Page 187 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

The men at the front falter mid-step as their eyes go strangely wide.

Then, without hesitation, one of them swings the butt of his rifle into the face of the soldier beside him with an audible crunch, while another buries a knife in his friend’s stomach. The whole cluster turns inward and tears itself apart.

Gunfire explodes at point-blank range. Humans scream, shove, and rip at each other in blind confusion, each one suddenly certain the enemy is standing shoulder to shoulder with him. A man goes down clutching his gut while his comrade stomps on his wrist until he drops his weapon.

Once, the immorality of this would have made me sick. Not too long ago, even the thought of forcing my will onto someone using my Commands turned my stomach.

Now, I watch them slaughter each other, and all I can think is that I will do far worse to keep my mates alive.

The front edge of the charge collapses into anarchy and buys us a handful of precious seconds.

Then the next wave climbs over them, unaware of the nightmare their brethren just went through.

My head swims with unchecked power.

I could do it again. Pick another handful and make them tear each other apart too. Then another. Then another.

At what point would they realize I'm the threat? That the little Omega who has no place on a battlefield is the most dangerous thing on it.

I suck on a cut on my lower lip, and allow the sting of the open wound to clear my mind. This isn't sustainable, and it'll only drag out the inevitable. If I am going to save my Pack, it has to be bigger than this.

Much bigger.

The power is there. I can feel my Omega pressing against the inside of my skin, vast and wild and determined, and all at once, I know why my last Omega Command didn't work like I expected.

I want to kick myself.

My power isn't mine alone. It never has been. It comes from those golden strands connecting our souls together.

Our Pack bond is the key.

The enemy is once again nearly upon us.

I glance back at my bleeding mates.

Viper and Shade are clutching each other, barely standing upright, and Knox is still choking through the last of the blood in his throat. They are all broken and exhausted, but I know them like I know my own heart, and they're capable of this one last act of bravery if I ask it of them.

"Hands on me. Now," I say, my voice raw.

There is no hesitation. Their Omega gave them an order, and they obey without question. Like me, they seem to realize that this is it, our last chance.

They close in around me without a word. Shade and Viper each place a hand on my shoulders, and Knox's palm cups the back of my neck.

"Thank you," I whisper, and close my eyes tightly. "And I'm sorry, but I think this is going to hurt."

I reach down inside of me, grasp hold of the golden strands of our bond, and wrench them apart.

A kaleidoscope of colors bursts behind my lids.

Knox pours into me first, all authority and iron will, the brutal refusal that has kept him on his feet long past reason. Viper follows, loyal and steady and relentless, giving me endurance soaked in pain and the stubborn promise that he will stand by my side as long as I need him to. Shade comes next and wraps around the rest, restraint over chaos, thought inside fear, a calm center I lock onto before I fly apart.

The power that floods through me is more than just mine; it's our love and their trust. They give themselves to me without holding anything back, and I take it. I take their fear and grief too.

I cannot tell what parts are Blaze through the mess of the bond, but something that feels like chaos and devotion still burns at the edges, hot enough for me to grab hold of too.

I take that pain and love and feed it into my Omega rising under my skin.

She bares her teeth and goes to war.