Page 186 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

Below us, Knox is still holding back the main horde by himself, fighting to keep them from crashing into our position.

We're trapped in the middle.

The retreat happened without us. While we were in the blast zone, the rest of our forces fell back to the next barricade and sealed themselves into the new defense. Now enemy soldiers are closing in from uphill, and the larger wave is still coming from below.

This isn't the same as before, when we crossed behind enemy lines on purpose. We had gone in fresh, without bodies failing from injuries, and hope still burning in our bellies.

I look at my Pack and my heart clenches at the sight.

Viper is shaking where he stands, preparing to fight despite his body not being ready. Half his armor is melted into the healed flesh, and every breath he takes looks dragged out of him by brute force.

Shade is standing upright, but blood oozes from his ears, and I know the blast did more damage than he will admit.

Knox is still moving, killing, placing himself between us and the incoming horde, but he is slowing from exhaustion.

And Blaze is not here.

The empty space where he should be makes the pain in my body from all of the healed gunshots and burns feel like nothing by comparison to the pain in my heart.

There is no path uphill. Enemy soldiers choke the ground between us and the next barricade. There is no path down. Knox is the only thing keeping the horde from swallowing us whole, and he cannot do that forever. There is no miracle left waiting for us, no hidden plan, no last reserve of strength about to reveal itself.

A bullet hits Knox, and instead of fighting through the pain like he has been, he halts, his hand flying to his throat. He staggers backward into us, and Shade barely catches him with his failing strength.

Blood pours between Knox's fingers. He's choking, trying to breathe through a wound that is already dragging itself closed but is not healing fast enough to stop him from drowning in his own blood.

"Knox!" I scream, reaching to place my hands on his throat so I can purr for him, but it's too late.

The gap in his defense opens.

Shade was right. This is where the road ends.

This is where we die.

A heat inside me surges, and I straighten my spine.

No.

Before I can think better of it, I step in front of my Pack.

Knox makes a broken sound behind me, choking on too much blood to form my name, but I don't look back.

My mates are hurt, cornered, and out of time. I did not survive everything this world did to me to watch these Humans butcher what is mine.

I plant my boots on the road.

The first Human lunges.

I lift my chin and let my Omega rise.

Chapter Forty-Six

Halley

I open my mouth and throw my will at them with everything I have.

"Your brothers are your enemy. Kill them."

The Command leaves me like a strike, and I feel it catch my targets with an awful hitch as my power sinks in and takes hold.