Page 74 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Heat crashes back through me, and I press my face into the mattress as my body punishes me for the knot it lost.

I'm not sure how much time passes. All I know is that four of my fingers pressed against my O-spot does not make up for a lost knot. It barely soothes the ache and painful clenching.

The nest moves under my sweat-soaked cheek, and I crack a bleary eye open.

Shade kneels beside Knox with a wet cloth in his hand, wiping blood from his face, his throat, the tense line of his shoulders. Knox sits on his knees, naked and splattered red, with his hands curled into fists against his thighs.

"Wha—?" I ask, my voice rough and husky.

Shade startles as if he didn't expect me to be alert enough to ask questions. "We had some unwanted visitors, baby girl. Prime Alpha took care of it, don't worry." His mouth tightens as he drags the cloth over Knox’s collarbone. "It does mean we’ll be rotating a watch from now on."

I blink and scan the room for Blaze and Viper. They're not in the den, but I can feel them through the bond, close by and furious.

My heart pangs.

This isn’t how my heat is supposed to go. We’re supposed to be together. All of us. Safe in the nest, sealed away from the war and the blood and every awful thing waiting outside that door.

Knox makes a low, disgusted sound.

"Knothead," he mutters at himself, staring at the floor. His jaw works, and his voice comes out rough with self-loathing. "Should've set up a perimeter, but I was too busy thinking about getting my dick wet."

My chest pulls tight at the pain I can feel through our completed bond.

"Alpha," I say.

He doesn’t look at me.

"I left you," he repeats, quieter this time, and the shame in the bond sinks deeper. "You needed me, and I left."

I hate the pain in his voice more than I crave his knot.

I know him. He'll use this one terrible interruption as proof that he failed me as my Alpha, and I can't let him do that. I won't let him take this from us.

I prop myself upright, my body humming with every movement and every brush of fabric against my skin.

"I don’t care," I say.

Knox’s eyes snap to mine.

"I care." His voice roughens. "I was inside you. I was supposed to keep you safe and knot you, and instead I—"

"You protected the nest," I say, cutting him off before he can sink any deeper. "You protected us."

I crawl closer, even though my limbs feel loose and my heat is still clawing at every inch of me. "And you came back. That matters more."

Knox stares at me, caught between guilt and wanting me.

I reach for him, curling my fingers around his wrist. His skin is hot under my hand, and the fresh bond between us answers with a heavy, aching pull.

"I hate this," I admit. "I hate that even our beautiful moments are marred by violence, but it's our reality. It always has been, Knox. I'm not a pampered Omega from the Capital, so I know happiness costs sacrifice. It's what makes me perfect for this Pack."

His throat works, and his gaze drops to my mouth, my throat, the bite he left there. Red flares in his eyes.

"Princess," he says, voice strained.

I press closer to him, nuzzling up against his side. "Finish what you started, Alpha."

"You still want to?" His throat bobs, his brow furrowing in confusion. "But I didn't knot you. I—"