Page 126 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

The bond tells the truth. She is at capacity.

Every person in this room is looking at her and needing to see a different version of Halley. Knox sees his mate and his stalwart partner. Zero sees hope and guilt. The others see the Omega Command and a girl who came back from the dead.

Nobody is seeing Halley. The real person under all of that expectation.

Her eyes meet mine across the room, and the tension in the bond stutters.

Knox’s gaze cuts to me. His jaw tightens as he thinks at me, 'You shouldn't be here.'

I know. I've been told that it's not good to remind others that the Alpha trying to become the new General is in a Pack with the bastard who killed the old General.

But this is an emergency, in my opinion.

I cross the room.

Halley’s brows draw together. "Viper?"

"Pretty girl," I say, keeping my voice low enough so it's clear it's for her alone. "You done?"

Her eyes narrow. "What? No, I'm not done. I’m in a meeting."

I tug on our bond, and I raise a brow, reminding her that I can feel her being crushed under the weight of expectation. She can't hide it from her mate.

She just crosses her arms. My stubborn little Omega.

"Yeah, you're done," I say, and bend toward her.

Before she can argue again, I lift her off her feet and sling her over my shoulder just like I did with Shade. If a solution ain't broken, don't fix it.

One arm slides behind her thighs.

Halley makes a furious sound against my back. "Viper! Put me down!"

Knox’s growl cuts through the stunned silence, because no Alpha enjoys watching another male pick up his Omega and challenge his authority in a room full of rivals, even when that male is Pack. His red eyes lock on me, and I think he might fight me for possession of Halley, but then he pauses.

He can feel what I feel.

Halley's bond, which has been tightly coiled all day, has loosened a bit. She's spitting mad and furious at me, but at least she's getting it out of her system.

"Put me down you giant oaf!" Halley says, beating my back with her tiny fists.

There she is. There's my Omega. Not the person about to fracture under the strain of what the future holds.

Zero’s mouth twitches. "I suggest we take a brief recess."

Revik looks like he wants to argue but doesn't, which means he has survival instincts after all.

'Bring her back once you're done,' is all Knox says to me through our connection, and I nod in acknowledgment. He understands that I'm not taking her for selfish reasons.

I stride out the door.

"You embarrassed me in front of the war council," she says, her voice nasal as she hangs upside down.

"You were miserable," I reply.

Her irritation flares through the bond, but beneath it the pressure eases another fraction. She hates that I’m right.

She makes a frustrated sound and digs her fingers into the back of my jacket. "Knox needs me there."