Page 41 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

"Back then, I was your Prime Alpha, you were my lieutenant, and I could call it duty," Knox continues. "That isn’t what we are anymore."

The tent is painfully quiet. Knox swallows thickly, but it doesn't stop the tear that escapes and runs down his cheek.

Viper turns the gun over. The pistol looks small in his big hands, and he hums. It's the same gun that had been clutched in Knox's shaking grasp as he escorted Viper into the forest.

I remember the look on Knox's face. Drawn in pure devastation from losing Halley, but also crumbling under the sheer weight of his task. I knew he planned to eliminate himself after shooting Viper. I knew it then, and I know it now, he never would have recovered from killing his Pack mate.

Viper studies Knox, and silence stretches out between them.

Finally, Viper puts the gun down and packs it away with practiced movements.

"Good. Never should have asked that of you to begin with. Was a selfish prick."

Knox opens his mouth to protest, but Viper interrupts him with a shrug and curious expression. "Besides, don't think it'll be a problem."

I frown. "What do you mean?"

"I don't feel it anymore."

"Feel what?"

"The itch under my skin. The one that's been there for years, even with Halley close by… it's gone."

Is he saying his Blood Lust is cured?

"Well, fuck me sideways with a rusty pole," Blaze breathes.

"Blaze!" Halley scolds.

"What? All this freaky shit keeps happening and we're supposed to just be cool about it?"

I incline my head. He's not wrong. This is just another addition to a long list of supernatural developments. Soul bonding, telepathy, enhanced healing, Omega Commands, resurrection. It's all piling up. And now, Viper's terminal illness might be cured? We've lived with it hanging over our heads like an anvil, and in the blink of an eye, it disappears.

I close my eyes and let the relief flood through me.

"I think that as long as this 'freaky shit' is working out in our favor, we don't question it," I reply coolly and feel every gaze in the tent pin me in place.

"Did… Beta Specialist Shade just say he wasn't going to research something?" Halley asks.

"Yeah, he did," Viper agrees while looking confused by his own admission.

"Okay, this counts as more 'freaky shit', right?" Blaze exclaims, flinging a hand toward me.

I chuckle and quickly cross the room to wrap my arms around Viper. I rest my head on his chest and savor the rhythm of his heart against my ear. There will be time for discovering the how and why later. Right now, I just want to enjoy having my Pack healthy and by my side.

Viper sighs and wraps his arms around me. There is some shuffling and then three warm bodies press into me from behind, joining the hug.

Yes, we're all alive, well, and together. I've spent my whole life quantifying outcomes, but I don't have a measurement for this.

Chapter Eleven

Knox

The camp is coming apart in pieces.

Tent stakes are ripped out of the ground, and rope is yanked loose and then coiled. Crates are dragged across hard dirt and tossed into stacks.

"Oi, get back here and clean that up!" the quartermaster shouts as a stack tumbles over, spilling its contents across the ground. His voice is hoarse from too much yelling today.