Page 152 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

He can watch the battle change as it happens.

I just stand there beside him, my heart still bruised from saying goodbye, while my future still sits unread on Everlyn’s datapad.

Knox glances at me once, quick and assessing. It's neither soft nor cold. It's my commander checking if his soldier is ready for battle.

I lift my chin.

Today I am the waiting weapon at his side.

I have to keep it together for my mates moving into position, the people of Blackgate preparing to fight for their lives, and for the three Omegas somewhere in Blackreach who are caught in the crosshairs of this war they probably don't even know is raging. I'll fight for all of them.

There is a brief flash of pride in his glowing red eyes before his gaze moves on, convinced by whatever he sees in me, and my inner Omega purrs in satisfaction. Alpha is proud of us.

Behind us, Blackgate Fortress has finally organized itself with the help of Knox's orders. We might've been caught off guard, but we've spent weeks preparing for this moment so it can become a machine capable of warfare.

Soldiers pour across the yard in full combat gear, rifles strapped to their backs, helmets clipped into place, packs bouncing against armored spines as they run. Engines growl to life one after another. A line of trucks rumbles toward the lower gate while soldiers march beside them.

Overhead, drones rise from the launch platform in a sharp stagger, one after the other until the sky above the fortress hums with them.

Then our first missile fires.

The launch shakes through the wall under my hands. A violent streak of smoke cuts across the blue sky, arcing down toward the forest below. A second follows. Then a third.

My pulse kicks harder.

There is no more pretending this battle is still a possibility waiting out on the horizon.

We are in it now.

Movement near the vehicle bay catches my eye.

Viper and Blaze break into view through the rush of soldiers below, and for half a breath, the rest of the fortress drops away. They are dressed head to toe in combat gear, weapons strapped across their backs, knives at their thighs, black tactical layers turning both of them into lethal soldiers.

Viper looks massive in armor, a juggernaut with his broad shoulders, his face set in that grim, focused way that somehow makes him even hotter. Blaze is a flash of sharp movement beside him, reckless energy crammed into disciplined precision for once, and the sight of him armed to the teeth does something dangerous to my insides.

It is deeply inconvenient to be aroused by the mere sight of my mates while staring down a war, but my Omega has never been subtle when it comes to my Alphas.

I frown when, instead of vaulting into the transport taking the troops down the mountain, Viper and Blaze cut away from the loading line and head for the front gate on foot alone.

"Where are they going?" I ask.

Knox does not look away from the mountain. "Forward position."

My eyes narrow. He does not even need to look to know who I mean. "That's not an answer."

"It is the only one you need right now." His voice stays clipped, Prime Asshole reporting for duty, but then it softens as he adds, "Blaze and Viper know what they're doing, you don’t need to worry about them. You’ll know their work when you see it."

That does not reassure me in the slightest.

I stood behind Knox during the strategy sessions and lent him the weight of my presence when the other Prime Alphas needed reminding that Pack Scorch was united behind him, but the actual battle planning moved around me in acronyms, coordinates, unit names, and clipped military terms I could barely follow.

At the time, I let myself trust that Knox and the Prime Alphas were the experts who knew best.

Now I wish I had asked more questions.

The bond stretches as distance opens between me, Blaze, and Viper, but it stays strong. I can still feel them clearly, full and steady inside me, even as they move farther down the mountain. Whatever our bond has become, physical distance cannot weaken it anymore.

Another missile screams overhead.