Jerusalem has fallen, overrun by crusaders, and yet Nicolo di Genova and Yusuf Al-Kaysani have not stopped fighting for hours, possibly even days afterwards. They have murdered each other dozens of times only to return back to life and fight over and over again, but this time, as Nicolo awakens from another death, he is shocked to find his enemy has stopped trying to kill him and is starting to go into heat. All this time he has been fighting an omega without realizing.

For his part, Yusuf is absolutely terrified. His bond-mate has died in battle just a few days ago and it should have been impossible for him to even be identified as an omega by other alphas so soon, let alone to actually go into heat, but reviving and healing from multiple injuries so many times must have accelerated the process – and now he is all alone, surrounded by the very people who murdered all his friends and allies, and just minutes away from losing all control of his instincts and begging to be fucked by any alpha in the vicinity… Before his heat takes over completely Yusuf barely has the time to ask the man who killed him not to let anyone else have him, giving Nicolo the closest thing to consent he is still able to give.

So, to honor Yusuf's request, Nicolo knots and claims him right there on the battlefield while the other alpha-crusaders that were drawn by Yusuf's scent cheer him on or mock him for bonding with a "heathen" omega, and the whole experience is just as traumatic as it sounds (for both of them!) but at least now no other alpha will lay a hand on Yusuf - as long as Nicolo lives.