Page 138 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Her lips part, but no words come out. Her fingers tighten in the front of my shirt instead, curling there like she can support me through this.

"I know now that loving you does not make me weak," I say, my voice cracking. "It makes me stronger."

Tears gather at the corner of her eye. She blinks quickly, trying to hold them back, and that stubborn little effort almost breaks me more than the threat of tears themselves.

"Knox," she whispers.

I shake my head. "No, let me finish before I lose my nerve."

She nods encouragingly. Her hand slides from my shirt to my jaw, where her index finger traces over the scar on my nose with tenderness.

"Halley, if this life ends with me mated to the most wonderful, fiercest, bravest Omega in this world, then I have already been given more than I ever deserved."

The tears finally fall.

"Knox," she sobs, and I catch one of her tears as it slides down her cheek with my thumb.

Her hands slide around my neck, pulling me down as she leans up to kiss me sweetly. Then she breathes, "Who knew a Prime Alpha had so many beautiful words inside his head?"

Then she gives me a shaky little laugh, watery from her tears. She swats gently at the back of my head. "You’re still infuriating."

"Good. I’d hate to lose my edge now."

She smiles softly at me, and I can't look away. How did I ever think I could escape loving this Omega? There is not an Alpha dead or alive who could resist her beauty and charm.

"I love you, Knox. I hope you know it won't waver no matter what orders you give."

I kiss her slow and deep this time, to allow me to imprint this very moment into my memory. It will be what I carry into the coming battle to remind me what I'm fighting for.

When I pull back, I rest my brow against hers one last time.

"We go do our jobs," I tell her. "We do them well, and we come back to each other. Yeah?"

She nods, though her mouth trembles. "We go do our jobs. We come home."

My hand slides to the back of her neck again, holding her there until I make myself let go.

Chapter Thirty-Four

Viper

Day Eight

I find him slipping in through one of the lower access points near the old storage tunnels, moving with practiced silence, his shoulders tucked, head low.

And for a second, all I can see is the version of him he used to be.

Black clothes, black gloves, and a black scarf over the lower half of his face. He looks stripped down to sharp edges and old instincts.

Blaze sees me and freezes.

I say nothing.

His eyes narrow, and he drags the scarf down with a huff. "You just going to stand there all creepy, or what?"

"What were you doing?"

He leans one shoulder against the wall like I've simply caught him on an evening stroll. "Couldn’t sleep."