Page 141 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

His smile creeps back in, meaner this time. "So it’s something we definitely shouldn't be exploding."

"Yes."

"Dangerous?"

I give him a flat look.

His smile widens. "Brilliant."

By the time we make it back to the nest, the fortress has settled into its uneasy pre-dawn silence.

Halley is tucked between Knox and Shade, with one hand curled in Knox’s shirt and her cheek pressed against Shade’s shoulder.

Knox is already awake, keeping watch while our mate sleeps. He takes one look at us, clocks the mud on Blaze’s clothes, and rolls his eyes.

Blaze strips down to his underwear and crawls in carefully, wriggling his way between Shade and Halley until he’s tucked between them. Through the bond, I feel the restless spark under his skin dim when Halley shifts toward him with a sleepy sound. He holds still as she settles against his chest, and all that violent energy goes quiet under the simple weight of being wanted.

I stand there longer than I mean to, taking in the sight of my Pack in the nest together for the first time in days.

Halley is safe, Shade is warm against her, Blaze is still for once, and Knox is watching over all of us.

The sight settles the restless Alpha in me, even with Shade’s plan waiting for us at dawn.

I strip off my boots and clothes, then slide in next to Knox.

‘I’ll take watch,’ I tell him through the bond so I don't wake the others. ‘Get some rest.’

I expect him to argue, but he only grunts in thanks, shifts closer to Halley, and starts snoring a few breaths later. He must've been exhausted, but stubbornly refusing to leave our den unguarded.

Sleep doesn’t come for me. I lie awake with the scent of my Pack filling the room and the map burned into my thoughts, the section of mountain Shade circled waiting for us in the dark. The peace won’t last long. I know that. So I let myself have it while I can.

When dawn reaches the den, I drag Blaze from the nest before the fortress fully wakes.

We leave the den quietly, with Halley still asleep under Shade’s arm and Knox watching us go with grim approval. By the time the first light reaches the mountains, we’re in the truck with the gear packed in back, coils of Kevlar rope stacked beside the explosives, and Blaze practically vibrating in the passenger seat.

Now that I think about it, I’m genuinely surprised that between Blaze’s rope fixation and Knox’s control issues, Halley hasn’t ended up suspended from the ceiling yet. The thought gives me one more reason to make it through this war alive.

I’d like to live to see that.

I drive us down the road from Blackgate in silence. Blaze lasts less than five minutes before his knee starts bouncing and his fingers tap against the door.

Shade’s marked point sits halfway down the mountain road, above the narrowest section of the Pass.

"Do you think we have enough to blow a proper hole?"

"Yes. Shade calculated it, so it's right." I trust Shade's skills with numbers as much as I trust him to watch my back in combat. The Beta doesn't miss details.

When we reach the marker on the map, I pull onto a narrow shelf of rock at the side of the mountain road and kill the engine.

The Pass cuts through the mountain below us, narrow between two walls of stone, and Shade's target runs along the cliff face beneath the road.

Blaze climbs out, slams the door, and heads for the back to start hauling equipment.

He straps into the harness with quick, efficient movements, then looks over the edge and lets out a low whistle.

"There are going to be some pissed-off folk if we do this."

"Probably."