Page 48 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

We're Pack Scorch, and we have precious cargo to protect. Halley means more than the quick thrill of murder.

I can see her purple eyes peering out at us from her safe place inside the truck. The moment her Omega Command struck, Shade bundled her inside and slammed the door. None of us are taking chances with her safety, not after she's proven she's a bit of a magnet for bullets… and knives.

What's the count up to now? She's taken bullets in her leg and neck, not to mention a knife to the back.

Nope. Never again.

Okay, so maybe no enemy knives. But she might let me use mine if I promise it'll only enhance her pleasure.

Halley blinks slowly as she takes in the carnage.

Bodies litter the clearing, and blood darkens the dirt. The Unit Leader is gone, still breathing only because my Omega needed him for her Command instead of letting me decorate a tree with him.

Her expression stays neutral, and through the bond, she feels calm.

That's the part snagging my attention. Throughout this whole surprise-ambush-attack-turned-murder-mission, I haven't felt Halley's fear once.

Frustration, yes. Determination, absolutely. A few nerves, because she still has a working sense of self-preservation, and thank fuck for small miracles.

But fear never comes.

I stalk closer to the truck and stop in front of her window. Dust coats the glass, so I drag my finger through it in two small circles, giving her clean little goggles to look through.

Her eyes meet mine through the clean circles, and I'm entranced by the life in them.

My stomach flips, and I hate that I can't unsee how empty her eyes looked when she died. I've seen so many dead bodies in my life, I'll never know the true number, but her blank stare will be the one that haunts me to my end.

The pounding of boots grows louder as the army retreats, and it’s time for us to go.

We pile into the truck, and Knox peels us out of the clearing. I get some secondhand satisfaction as we manage to catch a group of Humans by surprise and Knox steers directly into them. The crunch is spectacular.

Halley doesn't flinch.

I have the best seat in the truck, right next to Halley, and I take the presented opportunity to bury my nose firmly against her throat.

I get fresh Omega scent directly from the source.

She's not wearing her bite collar anymore, and I have never been accused of resisting temptation when it presents itself to me.

She's not complaining. Well, not anymore. Earlier, she did smack me on the nose when I took my chance and sucked at her scent gland. In my defense, it was right there, warm and bare and begging for attention. I wanted it swollen and shining with my spit, because I’m a simple Alpha with refined tastes.

To my credit, I accepted correction with dignity, restraint, and only a small amount of wounded sulking. Once I proved I could keep my mouth to myself, she softened and slid her fingers into my hair.

Now she scratches gently at my scalp while I breathe her in, and each stroke pulls another bit of tension out of me.

Her purr fills the truck as we climb the twisting road toward Blackgate Fortress. The sound settles over the Pack bonds, steady and warm, until the whole cab feels almost peaceful.

Halley feels different through the bond. Calmer and more certain. She isn’t fighting herself with every breath anymore, and because she’s settled, the rest of us can settle around her.

I feel almost drugged by the combination of her touch, purr, and Omega pheromones.

Blaise needs that.

My sweeter half is still stuck on the sight of her dying. He keeps reaching for her through the bond, checking and checking again, terrified she’ll vanish if he stops paying attention.

Blaze reacts differently.

The darker part of me has gone quiet, and it's making my skin prickle. He isn’t soothed by Halley coming back from death. He’s fascinated by it.