Page 9 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

"It's been a pleasure serving with you, Beta Specialist Shade."

He was the glue of our Pack, but he can't hold us together anymore. Nothing can.

Chapter Three

Viper

I’ve walked away from more battlefields than I can count, covered in blood that wasn’t always mine.

I’ve accepted death more times than most soldiers get to fear it.

It never felt like this before.

Before Halley, dying was an ending.

Now it feels like following her home.

My Omega's blood cracks where it’s dried on my skin, flaking off as I walk deeper into the forest with Knox at my back.

I should want it gone.

I don’t.

It still smells faintly of her beneath the iron. Lavender and lightning, ruined by blood, but there.

It’s the last thing of hers I will ever have.

I used to feel a little regret when death came close.

Tonight, there’s only relief.

My mind is slipping. I can feel it going with each heavy step I take deeper into the forest.

I've been spoiled by Halley and her stabilizing presence. Her love has kept the Blood Lust at bay, but now she's gone, and there is nothing stopping the tide of rage from rolling in.

I'm almost numb to it, but grief is sitting on top of it, pinning it down.

Halley saved my life that day in the hospital.

I was supposed to die there, either by lethal injection or a bullet to the head. Everyone knew it. The doctors, nurses, and Shade. Even though he wanted to get me help, he knew what my fate would be that day.

Then she looked at me with those gorgeous eyes and changed what my ending looked like.

She gave me the chance to fall in love and finally be loved in return. Now that she’s gone, it makes sense that I’m due for the bullet she stopped. It's a debt to the universe that must be repaid. A cosmic rebalance.

I’m not afraid of it.

I’ve had more time than I was owed.

The Blood Lust surges, a wave of fire burning under my skin, and I stumble to a stop. It brings with it an unquenchable need to kick, punch, rip, and tear. An inescapable urge to cause maximum damage.

My hands tremble as I turn to face Knox. For a moment, I only recognize him as a threat to be torn apart, but I blink and steady my mind.

"Now," I grit through my teeth. I'm losing control.

I bite my inner cheek, hoping the pain will ground me. The tang of copper only serves to ignite the hunger for blood rising within.

I'm glad it's Knox. He's always been stronger than me, capable of holding everything inside while I leaked emotions through my armor. He's the best leader a soldier could ask for and has made a damn fine brother. The perfect one to do the deed. He’ll hate himself for it, but he’ll do it right.