Page 34 of Who We Were

"Wait, what are your names?" Beckett demands, staring daggers at Sam and Em.

Now that I think about it, I think I'm the only one that actually introduced myself to them and just as Oli.

"Uh," I shift, picking up on an undercurrent of danger. "That's Emmett and Samuel. Why?"

"Last names?" The alpha growls, muscles bunching with barely restrained violence.

Emmett releases me, stepping forward to shield me from the angry alpha. My eyes dart between Kate and Beckett, confusion and a sickening sense of foreboding making my stomach twist.

"What's it to you?" My mate demands, straightening. I can almost visualize the alcohol burning from his system.

Sam on the other hand? He's far too fucking plastered for his instincts to register the need to defend the pack. "Jenkins and Emmett's is Raven."

"You motherfuckers!"

Before Beckett can get a grip on Sam's throat, Kate snatches her mate's bicep, and stops him. "Stop! Don't!"

The bodies around us move away, shooting wary looks and ushering their loved ones away. I cringe and grip the hem of Emmett's shirt. We may be a similar build and he is only an inch taller than me, but I feel completely surrounded by his protection heating our bond and his warm body in front of me.

"You saw her today, Kate. How can we let these assholes breathe and laugh when all she's doing is crying?! After everything she's been through, Kate." He's pleading.

Tugging him a little harder, Kate steps between us and grabs his cheeks in her small hands. "Andyouknow this isn't what she would want. This would only hurt our friend more, okay?"

Beckett's chest heaves, and his lips twitch in an effort to hold back a snarl. His eyes bore into his omega's desperate gaze until his shoulders relax just a smidge.

My heart fucking thunders and my mind is all over the place, trying to understand what the hell is going on at the same time Emmett pounds through our tether. He's a mess of instinct and racing thoughts.

"BECKETT!" one of his other pack mates barks, shoving through the crowd. The third alpha of their group, Remy maybe, swoops in to pull Kate from between us.

"Fine," Beckett grunts and follows his omega and seething pack mates without a backwards glance. Like we're nothing more than the sticky beer on the bottom of his shoe.

"What the hell just happened?" I breathe.

"I don't know but?—"

Sam snorts, cutting Emmett off. "What a couple of buzzkills, am I right?"

The one time, theonefucking time I would prefer my dickbag of a brother to be his shitty self, he's wasted and completely unhelpful. We were accosted and definitely accused of something awful.

"Another round!"

Fucking hell.

24

EMMETT

SEVEN YEARS OLD

“What song is that?" I wonder out loud.

Oli stops humming but his eyes stay on the orange and pink sky. It's okay. It's why we laid down anyway. "I don't know," he murmurs.

"Did you make it up?" Sammy asks him from where he's sprawled out in the grass on Oli's other side.

"Mhmm," my friend replies quietly, like he doesn't want the crickets to stop chirping.

Plucking some grass, I feel my face warm before I admit, "I like it."

---