Page 231 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

"You’re leaving again," she says, sleepy eyes narrowed.

Rut-damn, she's upset. I can scent the salt of unshed tears threading through the air between us, and I'd much rather she were angry with me than sad.

I look away first, checking the buckles on my pack even though I already checked them twice so I don't have to meet her watery eyes.

Over the last few weeks, the others settled into this new life more easily than I have. They all seem to have found their purpose. Knox buried himself in his position as the fortress General with Halley at his side. Shade created an impressive surveillance grid with Jason. Blaze has his important recon missions that are invaluable for our continued survival.

Me? I keep going into the mountains.

Halley watches me carefully as I continue to prepare my gear.

"Where do you keep going?" she asks quietly, a hint of hurt in her voice, and my heart clenches. I hate that she's upset with me, but the answer keeps getting stuck in my throat.

I've never been good with words. I usually let my actions do the talking for me.

So, instead of fumbling my way through an explanation, I jerk my chin toward the gate.

"Come with me."

When I hand her a climbing harness, her eyes widen and she looks at me with concern, but I'm focused on making sure she's equipped for the trip ahead.

I've zipped her up in a thick jacket with a fur-lined hood and snow pants, but I'm worried she'll still get cold, so I pull off my woolly hat and tug it down over her braided hair until it covers her pink-tipped ears. My inner Alpha growls with pride seeing our Omega in our scent-drenched hat.

She turns the harness over in her hands, brows pulling together. "Viper? Why do I need this?"

"Put it on."

Halley hesitates, looking at the apparatus and then back at me.

"Trust me, pretty girl."

Her eyes soften, and without another second of hesitation, she steps into the harness.

Obedience isn’t the right word for it, certainly not for Halley, but my Alpha reacts to her show of submission anyway, pleased with the absolute trust my Omega places in me.

I move in close to adjust the fit, tighten the waist a fraction, and check the leg loops. My gloves drag over the curve of her hip as I secure the final buckle.

"You already had one adjusted to my size," she says quietly, with a raised eyebrow.

I don’t answer immediately because there’s no good way to explain that I’ve been preparing for weeks, hoping I’d eventually work up the nerve to convince her to come with me.

Instead, I crouch to secure the laces of her boots. I lash her crampons to my pack, ready for when she'll need them clipped to her boots for grip on the ice later.

I shrug. "Figured you’d need it eventually."

Warmth spreads through the bond, carrying her affection with it, and I know I’ll never tire of feeling how completely she trusts me. Some days, I’m certain I’m the luckiest soldier in Fathim.

I stand and pull my spare gloves from my pocket, pressing them into her hands so she can layer them over hers before the cold can nip at her fingers.

I cock my head at her in a silent question. You still coming?

She squares her jaw and tips her nose in the air with undeniable determination.

That's my girl.

I lead her to the side of the courtyard that butts up against the mountain, open the hidden side gate, and slip through into a narrow gap between the mountain cliff face and the fortress stone walls.

"I didn't know this was here," she says, cheeks flushed from the pre-dawn chill as she follows me through, closing the gate behind her.