Page 5 of Knot Now Knot Ever

I tried to hold on to the here and now, not allowing myself to get lost in my fear and memories of the past, but in my already panicked state, I was helpless.

I was soon transported back in time to the second life-altering moment of my childhood.

There was no thinking, only action.

Nothing was making sense right now, but none of that mattered, not until my Omega was safe in my arms. I’d charged after her in the rain, but it was so hard to see, and I lost track of her. No one would risk looking for a cab when you couldn’t even tell where the street was, so I made the gut choice to head for the underground station. It would probably be the only public transportation still working as long as the tunnels didn’t start to flood.

Stretching my long legs to cover the ground faster without running, I kept my eyes peeled. A pained cry was carried to me in the wind, and I knew it was her. How I could be so certain, I can’t explain, but my Alpha instincts were positive that my Omega was hurt and in danger. Growling in frustration at the rain, I lifted an arm over my eyes to see if that might help, which it did—marginally.

My steps slowed, feeling she had to be close when an ambulance’s lights pierced through the storm, illuminating a woman sprawled in the street. Pure adrenaline coursed through my veins as I ran headlong toward my Omega’s body. I now understood what people meant by seeing their life flash before their eyes. In those few seconds, I came up with five different scenarios on how to handle this situation, trying to determine the best outcome. It came down to two, but I knew there was only one chance.

Running past her, I went right for the ambulance, moving at a speed I guessed to be about that of a school zone. Flinging my arms open and waving, I screamed at the top of my lungs, “Stop!”

The bumper of the vehicle thudded into my thighs as it came to a stop.

“Are you fucking crazy? We could have killed you pulling a stunt like that,” the ambulance driver yelled, getting out of the vehicle.

“My Omega, she’s laying in the road. You need to help her,” I barked out.

This seemed to change the man’s tune, and he waved for his partner to get out as well. “What happened?”

“I’m not sure, she got upset and ran outside. I followed right after her, but with the storm, I lost track of what happened,” I answered, dropping to a knee beside the beautiful woman who’d so suddenly appeared in my life.

When the paramedic reached out for her, she screamed and pulled away. “No, please don’t worry about me… find my mom. She was sitting right next to me, and then the next thing I knew, she was gone.”

It was clear to me that my Omega was terrified even without any kind of bond, giving me insight to her feelings. None of her words made sense, and when I looked into her eyes, there was a distance to them, as if she wasn’t really here with us.

“We’re looking for your mother, but we need to look after you as well,” I reasoned, playing along with the story she was reliving. Slowly, I grasped her hand, and she didn’t flinch away from me, which I was relieved about. “Please let us help you to at least get out of the street. We don’t want to cause another accident.”

Sucking in her bottom lip, I could tell she was torn but then nodded.

“To be safe, I’m going to put this collar on to stabilize your neck, all right?” the paramedic explained as he worked. “Now we’re going to get you on this backboard and get you inside the ambulance where it’s dry. Just stay calm and keep taking nice deep breaths.”

“Do you have someone in the ambulance?” I asked.

“No, we were on our way to a call, but this situation takes priority. Dispatch will send out another unit.” I was told this as the two men carried my Omega to the back of the ambulance. “The visibility is so bad that they want us running with full lights and sirens so we don’t cause an accident ourselves. I’d say it was the right call, considering how this could have turned out.”

Once in the vehicle, the paramedics shifted her to the gurney and dried off parts of her body so they could hook up their monitors. Her honey-blonde hair was slicked to her head, making it look darker than it had in my office. Thankfully, she wasn’t wearing a white button-down shirt with her dark gray pants suit, saving me from having to lose control. There weren’t many things that could make me snap, but the people I cherished getting hurt or in danger were at the top of the list.

Scanning her body for any other visual injuries, I noticed she had no shoes on. The bottom of her feet didn’t look too scratched up, thanks to the rain washing the sidewalks clean.

When the driver left the back of the ambulance to get us on our way, I sat and clasped her hand in both of mine.

“Did you find her?” she whispered. “My mom?”

“They’re still looking,” I offered. “You know she’d want her little girl to be looked after, so that’s what we’re going to do.”

Her hand gripped mine with surprising strength. “You have to find her. She’s all I have left. If she’s gone, then I’m going to be alone. I don’t want to be alone.”

Unable to hold back my need to reassure this treasure that had been dropped in my lap, I lifted her hand to my lips. “You won’t be alone. No matter what happens, I’ll be right here with you.”

“Promise?” Her voice had my heart breaking at the desperation in it.

“I promise, no, not a promise… that’s not strong enough. I vow on my life you will never be alone for as long as I live,” I stated.

Instead of my efforts reassuring her, tears started spilling out of her captivating cerulean gaze. “No, you can’t promise that. Everyone has promised that, and they’ve left me.”

“Sir, either you need to calm her down, or I have to give her something. Her blood pressure and heart rate are way too high,” the paramedic warned.