Page 47 of Who We Were

I doubt the man can narrow his eyes any further without closing them completely, but I don't care. And considering Oliver is now sneaking his way toward the open front door, he's feeling a bit off about leaving the woman here alone too.

I mean, shit, the police are here!

"Ms. Rose is not alone, sir. Please.” He holds an arm out in form of showing me the way down the driveway, but I'm stuck on one very fucking important thing he just said.

"Ms. R-Rose?" I stutter, my heart falling out of my ass and shattering at my feet. Feet which have since gone numb since hearing that name.

The officer opens his mouth just as the sound of shattering glass echoes through the night. Then Oli screams for me. "EMMETT!"

Any possible smidge of doubt I had that the namedidn'tbelong to my scent-matched omega bursts into fucking flames at the sight of my beta crashing to his knees in the doorway.

The fucking doorway we sold toouromega.

The girl who got away. Except, as I come to a screeching halt behind Oliver, the girl I once knew isn't staring back at me. The omega staring at me is awoman.

Amaya.

Caught in years of pain and yearning, I make a fatal mistake: ignoring the alpha holding her upright.

I watch in frozen shock as he settles Amaya on a chair and charges me. "YOU!" the alpha roars. "LEAVE!"

I don't think I can. I truly don't think I can live without my eyes on my omega ever again. No matter how many fists fly at my face.

33

AMAYA

This is so embarrassing. At least I think it is, I don't know. I'm still lost in the nightmare that woke me up screaming.

It was brutal the way my childhood friends told me all the reasons they would never mate with me. They tore me down, then came the physical attacks. That's when the dream truly turned into a nightmare. Piece by piece, each of my fated mates tore flesh from my body. Then went shreds of my heart, and shards of my soul.

Phantom pains threaten the food still in my stomach from dinner. No, Iwill notpuke. I refuse. I just won’t. I haven't since I was a child, and there's no fucking way I'm starting now because of something that wasn't real.

The thing is the horror and pain of that nightmare was exactly what my omega is feeling on the inside. My mates haveruinedthe warm fuzzies that used to come with thoughts of our childhood together.

All I feel is pain when it comes to them.

The heat of Vincent's hand rubbing my back is the only thing keeping me here. Maybe a bit of irritation over my front doorstill being wide open and blinding me with red and blue flashing lights too.

Without my alpha and the annoyance of the people in my space, I might float away in a cloud of exhausted dust.

As comforting as it is to know I have neighbors who would call for help if I really were in trouble, I just was to curl back up in my nest. My nest, which is far more exposed to the elements than I would ever allow if I were of sane mind.

This is the first time I've disliked the layout of my new house. The kitchen straight off the entryway, and the living room to the left when you walk in make for no damn privacy when the door opens. And I'm pretty damn sure it's been open for at least twenty minutes now.

There are way too many people who can see my nest right now, and it's making me spiral even further.

God, I hate that I woke everyone up like this. It must have been terrifying for my alpha to wake up to my blood-curdling scream bursting his eardrums. From now on, I refuse to sleep on him, or near him.I feel so bad.

"...father."

I frown into my cozy sheet, hearing the officer mention Paul.

"I'll call him myself," Vincent responds.

"And the support person?"

A low growl rumbles my back where Vince holds me. "I have it handled, officer."

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