Page 36 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Blaze begins to pace again.

"This is another lie," he whispers to himself, eyes glassy and unfocused. "Another hallucination. She’s not really here—"

Shade is there in an instant, pulling Blaze into him before he shatters right before our eyes. His hands come up, framing Blaze’s face, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. His voice is low but firm, carrying the weight of authority.

My stomach twists and flips. I did this to him.

"It’s real," Shade says, brown eyes boring into pale ones. "Look at me. Breathe. She’s here, and I won’t let you slip again, brother. I failed you before. I let you go into the darkness, but I swear to you I won't let you go again. Never again. You're going to stay with us and feel only relief."

Blaze gasps like he’s been dragged up from deep water. His fingers clutch at Shade’s wrists, shaking.

"Her light left," he chokes out. "I don’t know how to stop feeling it—"

Shade presses his forehead to Blaze’s, his voice a low rumble. "Then look at her. Feel the bond in your chest." He tips Blaze’s chin toward me, still holding him steady, and suddenly both sets of intense eyes are on me. "She came back. Her light is here now, isn't it? Can you feel it?"

Blaze’s wild eyes flick to me, desperate, searching. His grip on Shade tightens.

I take a small step closer, my own hands rising instinctively. "Blaze. Blaise." My voice is still croaking and rough, and I wince at how frail I sound. "I’m here. Touch me, I'm really here."

He reaches out with a shaking hand, and I meet him halfway, sliding my fingers into his. His palm is damp, trembling, but he clings to me like a lifeline.

"That’s it," Shade says, his eyes flicking to me in silent thanks. "She’s right here. We all are, and we need you to stay with us. We can't be a Pack without you in it."

Blaze exhales a broken sound and steps into me, one arm curling around my waist, forehead dropping to mine. His body is still quaking, but the edge of panic dulls as he breathes me in. Shade presses one hand on the back of his neck, the other gripping his shoulder, steady as a rock.

What would we do without our Beta?

I wrap an arm around Blaze’s shoulders and rest my free hand over Shade’s, feeling his pulse under my palm. "Our Pack is together," I whisper. "That's what matters most."

Viper lumbers forward, joining our huddle and pulling me against his chest, his face buried in my hair. "I can still feel it," he whispers, voice breaking. "You going cold in my arms. I can’t…"

I hear what he can't say. The few minutes I thought we'd lost him to Blood Lust hurt me to my very soul, and the agony of seeing him die would have broken me into a thousand pieces. Even though I'm alive, putting the splintered pieces of Viper back together will take time.

I turn my face and nuzzle into him. He plants a kiss on my cheek, and it drags with his exhaustion.

"Why don't you lay down, Viper? Just for a bit. I'll be with you the whole time, I'm not going anywhere," I promise and pull away from the cuddle to steer him toward the beds of our temporary bunkhouse.

He looks at me like I'm foolish for even suggesting he sleep, but he can't fight the pure fatigue Blood Lust has left him with. He has to rest.

The cot gives an almighty groan as it takes the full weight of my giant Alpha.

"Just don't… don't leave, pretty girl," he slurs, struggling to keep his eyes open for one moment longer before his eyes flutter shut, his body goes limp, and soft, rumbling snores follow.

I pull the blanket up to his chin and brush my fingers over his cheek. My strong-willed, sweet Alpha.

I straighten and almost flinch as I notice Knox prowling behind me, restless, his red eyes flashing as he works himself up.

He wants to say something, and it's about to burst out of him in classic Knox fashion.

"You disobeyed a direct order, Omega Specialist Sparks," he finally snaps. "We told you to stay safe and let Blaze handle any threats."

His fists clench at his sides, quivering with the need to do something, anything. Then he lunges forward and grabs me, hauling me against him with enough force to knock the breath from my lungs.

Knox’s hand slides under my chin, forcing my head up until I meet his eyes. They are burning and wild in a way that hurts to look at. I notice the lingering traces of his terror in the taut lines etched near his eyes.

"Don’t you dare look away from me," he growls, his voice rough and shaking with restrained fury. "Do you have any idea what it was like, watching and knowing I couldn’t stop it? That I couldn’t stop that bullet, couldn’t stop that knife? This is what I’m trained for, Halley. Protecting you is supposed to be what I’m good at, and I couldn’t save you. I couldn’t stop a stranger from taking the most precious thing I’ve ever had."

His breath comes fast against my cheek. I can feel every tremor of the muscles in his arm as he keeps me pinned against him. The fury in him is not clean. It is tangled with grief and love and panic.