Page 82 of Forget me Knot
Thankfully, the rest of the shift passes without any more incidents, and as I’m changing out of my gear at the end of myshift, the Chief pokes his head into the locker room. “Good work today, all of you.”
“Thanks, Chief.”
“Now get out of here. I’m sure you’ve all got somewhere else to be.”
“See you next shift,” I call out as he ducks back out and waves his folder at me as he walks away.
As I drive towards the farmhouse, the familiar landscape of the Lake District rolls by, the early evening sun casting shadows across the fields.
I think about Lily, Max, and Jack, about the life we’re building together, and I realise that as much as I love being a firefighter and the rush of saving lives, there’s something even more powerful waiting for me at home.
A family. A pack. A future.
The weight of the day’s events settles on me as I drive. The fear in Phil’s eyes, the relief when we got him out. The constant edge between life and death is my job. It’s a heavy burden sometimes, but one I’ve always been proud to bear. It’s my calling.
As I pull up to the farmhouse, I can see lights on inside. The old stone building looks warm and inviting, a beacon of home and family.
I take a deep breath, savouring this moment. The end of one chapter, the beginning of another. The scents of the countryside - grass, earth, and the faint aroma of wildflowers - mingle with the lingering smell of smoke on my skin.
Stepping out of the car, I head towards the house. When I reach the front door and place my hand on the handle, I’m filled with a sense of rightness, of coming home in every sense of the word.
Lily is here, and everything about that is perfect.
Chapter 41
Jack
As Sam steps through the front door, there is a sudden commotion, and I frown, rushing to the entrance hall.
“Who the fuck are you?” Sam snaps as three burly alphas crowd in the doorway, trying to intimidate him.
Max is close behind me, furious as a pit bull in a dog fight. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he growls, going massively prime alpha on everyone’s arse. The three alphas glance warily at him, but they don’t step back. If they think Sam is the weakest link, they’re sorely mistaken.
“We believe that you are harbouring an omega by the name of Lily Bloom,” one of them says. The leader, I presume, if he could be called such a thing.
“Excuse me?” I bark, moving in closer to Sam. I’m not a small guy, and these guys definitely do not scare me.
He turns his cold, dead eyes to me, and it chills me to my soul. “Lily Bloom. An omega who is on the run from the Omega Trials.”
“You are shit out of luck,” Sam states, provoked enough to give the leader a rough shove back so that he stumbles outside.
“And you’re trespassing,” Max adds. “Move yourselves off my property before I call the police.”
The leader sneers at his two lackeys. “Police. You’re in the middle of nowhere, mate. How long do you think it’ll take the police to rock up here, even if they do.”
Max sneers back, and it’s a chilling thing. He pulls out his phone and starts scrolling. He has an ace up his sleeve. But then again, he always does.
“Well, let’s have a bet, I can get them here. I have the Police Commissioner for Cumbria on speed dial,” he says casually and holds up his phone. “He’s one of my stepdads. Lives, oh, about five minutes away without sirens.”
The alpha pales and steps back, hands up, but he doesn’t leave. “We want Lily Bloom. We have a contract that she broke. She is ours, and we just want our property back.”
My blood boils at the word ‘property.’ I step forward, my fists clenched at my sides. “She’s not fucking property, you wanker. She’s a person, and she’s under our protection.”
The leader’s face twists into an ugly snarl. “She’s an omega who signed a contract. She belongs with us.”
Max steps forward, his body radiating alpha dominance. “Lily doesn’t belong to you. That is a contract signed under extreme duress, and if you think for one second we’ll let you take her, you’re more delusional than you look.”
One of the lackeys makes a move like he’s going to reach for something in his jacket, but Sam grabs his arm and twists it behind his back in one swift motion. “I wouldn’t,” Sam warns, voice low and dangerous.
