Page 56 of Knot All Is Lost: Part 2

“Charlie?” I called out, not seeing him in the stand. Then I remembered he was hard of hearing. “Charlie!”

“What? Who’s there?” the older man demanded as he stood up. “The stand is closed, you'll have to come back tomorrow.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t need to buy anything from you,” I said once his gaze finally landed on me, and his brows shot up.

“Hold on,” he started, then squinted his eyes at me. “I remember you, you’re the young lady who was looking for the shelter, all beat to hell.” Then his gaze shifted over to Rafael. “He’s not causing you any trouble, is he?”

A smile grew on my lips at how protective he was being right now. “No, this is Rafael, one of my Alphas that’s part of my pack. Because of you and your kindness in helping me get to the shelter, I was able to find them and my new family.”

“Is that so? A pack you say,” Charlie commented as he stepped out from behind the counter and came to stand in front of me. “Holy mother, you’re an Omega.”

“Yes, she is,” Rafael confirmed. “One that is loved and treasured by her whole pack.”

“Well I’ll be damned, you told me you’d come back and tell me how things turned out but I never would have expected this.” He paused and looked a little closer at Rafael. “Wait, do I know you?”

Rafael had a small smile on his lips as he shook his head. “Not personally, but since I’m part of Official Stone’s pack you might have seen me on TV attending a few events. That, and I also work with Nixon Hayes, who owns Open Arms.”

Charlie’s jaw dropped open as he looked at Rafael and then at me. “I… I don’t even know what to say to this. Never in my life did I think helping a person out would have this sort of outcome.”

Rafael grabbed his wallet and pulled out a card, handing it to Charlie. “If you’re ever in the same situation again feel free to call my personal line and I’ll make sure the situation is handled. Would you mind if we send one of our team out here to give you some bus passes to hand out, as well as flyers for the shelter?”

Charlie took the card and just stared at it like he couldn’t believe what he was reading. “You can send me whatever you like. I try to do what I can for those that want the help, but my stand isn’t doing as well as I’d like it to. The world is going to shit and no one wants to read about it anymore.”

“I have a feeling that is going to change very soon, Charlie,” Rafael commented and reached out a hand to the man. “There are no words to be able to thank you for what you did for Cambrie. We will always be in your debt, so don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything we can do to help.”

“Just doing my part sir, but I appreciate your words all the same. If more people could help like your pack is with the shelters, we might be able to make it through this until the tides change in our favor,” Charlie shared, shaking Rafael’s hand before returning his attention to me. “Now you listen here, young lady, while I’d like to believe you’re in good hands, know that if you need anything, I’ll do what I can.”

An urge that was completely out of character came over me, and I took a step forward and hugged the man. “Thank you for saving my life and helping me find my family.”

Charlie returned the hug and then took a step back with a sniffle and a cough. “Alright now, go on home and don’t go causing your Alphas any trouble, they are important men.”

“I won’t, I promise,” I agreed, then waved as Rafael guided me back to the car.

Bodhi had moved over so when I got back in, I had the empty seat. “Everything okay?” he asked.

“Better than okay. Charlie, the man who owns the stand, is who gave me a pair of wool socks so my feet didn’t freeze and the change I needed to make the call to the shelter,” I informed him and Oscar. “In a way, he’s the reason I got to meet all of you.”

“Hmm, I feel like we need to talk to Marius about giving him an award or something. Maybe naming the street after him? What do you think, Oscar?” Bodhi asked.

When we came to a stoplight, Oscar gave his answer and the other two nodded in agreement.

“No, he’s right those ideas were too small, he needs a holiday in his honor,” Rafael commented.

I laughed and leaned my head against Bodhi’s shoulder. “You guys are crazy. I think what would make him happiest is to know that his business is safe and he’s making a difference. Rafael is already going to help him do one part of that, now we’ll just have to see if we can get Marius or Nixon to find a way to keep his business safe.”

“We’ll add that to our list of things to cover in our first family meeting,” Bodhi suggested.

“Oh, is that something we’re gonna do?” I asked excitedly. “I think it’s a great idea that we keep a family calendar, so we always know when to expect each other to be at the house or not. I feel like that will be super helpful for me, because I can already tell I’m going to be anxious not knowing where everyone is.”

Bodhi wrapped his arm around my shoulders and hugged me close. “That sounds like a perfect idea. It will also help us know who is with you or if Savo has to be around or not.”

“I hope I don’t have to take him away from working, he didn’t say it outright, but I know he loves working for Rick,” I said with a sigh. “No matter what, I don't want anyone to give up what they love on my behalf.”

“I don’t think you need to worry about that. I bet if you asked him, he would say that he loves you more than anything else,” Rafael interjected. “Nonetheless, I hear what you're saying and can understand the sentiment.”

A few moments later we pulled up to the shelter, and we all followed Rafael inside. Clara spotted me right away and waved her greeting as she spoke with someone on the phone. Not wanting to bother her knowing just how important those calls were, I headed off to the side where a set of bookshelves were.

To my surprise, a bunch of people called out a greeting to Bodhi. I should’ve remembered the staff and others who used the shelter would know him, since this is where he became connected to the pack like I did. Rafael had worked with him and brought him to the house, where he started lessons with Oscar. As I think of it, most of our pack had connections to this place in one way or another.

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