Page 40 of Knot Dead Yet

“Not a rock.” I was bursting to tell her what Sara was, but I wanted to see her reaction when we got there. I’d loaded up the SUV with snacks and drinks, and I would have loved to be able to spend the entire day at our destination, but we had to be back for the game.

“Just tell me then.” Kienna poked me and smirked.

“Nope.” I grinned as she stuck her tongue out in response. “Alright, I’ll give you a clue. We’re going to a part of the Spruce Woods Provincial Park.”

“Ooo-kay.” Her brows furrowed. “It better not be a big tree. Even if it’s a really big tree, I don’t see why you’re so excited about it.”

“It’s not a tree, but Spruce Woods is a beautiful place. It has several unique ecosystems. I spent a lot of my childhood out in nature, and other than the rink, it’s my favorite place to be.” I wanted to share my love of the outdoors with her, my love of this land. It was a stab to the heart every time she said she didn’t want to be in Winnipeg and that it was boring to be stuck in the middle of nowhere. Manitoba had so much to offer, and I hoped to open her eyes to those possibilities.

“Hence all the pretty photos you’ve taken.” Kienna popped another donut hole into her mouth and chased it down with some water. Her lips had some sugar on them and my cock twitched, already half hard being in the car with her. Her sweet scent filled my head and made it so I could only think of her.

“The photos don’t do the real sights justice. It’s absolutely gorgeous out here.” I was a small town Canadian boy who loved his home, and I got teased for it, but it never diminished my love for this place. “I’ve been really lucky to be able to play for the Rampage and continue to live in Manitoba. I realize that I might have to move to the city of whichever NHL team recruitsthe pack, but I want to come back after my hockey career is over. With the vast wilderness in the province, I want to start up an adventure park to help people appreciate what Manitoba has to offer.”

“An adventure park?” Kienna perked up in her seat. “Like an amusement park?”

“No, no.” I laughed. “An adventure park with zip lining, rock climbing, bouldering, four wheeler trails in the summer and snowmobile trails in the winter, hiking and snowshoeing, skiing, fishing, and camping. I like caving too, but there aren’t any in this area.”

“That sounds like a lot of fun. I’d love to do all those things. There’s so many things people won’t let Omegas do because they think we’re too delicate.” She rolled her eyes at that.

“Delicate? They clearly haven’t met the beautiful pink haired powerhouse of an Omega in my car then.” I didn’t think for a second she was fragile, but it still didn’t stop me from wanting to protect her from any danger. These past few hours we had alone together cemented the fact I knew she was meant for our pack, meant for me. Since she had been avoiding any contact with Kane for some reason, it was up to me to change her mind about staying.

I glimpsed at a road sign as we zoomed by and grinned. “Okay. We’re getting close. So you don’t ruin the surprise, I want you to close your eyes until we’re parked. You’re going to love Sara.”

Kienna closed her eyes and cocked her head. “I feel a little jealous for all the fuss you’re making over her. She better be one helluva gal.”

Laughing again, I drove us into the lot and parked. The area in Spruce Woods was beautifully maintained and sat on the edge of Spirit Sands. Some people called it Manitoba’s desert,but there was too much precipitation for the official label. Yet in the spring with all the wildflowers, it was stunning.

“Keep your eyes closed.” I parked the car and turned off the engine. Walking around, I fetched my camera and then opened her door. “Let me help you out.”

Kienna giggled as she took my hand and continued to be a good sport about keeping her eyes closed. I led her slowly across the lot to stand near Sara’s shadow. The wind blew Kienna’s pink locks and she reached up to tuck them behind an ear. I snapped a few pictures of her with the sun kissing her skin and that sensual smile on her lips.

“Kienna Birk, I would like to introduce you to the queen of the Spirit Sands, Sara. Open your eyes.”

Bouncing on her toes, Kienna opened her eyes and gasped. Her dark eyes widened, sparkling with light. I snapped another dozen photos. Fuck, I could stare at her forever.

“It’s a camel.” Kienna stepped a few feet forward with her gaze glued to the giant statue.

“Yes, she is.” I chuckled softly and circled around her to get both her and Sara in the frame.

“Sara’s a camel. In the middle of nowhere.” The gravel crunched under her feet as she walked up to the seventeen foot high concrete statue in the center of the small garden park. She reached a hand up to one of the legs and sighed softly as she touched her. “I love her so much.”

Joy infused me with her exclamation, and when she hugged Sara’s leg, I almost get teary eyed. This was a far better reaction than I had hoped for. I’d hoped to bond with her on the ride to and from Spruce Woods, and watching her made me believe she was something ethereal. I was more in awe of her than she was of Sara.

I took some more pictures until she beckoned to me. “Take some photos of the both of us with Sara. I want to shareit with my friends. They would never believe Sara exists if they don’t see the pics.”

Jogging up to her, we posed with Sara as I snapped some pictures with my camera and then with her phone. In the last one, she hugged me and I tucked her head under my chin. We fit so perfectly together.

“What makes you like Sara so much?” I never wanted to let her go, and when she slipped from my arms, I felt an ache like a piece of me was missing.

“Sara isn’t supposed to be here.” Kienna grinned at me as I gave her a quizzical look. “She’s a camel in the far north in Canada. This is no place for a camel. If you would have told me were were coming to see a camel statue before we left the house, I would have laughed and said no thanks. Yet here she is saying screw your dull expectations. Look at her! She’s beautiful and magnificent and outrageous. She shouldn’t be here, but she’s the queen and makes everyone realize shedoesbelong here.”

Beautiful, magnificent, and outrageous. It was Kienna. She was my queen.

“Do you want to see her desert?” I offered my hand to her and my heart leapt as she twined her fingers through mine. “I’d love to walk the trails with you, but we don’t have that much time today.”

“Of course I want to see it.” She swung our arms between us as I led her across the lot and the street to the trailhead. We walked up over the small grassy dune, and she gasped. “There’s really a desert here!”

I laughed and drank in the wonder in her face. Spirit Sands was still pretty grassy at this point, but from here, we could see the rolling sand dunes of the desert. It was a one-of-a-kind ecosystem in Manitoba, and it had always fascinated me. It was like stepping into another world. “There’s several trails thatgo through the area, but my favorite goes down to the Devil’s Punch Bowl.”

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