Page 161 of Knot Their Soldier: Part One
“Uh. Sorry?” I squeak, mortified by my reaction. “Still a little sensitive.”
“Hang on,” he grunts, but doesn’t make a fuss, and I appreciate it.
We don’t say a word about the volatile fight we had before my heat when I nearly choked the life from him. Now is not the time.
I grit my teeth and brace myself.
Knox bends his knees and then leaps forward. My breath catches in my throat as the forest blurs around me.
We’re running fast. Really, really fast.
The realization hits me just how much they’ve been holding back while training me. They’re made for physical endurance. It’s ingrained in them and it’s fascinating to see how they travel as a squad. Blaze, despite having two bags strapped to him, is out front, scouting our path with light steps. Shade shadows Knox like his namesake, and they somehow silently communicate between each other with only hand gestures and grunts. Viper brings up the rear, his heavy, consistent footsteps thumping against the forest floor like a drum. They move as a well-oiled machine.
Knox’s hands hold me steady as his powerful thighs carry us easily over the terrain. He doesn’t get tired, doesn’t even slow. We run along a stream for a time, crossing back and forth to disguise our trail, before making a sharp turn up a steep incline.
His breathing doesn’t change, even though I’m certain I’d have tapped out long ago.
It’s clear how much I’d hinder them in the field. I’ve been making progress with my physical strength and combat training, but it’ll never be enough. I’m just not built for something like this, and I’ve been kidding myself. My body is just not created for this sort of punishment.
I don’t know how far we’ve covered, but the sun is high in the sky, illuminating the forest floor in bright patches as Blaze finally comes to a stop up ahead, and Knox slows to a jog.
We emerge from a tree line and my jaw drops.
A majestic waterfall thunders from high above, careening down to a rippling pool below, a small oasis carved out of the sheer rock by the powerful water. The clearing is small, a window of blue sky peeking out over the crest of the waterfall. Gray mountain rocks and soft green ferns borders a pool of shimmering water.
Knox slides me off his back and onto the soft, mossy ground below.
I inhale deeply, tilting my head back and closing my eyes. Mist from the waterfall hangs like a haze, making the air feel moist and fresh.
The surrounding dense tree line makes the space feel intimate and secluded, like a hidden paradise waiting to be discovered. I’m sure few people have ever seen this part of the forest. It’s too difficult to get to. Too remote.
My Omega purrs with approval. I’m safe here.
I open my eyes to see Knox staring at me with an odd expression. As we watch each other, I tilt my head. He’s looking for something. Is he waiting for my approval?
“This is beautiful,” I breathe, and a hint of pride flashes across his handsome face.
I’m not sure what to think. It feels odd to have Knox seeking my validation and letting me see a vulnerable side of him.
He nods to himself, rubbing his hands. “We’ll make camp here for the night.”
The squad quickly gets to work setting up a campsite.
Blaze gets a small, smokeless campfire going alarmingly fast, with small twigs on the shoreline. The little pyromaniac shoots me a smug grin before disappearing to hunt for larger firewood.
Viper skulks off to secure the perimeter with motion sensors he digs from Shade’s pack.
Shade has collapsed against a tree and is shoveling fistfuls of jerky into his mouth as he tenderly pokes at the yellowing bruises on his high cheekbones. He’s healing quickly. I’m not a doctor like Everlyn, but I know it’s faster than a Beta usually heals.
Another mysterious anomaly, and one that I’m too emotionally drained to investigate. Somehow, I just know it has to do with my O-space and the bond between me and the squad.
Knox spreads out a blanket I recognize from my nest on the rocky surface beside the small, crackling fire that chases the slight chill from the air.
I raise a questioning brow at him, and he gestures to the blanket awkwardly.
I fight a smile. How unexpected. In the midst of a highly regimented ‘bug out’ protocol, Prime Alpha Knox broke rank to pack a blanket for me. It’s entirely out of character and has me feeling a flutter of butterflies.
Alpha provides. My Omega chirps happily.
