Page 76 of Who We Were

"Amaya, focus," he chides around a huff of laughter. "I can call Kate and have her?—"

"No, don't!" I panic again. The thought of someone coming to the house right now has me ready to burst out in fucking hives.

Vincent studies me before giving me a nod and a soft kiss. "Okay, I'll go grab you everything I can find. We'll figure this out."

I nod, trying to hold back the burn in my eyes as I try to find acceptance in the fact that my new nest isn't going to be everything of my dreams.

Just as Vincent steps away from me, which already puts me on edge, the doorbell rings. I stiffen, my fight-or-flight instincts rooting me to the spot while my body tries to figure out what to do. I swear I can feel my skin aching with the need to itch.

"Stay here," Vincent says in as calming of a voice as an alpha can when their omega is in a heat cycle.

As he disappears down the hall, I jump into action, the urge to hide disappearing as my anxiety rises.

I can't let my alpha face the intruder alone. Nor will I allow another personnearhim.

Myalpha.

49

OLIVER

Ifeel bad watching Emmett and Sam walk down the sidewalk. They should be here too. We should be a united pack for our omega. It's our own fault though and now it's time to show Amaya we can be men she can trust and rely on.

Surrounded by bags and bags of groceries tucked between at least ten large boxes of nesting supplies, I knock on Amaya's door. While I wait and hope they answer the door, I admire the handiwork of my pack mates.

I'm surprised Sam was able to fit all the groceries in his car. It was a good thing Emmett took his truck to get the nest stuff, becausedamn.

I bet if I were an alpha, I would hear Vincent approach the door, but alas, I have no warning before the door is yanked open. The alpha looks tense as fuck, immediately setting me on edge, but his shoulders loosen when he sees me.

"Oliver, what are you doing here?" Vincent's voice gets quieter when he notices all the goodies surrounding me.

I gulp. The guys are relying on me to start the process of making amends. "We want... Well, Amaya... Kate said?—"

Then Amaya's there, peeking around Vincent with a hard look and shutting me up completely. Confusion fills her pretty gold eyes when she sees me, but when her gaze flicks down, her pupils sharpen to pinpricks and her scent sparks.

Omega.

I barely register Vincent's purr in response to her visceral reaction. "Maya," I choke, trying to gulp down as much of her beautiful spring scent as I can before it's inevitably taken away from me again. "We?—"

I'm cut off from explaining when she practically dives headfirst into the nearest box of fuzzy blankets. Vincent and I watch wide eyed as she scoops the bundle out of the box and darts back inside.

"Um," I mumble, not sure what to do now.

Vincent watches our omega fly up the staircase with a small crease between his brows. But when a few doors slam shut upstairs, a smile curves his lips and his arms relax.

"Help me get these inside?" he asks.

I swear I about die of happiness when the alpha grabs two of the boxes. Our offering has been accepted, quite literally, with open arms.

"I'll bring the nesting supplies upstairs for her to pick through. You bring the food to the kitchen," Vincent directs, which I have zero problem with.This is going better than I expected.

The wide grin on my face doesn't fade, it only grows as I take my first step into her home. The scent of her space can only be described as floral lemon, and I can't help but yearn for my subtle summer scent to intertwine with theirs. I hope she uses the bag of our clothes I tossed into one of the boxes.

We work in silence; me piling the groceries on the counters while Vincent makes a few trips upstairs with stacks of boxes.God, he's strong.

Shaking the thought of his bulging biceps out of my head, I start organizing all the food to make it easier to put away. I won’t assume I should go snooping in their cupboards even if it's just to put stuff away. I may have been let inside, but that doesn't mean I get any more privileges.

I'm standing in the middle of the kitchen, taking in the few personal touches of their main level, when Vincent joins me. He answers my unspoken question. "Amaya's been struggling to feel comfortable here, and it's not my place to make changes to her home."

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