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65

OLIVER

J ust this once, I'm so damn grateful that Amaya isn't bonded to all of us. The last thing she needs is to feel our emotions as we read through what happened to her.

The torrent of emotion I felt from Emmett before he slammed the bond closed suffocated me and constricted my lungs like nothing I've ever experienced before. That, on top of my own pain and the bitter scents in the air made me almost pass out.

It's been silent for so long, and I know as pack beta, I should be working to settle the alpha energies trying to fight against this past threat, but I can't. I, too, am broken by the words I have read and the pure horror of what my mate experienced at the hands of those vile monsters.

We can't run out the door and track these fuckers down. These monsters aren't for us to slay. There's nothing left for us to do but battle the ones that live on inside her head.

The screen on my phone turns black, forcefully blocking me from rereading Amaya's statement. With every final ounce of emotional energy I have, I blast Emmett with a wave of love as I stand from the couch.

My lips don't even make the effort to open when I try to say goodnight. There's nothing to say right now. The only thing I can do to make any of this better is to snuggle my mate while she gets some much-needed rest.

Uncertain how I made it to Amaya's room without realizing I was moving, I push her new nest door open softly. Approaching her balled-up form in her nest, I kick my sweatpants off and crawl toward my sniffling girl.

"Oli?" she whispers brokenly.

I hum while stuffing a pillow beneath her poor ankle. Anger flares hot and heavy as my brain remembers that part of her statement. I bat the emotion away and focus on my omega.

Tonight, I settle on the side she's facing and wrap my arms around her. Her dainty form is stiff, testing my ability to comfort my mate on my own. "Do you?—"

"Shh, baby girl. Nothing has changed. Just sleep," I coo and start petting her hair.

It's a while of listening to the absolute silence in the house before Maya relaxes and her breathing deepens.

In the soft glow of Amaya's nest, I cradle her and whisper, "I love you. I'll love you forever."

I know I must look like a weirdo staring at Amaya's plate of bacon. But with each passing second, the longer one of her favorite foods goes untouched, the more my concern rises.

Breakfast has been a silent affair, and if it's setting me on edge, there's no telling how Amaya is feeling. She's not eating, and her cup of orange juice hasn't gone far from her mouth since she sat down. It's similar to Sam's need to continue stuffing his face. If their mouths are busy, then they don't have to speak.

Unfortunately, that is exactly what we need to do.

Taking a final bite of my toast and washing it down with a sip of my milk, I resign myself to the fact that it's going to have to be up to me to start this conversation.

The alphas are struggling, especially since Amaya has retreated into herself. Vincent seems to understand her need for space, but it's unnerving to see her zoning out on the soft snow flurries through the big window.

With as much courage as I can muster up, I clear my throat and start shredding the napkin in my lap. "I think we need to talk about everything." At least my voice comes out strong.

Amaya stiffens, Emmett whips his head to me, and Samuel shoves another pile of eggs into his mouth. Thankfully, Vincent nods and sets his forks down. "Oli's right. Amaya..."

Instead of continuing to watch the snow fall, her head drops, and she peeks up at Vincent through her hair. I wish she would say something, but her silence continues.

Vincent looks pained at her muted demeanor, so I continue, "Baby, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we don't feel any different about you."

My god , how could we?! Our girl survived starvation, torture of so many varieties, more conditioning, food manipulation, and she slept in a fucking dog cage. Amaya is the strongest person I know.

"How?" Her voice is a broken whisper, making my heart slam against my ribcage to get to her. "They?—"

"Were monsters," Vincent growls.

Emmett reaches next to him and grabs her hand. "And you are a survivor."

"The strongest person I know," I share my thoughts out loud.

Amaya's shoulders hike up with each word we say, physically denying our truths from reaching her brain. It's silent for a few beats, then she sniffles. Sam throws his fork down on the table and tosses his hands in the air with a snarl. I hate the way Maya jumps and leans back from him across from her, but what he says next is everything she needs to hear.

"Fucking hell, Amaya! You survived brutal treatment and were almost sold to sex traffickers, and you're still sitting here, living, trying ! Not only is it incredible that you survived all of that, and still you smile every fucking day, you eat, you hug us, you tease, and you're intimate! You. Are. Everything, despite what those bastards did to you."

"But—" Amaya sobs, rips her hand away from Emmett, then clutches both of hers to her chest. "I'm-I-I feel broken! I am broken!"

Furiously shaking his head, Sam's arms fling wide. "Welcome to the club, Petal! I've been fucked up for a long time with some serious anger issues." My stomach turns to lead when he points from me to Emmett. "Oli wears a happy mask every damn day, and Emmett thinks, very incorrectly I might add, that he's not worth anything."

I watch Amaya. Her eyes are wide, but this isn't news to her. "Sammy..." she whispers.

"And our pack alpha went to that same god-awful school as you and still harbors misplaced guilt that he's the reason you were kidnapped a few months ago. He's half feral most of the time, too." Sam's not pulling any punches, and I see each of them landing hard on our omega.

"Sam—" she starts again, but he cuts her off.

"So you see, Petal... we're all a little broken. And I challenge you to find someone who isn't a little cracked."

Tears are streaming down her face at this point, and I feel my own eyes burning too. "Baby girl," I whisper, leaning forward to get her attention. "No matter how much one of us struggles, we will always be here for each other. We're a pack," I add like it means everything. It doesn't. Not to the trauma horns blaring in her head and maybe Emmett's too.

"But—"

Emmett snatches her hand again and brings it to his heart. "You don't believe us, and that's okay. We will work every damn day to show you we are telling the truth. You just have to let us, sweetheart."

And there it is. There is a real roadblock we might have to fight against. Will she let us love her?

With my heart in my throat, I watch as she looks at Vincent. He nods at our omega, and with a stern voice, he says, "Listen to your mates, Omega."

Slowly, oh so fucking slowly, she nods and squeezes Emmett's hand in return. "Okay, I'll try."

It's not everything we need to talk about, but this may have been the most important. If she's opening up to us and letting us in, then the next big conversations should be much easier.

"I want..." she trails off and fidgets in her seat. She doesn't wait for one of us to encourage her, which makes me so damn proud. "I want to go out to eat. With my dad."

I smile so hard my cheeks ache immediately. She's not asking, she's telling, and fuck if it doesn't make me a little hard to hear her taking back some of her control.

"Do you want to text him?" Vince asks since he still has her phone.

Shaking her head, Amaya declines. "No, can you just set something up for me, please?"

"Of course," our pack alpha says eagerly, and I watch in awe as she takes control and willingly releases some of it to her mate.

Amaya's fucking perfect.