Page 252 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

They were protecting me long before any of us knew it was love.

I breathe out and close the file.

"Good riddance," I say, more to myself than anyone else. Stone is gone, and his version of me died with him.

The next name in the file list hurts to read.

DAZZLE. (OMEGA)

It took years for Dazz to tell me his real first name. Being a male Omega is hard on a good day, but with a name like Dazzle, he was destined for a difficult existence. He never told me his last name, and I realize now, looking at his file, that it wasn't because he was ashamed of it, but because he probably didn't have one.

I knew that Dazz came from a wealthy family who expected their heir to be an Alpha. When he instead presented as an Omega, he was cast out from their protection. They must've also officially disowned him, removing their last name from their unwanted Omega child.

His file is even thinner than mine. Notes stop without explanation, and there’s no transfer record or confirmed location. Stone never considered using Dazz to develop Omega Command, probably because his prejudice prevented him from seeing the worth of a male Omega.

His loss. Dazz would’ve mastered Omega Command in half the time it took me, then spent the rest of his time mocking Stone with it.

I sigh as I consider how his family abandoned him once, and now the military has done the same, leaving him alone in a world that punishes anyone who doesn’t fit.

There are no more hints of where he might have ended up.

I swallow and move on to the next file.

FLICK, ALIBETH. (OMEGA)

Flicker.

Her records are surprisingly long. There is a detailed account of how she came to Barkrood Base and the Omega Division. Flicker was never open about where she came from before, so I skip reading her history because I refuse to violate her privacy unless I have to in order to save her.

I’m unsettled to learn that Stone considered assigning Flicker to an Alpha squad, just as he did with me. I can’t imagine why he thought she’d take to military training. Flicker is emotional, restless, impulsive, and treats boundaries as a mere suggestion. Hardly ideal qualities for a soldier.

Then I glance at Blaze.

My own restless, impulsive, boundary-stomping elite soldier.

Apparently, there are exceptions.

There is also a detailed report of her escape from the military. According to the Beta guards escorting her in their transport from Barkrood to Blackgate fortress after the Human invasion began, Flicker took advantage of a bathroom break to slip away. One moment she was there, the next she was gone. She melted into the forest beside the highway, and not even the Alpha soldiers could pick up her scent or track her down.

Pride wells inside of me.

That's my girl.

Fast as the wind and twice as clever.

My pride falters when I realize Flicker may still be somewhere in Fathim, alone behind enemy lines.

No. She’s a survivor and too stubborn to let the Humans catch her. She would’ve found a way into Blackreach. I know she did.

I don’t linger because if I think about my sweet, young friend for too long, I'll start crying.

Ember’s file opens last.

EMBER. (OMEGA)

I already knew Ember didn’t have a last name, but seeing her listed without one still feels wrong. She’s family to me, even if no record ever gave her a family name.

Her file is longer than Flicker’s. Stone had been documenting her closely since she lived at Barkrood Base, and the reason becomes clear in the opening lines.