Page 170 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

The Alphas who have been resting, waiting for their turn at the front, all burst into action. They rush the barricade, squeezing forward to lay down a barrage of fire. The massive wave of firepower hammers down the road and cuts down the front ranks of Humans and throws the next wave into confusion.

Until now, our gunfire has been controlled. One Alpha reloads while another covers him, keeping the line steady without wasting ammunition.

This is different.

This is an all-out attack, and the Humans are reeling.

Good. We'll need all the advantage we can get.

Knox turns to us, eyes burning. "Stay tight. Halley stays in the middle. We punch through, we get her close, and we do not break formation."

"Finally," Blaze says, already climbing the barricade, eagerly looking out at the battlefield while licking a splatter of blood off his lips. "Let's get messy."

I swallow, suddenly overcome by what we are about to do. We're about to walk straight into the mouth of the beast. Directly into the most dangerous place possible.

Knox, Viper, and Blaze have their Alpha abilities to protect them, but there is a reason no Betas are being sent to the front of the barricade into close combat. They don't heal instantly from bullet wounds.

Shade has enhanced healing thanks to the bond, but I really don't want to check just how fast he heals before he bleeds out.

He must see the doubt swimming in my eyes as I hesitate. He catches my shoulder long enough to make sure I am looking at him. "We do this as a Pack and no one gets left behind. I trust you, and I need you to trust me too. I'm a soldier, I know what I'm doing."

I nod, pulse slamming against my ribs. "I trust you."

Viper compulsively checks his magazine one last time, snaps it home, and gives my helmet a quick knock. "Stick to me, pretty girl."

Knox vaults over the barricade first.

He hits the road and I can hear him already killing before his boots have fully settled. Blaze jumps after him in a burst of motion and gunfire.

Fear claws up my throat, but I move before it can take hold. I haul myself onto the barricade, swing one leg over, and drop to the enemy side.

My boots hit stone slick with blood. My helmet jolts loose, and I shove it back into place as I take in the bodies, the gore, and the road ahead of me still crawling with Humans.

Viper drops down on my right, Shade on my left. Blaze and Knox stand in front of us.

For a few seconds, we stand on the enemy side of the barricade together with the bond pulled tight between all five of us.

Then Knox gives the order, and my Pack surges forward with me in the center, charging straight into the broken Human line for the tiny chance that we can save our people.

Rebel gunfire screams over our heads from the barricade behind, punching holes through the enemy line ahead of us. I marvel that no friendly fire hits us, thankful for the steady hands of our comrades, proving once again that Alpha soldiers are deadly in their accuracy.

Knox tears a path straight through the center, rifle cracking at point-blank range before he slams the stock into a Human’s face hard enough to throw him backward. Blaze barrels through the gap Knox makes and widens it with cheerful brutality. Viper shoots clean and fast, every hit a swift kill. Shade stays so close to my back that I can feel his breath puffing on my sweaty neck.

The Humans quickly realize that we're in their midst, and they swarm around us.

The Pack meets them head-on, carving out a path forward, deeper into the crush.

A Human lunges at me, and Viper drops him before he reaches arm’s length. Another comes in from the left and Shade puts a round through his neck. Blaze kicks a body off the cliff edge without breaking stride and lets out a gleeful giggle.

Knox shouts, "Push!"

As a unit, we surge forward again, and I follow them deeper into the mass of our enemy, ducking when told, huddling behind the bodies of my mates. It's not enough to stop the stray bullet from nicking my arms and legs. Warmth trickles down my skin, but the sting barely lingers before my rapid healing seals the wound.

We continue to drive forward straight into the teeth of them, and the adrenaline pumping through my body sweeps me up in the frenzy of violence. I still haven't fired my weapon, but I feel the itch to help my Pack fight growing with each injury I see them take to protect me. I start feeling like what my Pack has been trying to make me into all along.

A soldier.

A fighter.