Page 88 of Knot Their Soldier: Part Three

I whine again, seeing the red stain of her blood on her otherwise unblemished skin.

"Halley, fuck. I'm sorry, I don't…" I trail off. I know exactly what happened; I let my guard down and Blaze took control. He's always wanted to get his teeth into her, and he took his opportunity without hesitation.

Fuck.

Fuck!

I tilt my head so I can get a good look at her face, bracing myself to see it contorted in pain, but instead, I find a lopsided grin and a dreamy expression.

"Mmm'so good," Halley moans, slurring her words. "Blaze. Mate."

"Uhhh," I stammer, eyes darting to Shade.

Shade looks between us. "Shit, dude. I thought you'd…" He licks his lips, and his frown eases with a sigh. "Well, she seems pretty happy about it."

The tightness in my chest releases, but the feeling doesn’t stop there.

The bond opens wider.

It’s existed for months, since the day I met Halley and first felt her warmth, made even stronger by being intimate with each other, but this is different. Deeper and more permanent. Her presence settles inside me, bright and steady in the places where the darkness usually lives.

My breath catches.

Halley’s light has saved me before. It has pulled me out when Blaze dragged me too far under, when my thoughts turned ugly, when the world narrowed down to blood and the horrible things I’m good at doing.

Now that light is mine to keep.

Even if the war tears us apart again, even if distance puts mountains and blood and bad orders between us, this bond will stay. I’ll still feel her and I'll know where home is. For as long as we both live, some part of Halley will be with me, glowing in the dark where nothing else has ever stayed.

A laugh breaks out of me, rough and stunned.

I’m claimed.

I’m not alone anymore.

"You feeling good, baby girl?" Shade asks, brushing hair off her sweat-soaked forehead.

"Mhm. So good. Knot and bite and sooo good," Halley gurgles, moans, and then giggles to herself.

It makes me grin to hear her so happy and satisfied. I meet Shade's gaze and am pleased to see him flushed and glassy-eyed. His cock is still lodged inside her, snug against mine.

"Sparkles, you gonna let Shade give you a claiming bite too?" I prompt, not for one second letting our Beta miss out on such an important ritual.

She doesn't miss a beat, simply tilts her head to give Shade access to the same side my bite is on.

"Do it. Daddy, please. Bite me," she whines, eyelashes fluttering.

"Are you sure?" He frowns, still dazed and drugged by his orgasm.

"Yes, yes, need your claim too. Please, I need it," Halley begs, her voice pitching with desperation, and it breaks Shade's hesitance like a twig.

He bites into her shoulder with a snarl, his teeth crossing over the top of my bite.

I wait for the burst of possessiveness I expect from my Alpha, but it doesn't come. I rumble, crooning with deep satisfaction that Shade and I are linked by something far bigger than us. Our entwined connection will be evident on Halley forever.

My knot throbs at the thought, and another burst of come spurts out of me.

Halley and Shade moan simultaneously, and he pulls back, blood staining his mouth. Halley doesn't care; she dives into a kiss. It's wet and messy, mostly tongues tangling around moans. My knot is pulsing against Shade's cock, and Halley's core is fluttering in the aftermath of her orgasm. I have to close my eyes. It's too much.