Page 56 of Knot That Delicate

Once we were in signal range, but still far away from civilisation, Carter held his mobile in his hands.

“Do you want me to call, or do you want to do it?” Carter asked, turning to me. The cab smelled amazing, all their scents mingling in a way that made my mouth water. The idea of not having them in my life made my stomach twinge uncomfortably.

I shook my head. “I don’t want to,” I said. “You do it.”

Carter picked up the phone and dialed the phone number the sheriff had given him, putting it on speakerphone. A bright, chirpy voice came through almost immediately.

“Hello, welcome to Claremont Haven. How can I help you today?”

Carter cleared his throat. “Hi, yes, I live in the Little Peak region. Urm, I’ve been isolated for the last few months due to landslides, but…” He paused, turning to look at me with a confused expression. “How do I even talk about this?” With a sigh, he turned back to the phone. “Does the name Juniper meananything to you?” he asked, cocking his head to the side, like he was grasping at straws.

I frowned. There was no way the person on the phone would know who I was. I was going to have to explain in copious detail who I was before they could do anything to help me.

The voice on the other end of the phone gasped. “Yes, we are aware of that name. May I ask why you’re calling regarding it?” The voice was tinged with suspicion.

They knew my name? Did that mean Lavender had gotten to safety? She had told the others I was okay? A weight lifted off my chest.

Carter cleared his throat again, and from the back seat, Dylan and Asher leaned in. “So, a few months back now, I was out foraging, and I came across Juniper. She was injured, she was malnourished, and I brought her back to our cabin that me and my pack have in the woods. There was no way we could get her off the mountain, and we have been completely without signal until most of the landslides and inclement weather cleared. Now we’ve gotten signal back, we wanted to reach out and try to figure out how to get her help.”

There was a moment of silence before the voice said, “I’m going to transfer you to our head keeper. Please stay on the line.” They quickly disconnected before another voice picked up only a moment later.

“Hello, this is Keeper Leroy. May I take your name, young man?” The voice was gruff and older in nature.

Carter looked between us. “My name is Carter. We live at Little Peak—you know, up on the mountains—and I believe you’re the nearest Haven to us. I got your information from the local sheriff.”

“Yes, we are the nearest haven to you guys and we do know of the name Juniper. Are you saying she is with you now? Why isn’t she calling us herself?” Leroy’s tone was urgent.

“I’m here,” I said quietly. “I thought it best Carter explained the situation because I wasn’t really sure about the signal and all that. But I’m here, and I’m doing good,” I said, my voice stammering slightly.

“This is really Juniper?” Leroy asked.

I nodded, then realised he couldn’t see me and spoke again. “Yes, it’s really me. I was kidnapped by Alec Morrison and kept in a basement somewhere in dense woodland. I met another omega, Lavender, who helped me escape. We split up, and that’s how I ended up here.”

Everything was going to change, and I wasn’t sure if I liked that.

As Juniper spoke, she bit lightly on her bottom lip and wrapped her arms around herself in a hug, a sign of her anxiety. She shouldn’t have been anxious—she was about to be safe at the Haven. She was going to be reunited with her family. It was the best thing for her.

So, why did I have a pit in my stomach that was gnawing at me?

“I just thought it would be best to contact a Haven because I don’t know my brother’s phone number, but I wanted to get back in touch with my family. Lavender said she knew my family,” Juniper explained.

“Yes, Lavender Rowe is with her pack now, which does include your brother. We are in contact with them because she stayed at our facility for some time before she moved on.”

“Is she okay?” Juniper asked, staring at the phone intently. “We were both injured during the escape. I’ve been so worried about her.”

“She’s good. Happy and bonded to your brother, actually,” he said. I could hear a smile in his voice.

“And Alec, did you catch him?”

“No, we didn’t need to. He was pronounced dead on the scene when police found him. He’s long gone, Juniper,” he assured her.

“Oh, thank god.” She sighed as I lightly gripped her thigh.

Her tormentor was gone.

Juniper was well and truly free.

“Now we must talk urgently about how to get you here. You’re going to need a full medical check. Are you safe? Are you well?” His voice was rushed and slightly panicked. “We can send guards out there within an hour or two, I think. You said you are in Little Peaks. I think we can get there pretty quick,” Leroy said, his voice rushed.

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