Page 57 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

His instincts are screaming at him that rival Alphas are too close to Halley. Their attention keeps drifting past us, pulled by the scent of our Omega ripening, and Blaze catalogs every flick of their eyes, shift of their weight, and hungry breath.

His Alpha has decided those two are a threat and they must be neutralized.

Blaze prowls forward one step, pulls out his knife, and starts spinning it in his hand. Both guards adjust their grip on their rifles.

I wonder if they understand what just happened, that there are few things more horrifying in this world than Blaze when he has a personal vendetta.

The last Alpha to threaten Halley lost a hand. If they try to take her from us now, we won't stop Blaze from cutting them into so many tiny pieces that there won't be anything left for Everlyn to stitch back together.

I'm not in a position to pacify him, not when my own protective instincts are flaring wildly. I might have tolerated General Stone's possessiveness over Halley before. But now, after everything that happened, and with her heat breaking through, my patience for her safety being jeopardized is razor-fucking-thin.

We lost her, and I lost myself.

We are here only because fate gave us an impossible mercy. I won't squander this chance to make up for my past mistakes. This time I'll protect her when it matters most.

Halley is safely wrapped in Everlyn's arms, hidden behind our bodies, but her scent is threading through the gap between us.

She shuffles closer to me and presses a palm to my back, seeking comfort without thinking. My eyes lower to half-mast as I feel the feverish evidence of her heat rolling off her in unsteady waves.

Stone tries once again to get a glimpse of Halley, and Knox growls low in warning. We won't let unworthy eyes see our girl when she's going into such a vulnerable state. It's private, and a privilege meant for us, and us alone.

But Halley's scent has reached an intensity that can no longer be concealed. The General's nostrils flare, and his mouth tightens.

"The silly girl is in heat," he hisses, spitting the word like a curse. "We don’t have time for that nonsense. A suppressant will cut it out of her. It worked last time."

I blink and try to piece together his hypocrisy. Is this the same asshole who has been insisting, almost obsessively, about Halley going into heat so we can claim and mate her since we got here?

And now that we're finally close to claiming our Omega on our terms, he's taking offense?

My warning growl joins Knox's and Blaze's, a threatening rumble with a clear meaning.

He can back the fuck off, or else.

The medic’s case clicks open.

Halley makes a thin, whimpering sound behind us, and every thought I have narrows to that noise.

Needy, frightened Omega.

Both Alpha guards stiffen, reacting to the primal sound. The hairs on their arms stand at attention, and their lips are wet as they lick Halley's scent off their lips with growing desire. Their pupils widen, and one guard’s yellow eyes start to glow as he slips closer to rut.

I'm on edge and restless, similar to the tension of waiting in a trench before a battle. I'm hyperaware of her hand on me. It's possessive, and I want to preen because I've been chosen as worthy, but a single hand on my back is not enough. I need skin touching, rubbing, and if I could just get her in her nest, all wet and pleading, then… then…

My cock thickens with each pulse of blood heading south.

Stone’s voice rises. "I built this resistance, and I'm the one who keeps the fight alive. This is my fortress and you do not get to come back here and act like you’re above my authority."

"It's not an act," Knox replies.

Stone's face contorts. His voice lowers, turning from order to threat. "This is your last warning. You will make her take the heat suppressant and escort her to the Pass. Now. Or I'll have the lot of you detained."

The medic pulls a syringe from the case.

The sight of it wipes every last trace of restraint from the bond.

Blaze stops pacing.

The sudden stillness is worse than his growl.