Page 114 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

It feels like my body is trying to eject my soul, and I should know. I'm the expert on dying here.

I thought post-resurrection Halley was supposed to be cool, calm, and collected. She doesn't panic. Old Halley does.

Except, this panic isn't coming from the present. It's coming from my past. This is years of trauma coming to a head all at once.

Abruptly, a surge of foreign, whipping, frenzied energy rises behind my breastbone. It bites through the bond, hot with Alpha instinct, and it is not mine.

"Don’t touch her," Blaze snaps, ripping Everlyn's fingers off my pulse.

The growl that follows is a sound that is pure Alpha, fierce and feral.

It's aimed at Everlyn, but not really. It’s the instinctive response to threat, even when the threat is invisible and inside me. He wants to protect his Omega from hurt, but he can't, and my stormy emotions leaking down the bond is sending him over the edge.

My panic spikes again.

Mine.

His.

Theirs.

I can't separate any of it.

Shade does not look at Blaze. His attention stays locked on my face.

"Blaze. Baby boy," he says, voice subdued but edged with steel. "You need to stay steady. She can feel you through the bond and needs you to be strong for her right now."

Blaze’s fear flares, then folds inward under a rush of shame. He tries to shove that away too and lock it down so it won’t affect me, but it sits brazenly in my chest. The others have a better handle on their emotions, but nothing about our Blaze is restrained, and this is no different.

I understand why they're panicking.

They could soon be fathers.

The thought almost sends me spiraling again.

If I’m pregnant, everything changes. We’ve only just gotten to a place where our relationships are good and solid. We've finally mated after going through so much to get there.

Shade’s thumb strokes over my cheek, studying my features. He must see something that displeases him because the little frown lines between his brows deepen.

"She can still feel us," he says, and this time the order is for the whole Pack. "If you can’t lock it down, give her calm. Right now."

The bond surges again, and this time it’s different. Instead of clawing fear or panic, it's a wave of positivity. Even though they don't move, I feel them rallying through the bond.

It reminds me of when Knox calls out a formation, and they leap into their designated roles.

My soldiers are preparing for battle, and they're not going to fight with guns or knives. Their weapon of choice is love.

They push a wave of settling emotions through the bond. They flood my chest with their love for me, and it envelops the sparking panic, choking it until it dims.

Knox starts a deep growl, a rumble deep in his chest that sounds like the Alpha version of my purr. Viper joins in too and the sound makes my head feel warm and fuzzy.

The free-falling sensation slows, and I feel less like I'm plummeting through a yawning maw of darkness and instead into a soft, downy bed.

A softness uncoils inside me.

My inner Omega lifts her head.

A hazy buzz shimmers at the edge of my vision, and I sigh at the familiarity of it.