Page 30 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

I turn a furious look on Rolly. “This body is mine.”

He flinches. “I’m not saying-”

“I can come and go as I please.”

“Of course, you can-”

“Furthermore, I do not answer to you. I’m not your omega.”

Blaze, Rolly, Sage, and King whip their heads towards me.

I watch the alphas inhale and catch the muted scent.

“Beta,” I say slowly, enunciating the word almost like I’m mocking them. “I’m here because she went into heat, but he needs our help. Therefore, the heat has to wait.”

“You would put off having your heat to protect Daega?” Rose whispers.

Shit!

I tear my gaze from him, shaking my head at my stupidity. “Guide the raft, the damn sun’s setting, and I refuse to die here.”

“You’re very bossy, Raven. I like it,” Sage murmurs and winks at me.

I scoff and shift my weight, watching the whitecaps. We just need to get through this next bit, and we’ll be much deeper in the park. It’s safer there. The maps I’ve memorized are coming in handy.

So are all the lessons I made us study. I read the water and murmur directions to Blaze. He relays it to the others, not even questioning whether I know what I’m talking about. He’s either an idiot or he trusts me, but why would he trust me? What have I done to earn that trust?

The canyon walls build up until we’re almost squeezed in. The rapids get quick. Doing it in near dark is dangerous, but certain death awaits us back there. I’m sure we were being followed.

There’s no sign, there rarely is, but it’s a feeling, something that just hits all the alters but few seldom recognise what it is.

I grip the safety rope of the raft and watch the river. I don’t pray. There’s no point; no one answered us before. Instead, I prepare myself to fight my way through, to survive as I always do.

It’s always like this.

An eternity passes, and then suddenly, we’re on the other side, and the water slows. Blaze says something, but I’m still trying to grasp the concept that we survived. We continue to float down the river in the dark until Blaze points.

“That’s the spot.”

They steer the raft to the left side of the river. We hit with a soft bump. I stand up and jump out, catching the rope that’s thrown to me.

In minutes, the raft is hidden, and we’ve melted into the dark, disappearing like we were never here.

Still, I cast a look back. We’re going to be at our most vulnerable, I have to make sure there is no chance of us being found. They pick a camp, and I melt away, dragging that bag out. I make it back to the river and strip until I’m naked, the bag clenched in my teeth.

The water is icy, but I keep going until I’m thigh-deep, then I plunge in and swim across as fast as I can. Once I’m on the other side, I look back, seeing no one there. I turn and plunge into the forest, running barefoot back the way we came. Every now and then, I open the bag and drop a rag that is coated in our omega scent.

It takes most of the night, but I manage to leave forty scent trails that go deep into the forest and end at various places. It will buy time. That’s all I can hope for.

I wearily stumble back to the river and slip back in. It’s colder this time, deeper, faster. I’m tired, and my arms and legs ache. The urge to just let go and let it take me to the bottom is strong.

I miss the bank and groan as I’m slammed into the side of a massive rock. Water gets in my mouth, and I cough, struggling weakly.

I’m plucked out of the water and into massive arms. All I can feel is relief.

He puts me down, helping me to stand, and I find myself face to face with Rolly. He’s not who I thought would be out here saving me.

“You want to explain?”