Page 21 of Knot All Is Ruined: Part 2

Chapter ten

The rage I’d been holding back this whole time we’d been looking for Dani came rushing out like a tidal wave. I wanted nothing more than to beat this motherfucker’s face in for what he’d taken from her. The one thing Dani treasured most in life was the ability to make her own choices, to have her voice heard. Now this jackass went and bonded her to him without even bothering to warn her.

In my need as an Alpha to keep what was mine, I understood, except I wasn’t just my designation and would not let that dictate what I did or how I acted. Dani and so many other Omegas have been oppressed, forced into lives and packs they never wanted. I had hoped to give her that chance to pick what she wanted, even if it was to walk away from us. Now she’d never know what that felt like because of this man.

“You don’t have to tell me what I did was selfish. I’m fully aware,” Lucian spat. “I showed up to rescue her from you and your men, but when I tried to get her to come with me, she said no. What was I supposed to do?”

“You can’t seriously be asking me that,” I answered, shaking my head and tossing him aside. “So your answer to a woman telling you no, she doesn’t want to go with you, is to force her? Do you realize how fucked up that is?”

Lucian stumbled but remained on his feet as he glared at me. I could see the resemblance to his father in his eyes, but there wasn’t the callousness I remember seeing in them. Anyone with eyes could see that he genuinely cared for Dani. What I took issue with was how he handled the situation. Granted, I don’t know how else all of that would’ve gone down, because the second I showed up on the scene, I would have blown his head off. How in the hell had my unit ended up with the one woman who’d be tied to the Northern heir? Petru would tell us it was fate bringing us together so that we could end the war and live happily ever after, but it was a hard pill to swallow.

“Don’t you fucking dare make this sound like I’m the only one crazy enough to do something like that. Are you telling me that if she looked you in the face and told you to leave, that you’d do it? It’s obvious all of you feel as strongly for her as I do, but keep in mind she’s been with me for three years. I know Dani. I’ve seen her at her lowest point hungry, homesick, and losing hope that she’d ever get the chance to make a run for it. What’s worse is that I was powerless to do anything about it. I couldn’t comfort her, offer the hope she desperately needed, or give the simple gesture of hugging her,” Lucian raged. “Did she tell you she made rules for things between us? That first day we met with a backbone of steel and she told me if she was going to agree to the only thing that would keep her safe, I had to abide by her demands.”

“What the fuck does that have to do with this? She should have rules for her own goddamn body,” I argued.

Lucian growled and started to pace. “I’m trying to show you that I did the best for her from the very beginning. If I were any other Northerner, her demands would have been ignored. Worse yet, they’d have sold her out for being unable to reproduce. The moment she had that brand on her neck, she was mine to protect, which I’ve done to the best of my abilities. When she wouldn’t leave with me, I had to make a choice, and that choice was to ensure no one could take her from me. Was it selfish? Yes, but what would have happened if she stayed with you and they figured out what that brand on her neck meant? They would have labeled her a danger to your people, tortured her for information, then killed her. With me, I could do whatever was needed to protect her from anyone and anything.”

I scoffed at him in disgust. “Do you think I’m weak or don’t have my own weight to throw around where it counts? I keep my head down and choose to keep my life separate from that of my father’s. With one word, I could be pulled from the military and have a seat on the advisory board. That alone would be all the power I need to ensure Dani has the life she deserves.” Rubbing my hands over my bald head, I groaned in frustration at knowing that none of this mattered now. What was done was done, and I needed to deal with it accordingly.

“That’s what I’m trying to do now, give her the life she should have had all along. Once my father and those loyal to him are gone, I can rebuild. My country is dying, if not already past saving. If things continue as they are even for another two or three years, there will be nothing left for the South to take over,” Lucian expressed, waving his hands furiously. “You and I both love that woman, as do your men. She needs me, needs us, together as a pack. However, if it’s ever going to work, that starts with us. I wasn’t lying when I said I’d do whatever it took to keep her safe and loved, so tell me what needs to happen. How can we start to build a bridge and meet in the middle?”

“Is this how you got her to forgive you? Pretty words and promises of a bright future?” I challenged.

His brows shot up, and a bark of laughter escaped him. “You think she’s forgiven me?”

“We all have noses. I know you’ve fucked and knotted her in your time together,” I retorted.

“Have you not been paying attention to our story? Sex is nothing new to us,” Lucian said, crossing his arms as he squared up to me. “Dani didn’t know if you would come for her, and life has taught her nothing but to expect the worst. She told me that because we’re bonded, it left her no choice but to make the best of it. Me, forgiven? Absolutely not, but she’s also come to terms with the fact she won’t be rid of me until death. Dani is the queen of adapting, only to find a way to use it to her advantage. The advantage I bring to the table is ending the war.”

I had to admit that sounded like something Dani would do, taking the good with the bad. What I couldn’t wrap my head around, though, is how she let him touch her so intimately. It had taken such baby steps for us to get her comfortable with casual touches. Sexual advances were different as I thought about that time with her in the bathroom. I also know she’d stumbled upon more than one intimate moment between Toma, Petru, and Cris. They were about as subtle as an elephant in a small room when they got going. None of that seemed to bother her, but when one of us tried to cuddle up with her, that’s when the walls went up. I’d been shocked when she let Petru hold her on the couch moments ago. Was it the fact she thought she’d lost us that got her to open up some more? Or possibly it was because she realized how wonderful affection could be now that she was bonded. None of that mattered when there was a sign of progress between us all.

Now I was left with the challenging task of figuring out how to blend our two worlds together.

“You want to build a bridge between us?” I asked, to which he nodded his agreement. “Then, while we are in Southern territory, you listen to my orders. Once we’re in your stomping grounds, I’ll do the same and defer to your calls. You don’t know the in’s and out’s of this country, and I don’t know yours. If we can agree to respect each other’s knowledge of our own countries, it’s a good place to start.”

“So are you asking me to be one of your men here in the South, or are we equals?” Lucian countered.

That I had to mull over since he made a good point. It wasn’t realistic to expect him to be a subordinate to me when we were of equal rank, per se. He was probably above me, but I wasn’t going to be the one to point it out, not yet, at least.

“You and I will be considered equals, but you will defer to my judgment if I give an order. I’m open to hearing your suggestions, but if we’re out on a mission, my orders will be listened to. As for my men, treat them like they are a unit under another commander who’s assisting. They are not yours to boss around, yet they must also respect the rank,” I explained. “Do you agree to these terms?”

Lucian extended a hand. “As long as the same rules apply once we get to the North, I’m in agreement.”

Grasping his hand, I shook it. Then, in a last-second decision, I slammed my opposite hand into his jaw. Groaning at the impact, he stumbled back, clutching his cheek and swearing.

“Fuck,” he snarled. “That is one hell of a left hook, asshole.”

Grinning, I slapped him on the back a little harder than I needed to, but it certainly made me feel better. “You’ll live even if there’ll be one hell of a bruise. Let’s be honest, though, you deserved it. I went easy on you because I didn’t want to wake Dani from you getting your ass beat.”

Lucian muttered something under his breath but followed me back into the cabin. Glancing at the chair, I noticed it was empty, although Petru was just stepping out of the bunk room. He caught my eye and gave me a nod letting me know he’d taken care of her. It was odd how having her part of our unit wasn’t taking any adjusting at all. Each of us seemed to naturally step into any area that needed our attention, and that skill was being applied to our Dani-girl. The smells coming from the kitchen area had my stomach growling with excitement. None of us had eaten much today, and power bars only got you so far.

Victor looked past me at Lucian and gave an approving grunt. “Expected you to come back looking like you went through a meat grinder when he was done with you.”

“He was too concerned about Dani to get in the damage he wanted to, though I’m sure you’ll all find your ways to make me pay for what I did,” Lucian sighed, dropping down to sit at the kitchen table.

“For a Northerner, you’re giving into all this awfully easy,” Victor commented, pointing a knife at him. “Just so you and I are on the same page. If you pull another kidnap-her-and-disappear bullshit, I’ll kill you dead. Yeah, she might not forgive me, but I’ll still know I kept my promise to keep her safe no matter what.”

My brows rose at this declaration. Vic didn’t make idle threats, and if he was laying down the law for Lucian, it would be the only warning he got. The two men glared at each other, almost as if it was some kind of mental pissing match to see who was stronger. If Toma hadn’t walked between them to bring something to Cris, I’m not sure either of them would have given in. While everyone in this house, aside from Cris and Dani, were Alphas, we all exhibited that trait differently.