore, tired body. When they were both done, Cris massaged a balm with a wonderful cooling effect that helped my sore muscles ache a little less. It would come as no surprise that I fell asleep in the middle of that. When I woke up, Lucian and Sorin were wrapped around me and the sky was dark. My stomach growled, letting me know that was the reason I’d awoken.

Crawling out from between the two, they didn’t ever stir, indicating they were just as tired as I was. I pulled on a clean uniform and stepped out of the bedroom into the living room kitchen area. Searching through the cabinets, not seeing any food, I knew the mess hall would have some for those who were on watch duty. Jotting down a note, I left it on the counter and headed downstairs. As I crossed the open space between the officers building to the mess hall, a hand clamped over my mouth and I was dragged into the shadows.

The acrid scent of musky cologne told me it wasn’t one of my guys playing a joke on me. Once this realization occurred I reacted, thrashing around, kicking, and even nailing the man in the gut with my elbow. There was a grunt of pain from my attacker before I was slammed into a wall and pinned there with his body. Then he shoved a cloth in my mouth to keep me quiet and free his hands.

“You fucking whore, how dare you attack me,” the man snarled.

There was something familiar about his voice, but I couldn’t quite place how I knew it.

“Do you have any idea what you’ve done? How you’ve ruined my life, you fucking bitch,” he spat, his stench coating my mouth and nose making me want to gag. Never had I experienced an Alpha who affected me in such a way, yet it was a visceral disgust that had every hair on my body standing on end. “Since you’ve fucked me over so badly, I think I’m going to do the same to you. I should get something out of this, right?”

Terror shot through me, and I reached out desperately to any of my guys through our bond. As the man started to pull at my clothes, I tried to scream and fight, never allowing myself to give up. I wouldn’t be a victim again. I’d become a soldier, a damn good one who was almost as good a shot as Petru.

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing to my woman,” Cris roared, followed by the sound of fist hitting flesh, and I was freed.

Yanking out the cloth, I turned to see who’d attacked me to find Cris’s father sprawled out on the ground. Confusion had me faltering in my plan to beat the shit out of the person who dared lay a hand on me.

“Dad?” Cris said in disbelief, his gun still trained on the man. “What the fuck are you doing here, and what the hell are you attacking Dani for?”

“It’s your fault. I should have killed you the moment you found out what I really was. Then none of this would have happened because you never would have saved her,” his father spluttered, eyes wild.

Cris lowered his gun, brows creased. “What nonsense are you saying? What does Dani have to do with me finding out you’re from the North?”

“You truly are an idiot, aren’t you?” He laughed, tossing back his head. “God, I should never have let your mother raise you. Maybe you would have been more useful to me rather than destroying everything. The General thinks I’m to blame for letting all this happen. That I should have known my own son would band together with that bastard son of his and start a war within their own country. I got those men passed the border to kill that son of a bitch, and then I find out you’re the ones who took them out, leaving me a mess to clean up.”