Page 28 of Knot Your Possession

“Ava’s always been mine, but it was impossible. It would have put her in even more danger. I had to shut it down,” Cary sighed and looked at the twins searchingly. “The whole time I’ve known her, she seemed almost haunted, as if something or someone was holding her back as well.”

“Did they ever hurt her?” River asked bluntly. He winced and stiffened, as if he was bracing himself for Cary’s answer. I did too. They said they’d leave her alone if I cooperated, but I’d had no proof they were keeping to their word. Apart from the new scent marked blankets appearing regularly.

“No. Not that I ever knew about, and I watched them closely.” Cary’s answer had us all letting out held breaths, but I couldn’t help feeling there was more.

Cary looked up at the smoke disappearing into the branches above us and chewed his lip for a moment before he spoke again. “Look, this place wasn’t a picnic for anyone. They tried to break us down and make us perfect, submissive omegas. Ava didn’t escape that, but they never targeted her like some of the other omegas. There are no words for what they did to Maia. Ava was playing a part to slip under the radar, the way she said, and she did it well. I think there was more at play, though. They watched her too much, just from a distance. They had some plan for her and I can’t help but think it involved you, Wolf.”

I looked down at Ava curled up in my lap, her head tucked into my chest as that strange vibration I didn’t even know was within me soothed her. Her distress had brought it out instinctively. I’d reached for her without even thinking as soon as I’d gotten near her. She looked so vulnerable, but was so trusting, asleep in my arms. I knew I would do terrible things to protect her.Yet, had I brought danger to her, purely by existing?

I knew Cary was right. But no matter what he thought he knew about the Palace, they were capable of so much worse.

“I was barely through the door when I scented her. They noticed,” I grunted. I remembered that day so clearly, even when everything else became fuzzy. My initial elation at scenting my true mate, and the sickening horror as the lab tech’s smiles grew. At that moment, they’d known they had my compliance.

“She would have suffered a worse fate if they forced her into a debut,” Cary said, as if he could sense my distress.

“We would never have let that happen,” River snarled as both twins tensed in sync, their bodies instantly on alert.

It was deceptive to watch them as they lounged around the fire. It was too easy to forget they were highly trained, and deadly, predators. Even I had heard whispers about them. The guards liked to gossip, especially when they assumed I was sleeping. The mysterious twins were hot topics of conversation amongst the ex-military guys. I met both their eyes and bowed my head to them, out of respect.

“I would have gotten her out if I could.” I couldn’t keep the growl out of my voice, thinking of anyone hurting my omega.

“I spent every day trying to figure out how to do that. If there was a way, I never found it,” Cary said, as he shook his head. “You don’t want to know the desperate shit I had planned if some asshole alpha tried to bark her into submission.”

Cary’s face had darkened, and his gaze seemed to go inward. I didn’t want to think about what he might have resorted to, alone and trying to protect her against such overwhelming odds. It would have been an impossible, and probably suicidal, task. Just the thought made me feel ill. The others looked equally disturbed, but nobody pushed Cary further on it.

“How long have you been here?” River asked me, as he stretched out his shoulders and changed the topic slightly. Although, not to an easier one. I noticed Nick watching me closely for my response. I wasn’t sure why, but the kid was far too smart.

“Three years, I think. I was in another lab before that.” It was hard to remember the details. The more I talked, the more things came back to me, though.

I stroked my thumb lightly over Ava’s arm under the blanket covering her. Over the last few years, I’d slowly become a trapped, wild creature. I’d lost any appreciation for social norms, relying purely on my instincts and my senses. I’d learned to watch people, listened to them talk, and noted their body language, the way a caged animal watched its captors. Time had seemed unimportant.

I’d done whatever they wanted to keep her safe. To keep both my omegas safe. Yet I’d been powerless. The longer they’d kept me in that damned cage, the more wild I’d become. They’d tried to use her scent to control me, without realizing it was helping me keep my grip on my humanity. Just barely. I’d been more animal than human when River and Ryder had appeared on the other side of my cage out of nowhere. Her scent had faded, and my control had gone with it.

Now, every moment I spent touching her, or breathing in her scent, brought me back to myself. I’d noticed it when I ran into the forest this morning. The wildness had crept back in the further I’d run. Yet being close to Ryder had seemed to help force it back. The effect wasn’t as powerful as Ava and Cary, but he had helped. I’d known in that moment my first instincts had been correct. These people were pack. The realization that I was now tied to these strangers if I wanted to stay sane should freak me out, but it didn’t. It soothed me. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I had no idea what having a family felt like, but it if was anything like this, I wanted more of it.

Everyone was quiet for a moment, letting my words sink in. But I could see River’s mind working. He was strategizing and working his way through a problem. His eyes focused on me intently.

“Where was the lab?” He finally asked, when he figured I wasn’t going to volunteer the location unprompted. He leaned forward as if he was readying to leap into action.

“That’s not a story for tonight.”

“I think it is,” River countered. His twin backed him up as he lifted his head and hit me with a steely stare.

“Why?” I asked gruffly. I wouldn’t change my mind, but I was interested in what his answer would be.

“Because knowledge is power, and if we’re going to keep Ava safe, we need more,” River said. “Ryder and I have been underground for years, trying to work out who was behind the Palace’s operation. We figured they were the same people manipulating the government. Now we’re guessing they’re behind the Crash, because whatever caused it, it wasn’t natural. But we’ve never been able to crack their inner circle. They protected themselves well. I have a feeling, though, that you know exactly who they are.”

I considered him for a heartbeat. I instinctively trusted him, but I didn’t know if he could be patient and we couldn’t leave right now.

“I do. I also have a rough idea of where they may have gone.” River’s eyes instantly lit up. “I’m only going to tell that story once, though, and Ava will be awake for it.”

River’s eyes shifted to Ava, and he backed down. “Fair enough. But it needs to happen soon. I think we’re safe here for the moment, but that won’t last.”

I nodded in agreement. Everything had felt disconnected this morning, as I’d struggled to come back to myself from the wild state I’d sunk into. Yet the longer I sat here cradling Ava, with Cary next to me, the clearer my mind had become. Feeling the connection of their pack bonds, as fragile as they were, was bringing me back to myself. I needed to bring this pack together, not only for Ava, but for me, too.

I hadn’t felt this aware in years. Clarity brought with it a lot of memories of my early years, though. Ones I would rather forget, but knew I needed to remember if I was going to keep my pack safe.

The clearer I got, the easier it was to talk and communicate, too. I’d struggled this morning, just to get words out. They’d felt rusty and foreign. They were flowing easier now. I tried to put the thoughts that were swirling around my head into words.

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