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EMMETT

M y leg won't stop fucking bouncing. Whether I try to force it to stop, or ignore it completely, it... won't... stop. Not even Oliver's soothing temperament through the bond right now helps.

I envy my beta and not only because there's no more space on the bed beside Vincent, but because he's finding ways to be useful. With Oli tucked up next to him, Vince has been slowly coming to for the past fifteen minutes. If Oliver weren't so exhausted, he would have noticed by now, and would be chomping at the bit to encourage the bruised alpha into consciousness.

So with Oli asleep, snuggled against Vincent, and Samuel trying to figure out a way around bringing in an outsider to help Vince, I'm left alone to watch over them.

My leg started bouncing the first time Vincent twitched and cracked an eye open. Excitement and wariness stole all the sleepiness from my body. With my mate lying beside him, if Vince goes feral and panics, Oli could get hurt.

Instead of snatching Oliver away, I'm trusting the alpha. Not only because he's a damn good guy, but because his body language doesn't raise any red flags. If anything, he's shifted closer to my beta.

Vincent's eyes blink open again, ever so slowly, like the weight of the world rests on his eyelids. Then he shifts, his right fist reaching for Oliver's hand. My leg stops bouncing at their contact. Still, Oli doesn't twitch, allowing the alpha to get a firm grip.

Eyes focused on the ceiling, Vincent takes a shuddering deep breath. I don't move, afraid to trigger him. Fuck, please don't let Sam walk in right now. Watching Vincent's chest rise and fall in a normal pattern settles my soul just a little. I won't be okay until Amaya is safe, but witnessing this alpha coming back into himself after some seriously fucked up shit gives me hope.

Driven to be near him, I lean forward in my chair only for the piece of plastic trash to creak. I swear to god if I set him off...

Sparkling blue eyes snap to me at the same time his grip on Oliver strengthens. Once he sees it's just me, Vincent relaxes and seems to droop with relief. "Emmett.” He sighs.

"Hey, man." I lack the energy to feel embarrassed by my obvious crack of emotion.

Slowly, Vince looks at the sleeping Oliver snuggled beside him. I watch in fascination as his harsh eyebrows rise a little. He tugs his hand free, making my heart skip a beat, then he raises his arm.

"Fuck!" Vince hisses. I cringe, watching the alpha grit his teeth and fight through the pain to tug my beta into his chest. "Worth it," he grumbles and dips his nose into Oliver's hair.

I clear my throat, a little shocked at the man's boldness when Oli is obviously my mate. Hell, his fucking hand is right next to my bite mark on Oliver's throat. Swallowing the flare of possessiveness, I ask him what really matters. "How are you feeling?"

Blinking his eyes open once again and turning to face me, Vince shocks the living shit out of me again. His eyes burn red and a tear falls into Oliver's curly brown locks.

"Vince," I whisper, standing to crouch beside him. I don't wipe his tear, that's not me and we definitely aren't in an affectionate relationship, but I still place a hand on his forearm above the brace on his wrist. "Talk to me."

He shakes his head. "You don't want to know." Pushing through the hoarseness in his throat, he adds, "What's the plan?"

I’m not surprised at his change of behavior, because the torment and pain swirling in his ocean depths tell me everything I need to know. We need to hurry the fuck up.

Reaching for the water pitcher, I pour him a small cup and top it off with a straw. Before I can explain that he's physically ready to be discharged, Sam sneaks into the room with a heavy glare pointed behind him.

"Son of a bitch," my best friend groans and drags his hand through his dirty blond hair. I don't remember the last time it didn't look like a mess, so at least his hair still looks the same during the worst days of our lives.

I don't know if it's the obvious shift in the atmosphere, but Oli's head shoots up. "Sammy? What is it?"

Vince chuckles at Sam's jolt of surprise, only to devolve into a coughing fit. Shoving the straw between his lips, I focus on keeping the poor guy comfortable. I pretend not to notice Oliver's bright red cheeks when he sees the new position Vince tugged him into.

"I couldn't hold them off," Sam all but growls, pacing the room.

Knowing who he's talking about, I frown. "Why would you want to?" Kate and her men know someone who can help us find Amaya. Fuck knows what our omega's going through.

As much as I would like to grab some guns and speed through cities until we find her, we can't. We're goddamn realtors. What the hell are we gonna do?

Sam stops his movements and snarls at me. "We don't need strangers sniffing around our family!"

"What are you talking about?" Vincent questions while Oliver climbs to his knees and whips his head around, trying to follow the conversation.

Sam just stares at the alpha between my beta and me. Nervousness steals his ability to answer Vincent, so he turns to me with a grim look. "They said we're running out of time to save her. He's here."

Cursing, I stand not bothering to brush my sweatpants off. "Let's go meet him then, yeah?"

"Fuck!" Samuel snaps, tipping his head to the ceiling like he's praying for patience. "Fine. Let’s go meet Lucas."