Page 164 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

My plea hangs in the cold air between us.

For a few seconds, nobody answers.

The battlefield is only getting louder as the enemy comes closer, and another round of shots hit the cliff face above, showering debris over us.

I keep my fist locked in Knox’s vest, even when my fingers start to tremble.

'Please.'

The word never leaves my mouth, but it echoes through the bond as loud as the crack of a whip.

Then the pressure in the bond eases by a fraction.

Viper reaches for me. He tucks a stray hair behind my battle helmet strap and nods decisively. "I trust you, pretty girl. I'll fight by your side until my last breath."

Shade exhales and then nods firmly. "I trust you, baby girl, and I know you can do this."

Blaze is right behind him, hand squeezing over where his and Shade's interlocking claiming bites reside on the curve of my shoulder and neck. "I'm with you, Sparkles. You lead, I kill anything that gets in your way. That's our new plan."

Knox says nothing at first.

He just looks at me, and I feel the war inside him. The responsibilities of being a Prime Alpha, a mate, and a commander are all tearing him in different directions.

He cups my jaw in one gloved hand, and his blazing red eyes burn into mine.

"I trust you with my life," he says.

My eyes sting with the threat of tears.

The bond is torn wide open, all of our emotions mixing and tangling together in a beautiful, overwhelming mess. Knox’s fear, buried under command and iron will. Shade’s frantic need to get this right. Viper’s protective passion. Blaze’s wild, vicious devotion.

And amongst it is my love. So much love for my mates that I could break under the weight of it.

I nod because speaking would allow a sob to escape.

Knox strokes one finger along my jaw, then down to my mating gland beneath my combat fatigues, where his bite is hidden against my skin. He presses there, breathes me in as if my scent is gifting him strength, then pulls his hand away as his jaw sets in a determined line.

He turns toward the soldiers preparing for battle and whistles sharply.

"Prime Alpha Zero has taken command of Blackgate Fortress. I am Prime Alpha Knox and this is Pack Scorch. I am now your battle commander and you will obey my orders."

Some of the soldiers straighten. They know him from Dunefold Fortress, or from the long retreat across Fathim, or from the stories that followed Scorch Squad wherever they went. Others only know what they have seen of him in these last few frantic weeks at Blackgate.

"Sir, yes, sir!" A resounding chorus booms off the walls of the cliff.

"Get into formation. I want concentrated fire on the lower bend and the cliff-side approach." He points down the road where the Humans are.

The Alpha soldiers slam their fists against their chests in confirmation.

Something hot and possessive blooms in my chest.

My Alpha.

Knox's orders send everyone into motion.

Alpha soldiers move to the barricade, checking their rifles, and shifting positions. Betas hurry between them with ammunition boxes braced against their chests. Knox speaks into his radio, his voice low and controlled as he updates Prime Alpha Zero, but his eyes keep cutting back to me between orders.

Viper remains on my left, Blaze takes my right, and Shade stays close at my shoulder, his hand brushing mine once before his fingers close around my wrist.