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EMMETT

" W hat's this I hear about my boys having an omega?"

"WHAT?!" Natalie screeches, making Vincent and Lucas jump out of the corner of my eye.

I cringe so fucking hard. I was so caught up in how happy I was to see the Jenkins family that I didn't even think about what's about to happen. Come to think of it, I don't know how their mom didn't latch on to the fact that Sam claimed an omega during his shouting at the doorbell.

Poor woman always hated her kids cussing.

"Momma—" Sam starts.

She whirls around on him with wide eyes and demands, "Why are you here ?!"

Oliver raises a hand like a kid in school from beneath Taylor's arm on his shoulder. "Actually, how did you know we were here?"

Natalie purses her lips with all the sass in the world. "Your cars are out front."

I absently hear Vincent chuckle, probably enjoying the brothers getting a verbal lashing. It was very common when we were younger to have their parents exasperated with their attitudes and chaos, so this is a nice breath of fresh air. At least some things never change.

"Now answer the darn question." She stomps her foot. Reid scowls at Sam and Oliver before moving over to Natalie and rubbing his omega's shoulder. I would laugh at the shit show going down around me, but the look Reid shoots me tells me I'm definitely included in this interrogation.

Fuck, now I'm going to have to tell my dads, too. As soon as they find out about Amaya, they're going to have so many questions. Fuck, they were so angry with our attitudes when they found out she disappeared.

"Uh..." Oli rubs the back of his neck and I notice Taylor tightening his arm on my beta. I try to rein in my protectiveness, but the small rumble still comes out. Everyone's heads snap to me, and my cheeks heat of embarrassment. That's his dad .

A hand slams down on my back, forcing me to cough, and my growl stutters to an end. Vincent comes around and peeks at me with a raised brow before addressing the room. "Hi, I'm Vincent. This is my mate's home."

I bite my tongue. Samuel's glaring at Vince, and Oliver's nervousness rattles around in our bond, setting me on edge. Through the half-formed bond, I can tell Vincent is enjoying this a little too much. He knows exactly how their parents are going to react when they find out he's talking about Amaya. Someone needs to say something .

"Your mate," Natalie repeats. "And how do you know my three sons, Vincent?"

My heart warms at her inclusion of me. Being adopted by two beta males without a motherly figure made Nat's acceptance of me that much sweeter. She's always been so loving toward me, and I know my dads appreciate the hell out of her for it.

Vince glances at me, the awkward tension getting to him now, too. He probably should have stayed over by Lucas and let this play out. Speaking of Lucas, the back door snicks shut as soon as I realize he's no longer in the living room.

"Can someone start explaining before the alphahole over there loses his shit?" Scott bellows, gesturing wildly to Reid who's vibrating behind Natalie. "The tension in here is ruining my vibes."

I snort and ignore the extra glares sent my way. I forget how alike Scott and Oli are sometimes.

"Momma, please sit." Sam sighs and directs her over to the couch. The Jenkins men follow their omega, but Scott's the only one to sit beside her like he doesn't have a care in the world.

Hanging back, Vincent and I both keep our distance. It's obvious this isn't going to go over well. I have to bite the inside of my cheek to keep my next growl in when eyes glance at Amaya's little couch nest, but Vince snarls for me. Nobody really spares him a glance, too caught up in Sam's shifty behavior and Oliver's pacing.

"Sam, what's going on?" Natalie whispers, cracking my heart wide open. "You're scaring me, baby."

"I—" Sam squeezes his eyes shut. "Please don't hate me," he says under his breath and the rest of my heart shatters for him too. Oli has tears building in his eyes, making mine burn too. This is going to ruin us all.

With red-rimmed eyes and trembling shoulders, Sammy looks his mom in the eyes and admits our greatest sin. "Amaya. Amaya Rose is our mate. Our omega."