Page 59 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 1

twenty-five

WatchingCambriebeled away by that unknown Beta made me grind my teeth. How could Marius speak to her like that? I’d brought her up front with me figuring since she did as she was asked to, it would be fine. The one who should have been yelled at was me, not her, never her. I saw the crushed look on her face as she entered the house. Things were so new and fragile with her, I knew without a doubt she would take Marius being upset with her badly. Now none of us could go after her because we wanted to throttle our so-called leader.

Once Cambrie was inside and couldn’t see what I did next, I walked up to Marius, shoved him in the chest and gave him a few choice gestures that anyone could figure out. Spencer stepped between us, always the most loyal to his partners, as he should be. It was just hard when it became three against two, well now with Bodhi, it was a tie since he seemed to always side with me.

“Oscar, just give him a moment to explain himself,” Spencer pleaded. “The last thing we need right now is a fight brewing between us.”

This wouldn’t be the first time we’d had fights as a pack. Some were worse than others but, in the end, we always managed to work things out. When it came to Cambrie, I wasn’t sure there would be any such resolution if one of us fucked up royally. I took a step back then motioned for Marius to explain himself with an inquiring cocked eyebrow for emphasis.

“There was an incident at the mall,” Marius began.

“I knew it,” Bodhi snapped. “Didn’t I tell you taking her to that part of the city was stupid, that she probably grew up somewhere near there?”

Marius looked at him and waited for him to stop speaking. “Are you going to let me finish telling you what happened? Or should I just forget the whole thing since you were right?”

I blinked at the harsh tone Marius was using. Clearly whatever happened had rattled him far worse than any of us expected. He was never one to crack, even with all that went into getting elected, he took it with grace and a smile. One mishap with Cambrie under his watch and he snaps. Bodhi grumbled something but let Marius speak without any further interruption.

“There was a man at the mall who knew Cambrie,” Marius announced. He turned to Spencer and gave him the floor.

“While the other two went off to drop off bags to the car, Cambrie and I waited in the mall by the door. This guy entered, almost took Cambrie out, and when he apologized, got a good look at her and freaked out. He kept going on and on about how Cambrie’s dad was looking for her and that we’d kidnapped her. Thankfully Savo, my friend who works for a security company and the government providing protection, stepped in and got rid of the guy. He stuck with us for the rest of the trip to ensure there wasn’t any other trouble and Cambrie, being Cambrie, invited him back for lunch and a movie. So don’t be an ass to him, he kept our girl safe,” Spencer informed us all.

I felt bad for not liking the man but I just couldn’t stand anyone else touching or spending time with our Omega. We were the ones who were supposed to keep her safe, granted most packs did hire people like Savo to safeguard Omegas but there was something about him I just didn’t trust.

I waved a hand, drawing everyone’s attention as I looked directly at Marius when I signed. “Why were you so insistent on her being in the house? You took her to a mall. What does it matter if she’s in the front yard helping us?”

“The problem is if word gets out that she’s here with us it will make it easier for her to be found. We haven’t announced her existence to the CoF and that means they could charge us with hiding a fugitive. While the CoF hasn’t gotten rid of the death penalty, we just don’t choose to use it, but if I know Yoram, he would be more than happy to dispose of me after the research I’ve been doing,” Marius explained, muttering that last part to himself.

This was the first time I’d ever heard him talk like this about work. Normally he was so optimistic, had it all been an act?

“There needs to be a more in-depth discussion about this, but here and now is not the time to have it. Soon we all need to take a trip and see Alton, then I can explain the reality of our situation. After that, then you can argue with me about keeping Cambrie out of sight for now. It won’t be forever, I’m working on a solution but it’s far more complicated than I realized,” Marius disclosed, his shoulders sagging.

“We better get up there, you know Cambrie isn’t going to handle upsetting you well. I’m sure at this very moment she is trying not to cry and assuming we are going to do something dramatic like send her away,” I pointed out.

Everyone mumbled their agreement and headed for the trunk. I grabbed some bags from the ground and hurried inside. I didn’t like leaving her with the Beta in her room alone. Her perfuming had been getting stronger each time one of us interacted with her in a more intimate fashion. I feared her first heat might be right around the corner. I’d done some research on the subject after I kissed her and my body reacted so much stronger than I ever imagined.

Was it just because she was an Omega, or was it something else?

There was no real gauge on when they got their first heat after turning eighteen. It seemed more to be based on if they were around Alphas they found pleasing or not. No one in this house denied they found her pleasing and if what I’ve seen and heard going on around the house so did she. I knew from what they taught us about being Alphas growing up that when an Omega got closer to being in heat, which happened at most twice a year, our urges would become stronger and harder to control. On top of that, we can become more territorial, aggressive to those outside the pack, and have a much higher sex drive.

That one I’d already been dealing with for about the past year to six months as Bodhi and I got closer. If anyone told me I would be attracted to another man the way I wanted to lick Bodhi from head to toe, I’d have laughed. Women had always been my preference or so I thought, but possibly it was more about slowly falling in love with Bodhi that it snuck up on me. I hadn’t been looking for it but it found me anyway. Rafael first brought him over as a way to connect with the surly young man who hated the world and everyone in it. Slowly through his love of music and learning from me, he started to talk.

Over the years I’d learned to be content with being a good listener since it was much harder to interact with large crowds or the average person when I couldn’t speak. So typically people felt uncomfortable and tried to fill the silence with their own words. For Bodhi it was different, he spoke through songs and music like I did. We worked on writing a few and he sang them while I played the instruments. Then we graduated from just me playing to him learning to play. He was gifted and picked it up like he was born to give life to music the same way I felt I was.

Then one day I knew I didn’t want him to leave, he was too important to me. If he left and never came back my heart would break. That’s when I knew I was in love with him. It was obvious to me that he didn’t feel the same way, he cared about me, but not the same way I did. There was no way I could blame him, I myself had never considered falling for a man but it just happened. Now we have Cambrie, the last piece to the puzzle of my life to feel complete. She stole my heart when we sat there listening to music and she heard me. I don’t know why I picked that song, in particular, to have her listen to. It was one I wrote a few months after coming to live here with the guys when my family kicked me out.

I wasn’t sure I’d find a place to belong when after my illness left me mute—well basically mute. I could occasionally whisper even though it felt like someone was stabbing me in the throat when I did it. Suddenly people no longer knew what to do with me— like, just because I couldn’t talk, all of a sudden, I was an alien. They’d talk louder or slower, treating me like I was stupid. My hearing was just fine, thank you very much. At school I had to do everything through email, messenger, or text while I was learning sign language. The problem with that is everyone automatically thinks you’re deaf, and the things they say when they think you can’t hear are vile. That all changed once I found my place here with my childhood friends. Each of them took the time to learn sign language, and I could easily communicate with my whole environment. It was life changing.

As I entered Cambrie’s room I came to an abrupt halt as I saw her cradled in this stranger's arms. Bodyguard or not, he wasn’t allowed to touch what wasn’t his.

Are those tears in her eyes?

I knew it, Marius was too harsh on her and got her so upset she’d cried.

Neither of them noticed me but when I saw him stroking her arm and the look in his eyes, I snapped. Charging forward I snatched Cambrie up and tucked her close to my chest. I gave the Hulk the one gesture no one needed to be taught and stormed out of the room.

How dare he feel free enough with Cambrie to touch her so casually. She was our Omega and he had no right to do that. Cambrie was too trusting, too pure, she would believe anything anyone said even if it was all lies. No, we, as her pack, needed to protect her and I was going to put her somewhere safe.

In the fog of my Alpha driven intent I vaguely remember Bodhi calling out to me but I couldn’t stop. Cambrie needed to be nestled away in my room where no one could touch her. Settling her on my bed I stepped back a moment to look at her closely. I could tell she was still upset, her eyes were puffy from crying and yet they drooped in a way that told me how tired she was. What could I do to comfort her while I handled things with the Beta, who I was going to throttle no matter how gigantic he was.

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