41. Chapter Forty-One #3
I turn toward him and find him looking anywhere but directly at me. The bond gives him away. He's anxious, and this kind of self-conscious nervousness is uncharacteristic of Knox.
"Well," he says, rubbing at the scar over his nose, "it has been a very long time since I answered to it."
My heart aches, and even though the noise from the war is getting louder with each passing minute, I encourage him with a soft voice. "What was your name, Knox?"
He is quiet for a beat, then nods once, like he is agreeing with an argument he's had with himself.
"Thorin," he says.
Warmth spreads through me all at once.
It suits him. It's strong and solid, just like my Prime Alpha.
"Instructor Sturgiss told me names were for those with families," he adds in a rush, like he feels compelled to explain. "He said the battlefield only required a callsign and a rank. That I was just a weapon with an expiration date."
He looks down at his hands, the knuckles scarred, even Alpha healing unable to hide the evidence of years of violence.
"I was a war orphan, so my name wasn't even my own, it was the name of the soldier who found me. Alpha Thorin Knox. He… I looked him up once, but he died on the front lines years ago. He wasn't anyone important."
I step into his space so our chests are touching, forcing him to look directly at me so he can see how much I appreciate him sharing and how much love I have for him.
"You are important to me," I tell him, my fingers covering the scars on his hands. "You’re my Alpha. Thorin or Knox, it doesn't matter to me. I know who you are, and you are loved."
I smile at him until some of the tension eases from his shoulders.
"Well," I say, looking at all of them in turn, "it is very nice to meet you properly at last."
My gaze lingers on each of them as I say their names, careful and deliberate. "Sebastian. Eden. Thorin. Blaise."
The bond settles around us, full of grief and love and that strange, aching intimacy that comes from being trusted with something breakable yet entirely intangible. I truly believe that names hold power, and I certainly feel powerful after being gifted with theirs.
The enemy rounds the bend, each new troop firing as its line of sight becomes unhindered.
Our time together has officially run out. It's time to go to war.
Knox gathers himself to his full height, gives me one last lingering look, and turns to stalk in front of the gathered Alpha soldiers.
Dust clings to Knox’s boots and the hem of his combat trousers. His rifle hangs strapped across his back, but he looks more dangerous with empty hands as he walks in front of the weary soldiers, his jaw locked and his red eyes moving from face to face.
"Alphas of Fathim, listen up," Knox barks, his voice carrying clean over the wind and the growing roar of gunfire.
Those not actively laying down suppressive fire at the barricade turn their attention to Knox.
"I speak to you as one of you," Knox shouts, projecting his voice as far back as he can, so the troops right in the rear can hear him. "I was made in this army and I’ve spent my life fighting Humans in the mud and cold with you. I know what you’ve sacrificed to keep our people alive."
A murmur moves through the gathered soldiers. Those who looked worn down a minute ago set their feet wider and lift their heads.
"The Pass is gone, but make no mistake, if this army kills us here today, they will not stop. They will dig through the rubble. They will search every ridge and ravine until they find another way into Blackreach."
The soldiers all look grim as their fears are confirmed. The victory they thought they'd achieved is only temporary.
"And when they do, we will not be alive to stand between their hate and every Alpha, Beta, and Omega who crossed this mountain range believing we’d keep them safe."
A few Alphas bare their teeth.
Knox turns and looks back at me.
"You’ve heard the rumors about Omega Halley Sparks. You’ve heard she died and came back, and you've heard what her Omega Command is capable of. I'm telling you now that it's all true."
More than one gaze cuts toward me where I stand with my Pack. Some soldiers look frightened, while others look desperate, but all of them have hope shining in their eyes.
Knox turns back to them and paces once more before them, every inch of him hard commander and battle hungry. His words are unshaken and ringing clear.
"So I ask you to hold this road not for one more glorious stand, but for a true chance to end this. To stop the enemy before they hunt down our friends, our families, and every last Demi-human still breathing."
The soldiers have gone from weary to feral. The fear is still there; I can see it in the tightness around mouths and the sweat on brows despite the cold. Knox's words don't erase it. But he's given that fear direction, a purpose.
"Fight for that chance. Fight for the Omega who stands with us."
He stops in front of them one last time.
"Let them remember that when they came for Blackreach, they found warriors waiting."
Chills run down my arms.
Beside me, Viper throws his head back and bellows, "For Blackreach!"
The answering roar shakes the road. "For Blackreach!"