Page 86 of Who We Were

Biting the inside of my cheek, I shift nervously and ask the question I never thought I would. "But do you...do you maybe like him too?"

A chuckle falls from his lips, relaxing me once again. "I don't know. But I do know I wouldn't mind those abs and tattoos in our bed."

Oh fuck.

My mouth opens, but the roar that ricochets through the walls doesn't come from me. I'm on my feet so fast I swear my heart falls out of my ass. Emmett isn't far behind me as I leap over the couch, but the bond in our chest has me whirling around on him.

That wasn't a sound of pleasure, that was pure alpha panic, and unfortunately, Emmett is too on edge to let it go.

Stopping Emmett with my hands on his chest, I throw all my weight into keeping him from running up those stairs. Amaya's up there, and I can logically understand that adding another feral, panicking alpha to her nest will only make things worse.

"Emmett, stop!" I shout, shoving him, but he's bigger and wider than me, plus he's got an alpha riding his behavior while I'm just me. "Alpha!"

"MOVE!"

"No!" I snap, but I'm losing ground, my socks sliding along the hardwood floors as he continues forward. "Stop, Em. She doesn't need more feral energy. You'll send her into distress."

He bares his teeth at me, looking nothing like the man I love. I can feel myself pale even with the exertion of the energy I’m expending trying to make him see reason. But I can't stop him. It's impossible to get between an alpha and his mate, even if the one between them is their bonded. Emmett's lost to his alpha.

I'm cursing obscenities and freaking the fuck out when the door flies open. "What the fuck is going on in here?!" Samuel is flying through the foyer before I can blink and ripping my mate off of me.

"Amaya—" I gasp out, hiking a finger over my shoulder, but Emmett cuts me off with another throaty growl.

I purse my lips in distaste, not enjoying this side of my alpha. Thankfully, Samuel has a good hold on him and locks Emmett in a chokehold to keep him at bay.

"Go!" Sam urges.

I'm bolting up the stairs without a thank you and follow my nose to Amaya's bedroom. I barge into her room and close the door behind me before rushing to the entryway of her nest. Amaya's scent forces me to swallow the saliva tingling in my jaw, but there's no point in adjusting my dick when it just springs back up, rock hard and ready to go.

Part of me thinks about hesitating, but the muffled, frantic conversation through the door keeps me moving forward. The slightest crack of the door unleashes a torrent of horny omega and lemon musk, but I power through, forcing my shaky legs to enter her nest.

What I don't expect is a pillow slapping me in the face, yet I scramble to catch it just to keep it pressed against my nose. I refrain from being a creep and take in the scene before me. If I thought my cock was hard before, it's practically weeping for her like a male omega with slick seeping from my slit.Fucking hell.

Amaya is a vision all sweaty and naked, kneeling in the middle of her nest. It takes me a moment too long to stop drooling over her sweet curves.

"Oliver," Amaya snarls, punching the mattress with a little fit. My eyes immediately snap to hers, where I'm surprised to find enough clarity for her to scold me. "If there wasn't a problem, I would unleash my omega on you so fucking fast for entering my nest without my permission.”

"Shit," I hiss. The one thing I shouldn't have forgotten, and I did.

"Yeah,shit," she mocks, her snarking tone doing little to calm my raging hard-on down.

"I'm sorry, baby. I just..." I trail off, finally looking at Vincent, also on his knees, but where Amaya's head is held high, Vincent's is hung between his shoulder. "What's happened?" I ask quietly, mildly afraid now.

Amaya deflates, and reaches for her alpha, tugging his hands away from his sharp ass cheek bones.God, he's sexy. Giving myself a metaphorical slap, and blaming the pheromones soaking the nest, I kneel on the wood floorboards surrounding her mattress.

"Vincent," Maya murmurs, petting him. Vincent's inconsolable, muttering under his breath and shaking his head like he refuses to hear his omega.

Amaya stiffens a moment before her scent sharpens and slick coats the sheets beneath her. She turns her pleading gaze on me. "Oli, please help him. I–my heat?—"

"Shhh," I hum and crawl towards them. "Vince, man, what's going on?"

He shakes his head rapidly. I bite my lip, uncertain, but I need to take control for both of them. Amaya's holding onto her lucidity by a thread and I'm pretty sure we need to get this worked out before she's fucking herself on his knot while he continues his downward spiral.

"He… um," Amaya hesitates, shifting and rubbing her thighs together. "I was a virgin."

Oh. I frown, trying really damn hard not to get jealous at the implication. Her eyes flick down to his cock and my attention follows, immediately seeing the tinge of red.Oh!

Okay, I think I understand. "Amaya, keep talking to him okay, I'll be right back." She looks nervous and on the verge of tears when I duck out of the bedroom, then rush to get a few wet rags.

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