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“Excuse me?” I close the door quietly behind us, and whisper, “He’s sleeping. Who are you?”

“Who am I?” He splays a hand on his chest, then points with the theatrical drama of a drag queen, “Who are you?”

I extend my hand. “I’m Alden.”

“So he found you after all.” He rises on his tiptoes and scans the room.

I shift to the side, planting myself between the intruder and the guest room. “Yes. If you can just lower your voice⁠—”

“Why hasn’t he answered his phone?” the intruder asks at full volume. “Why hasn’t it moved from this location?”

“A phone? I didn’t realize he had one with him.” I should have realized, though. I would have if I hadn’t been so flustered by Tyler. “Maybe my roommate…”

The intruder feints left, darts right, then dashes to the kitchen, and shouts, “Elliott?”

I follow. “That’s just the kitchen, and my friend’s room.”

He kicks Tyler’s door open, fists raised. “Elliott?” Then he clears the bathroom and dives down to the floor to look under the bed.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “You said you were Elliott’s friend?”

“And his roommate.”

“He told me about you. Noel, right?”

The intruder narrows his eyes on me like I attained this information through brute force or something, and makes a beeline for the guest room. I close the distance, and block the door. “Wait. Let me see if he’s still covered up.”

“Elliott, are you in there?” he shouts over my shoulder, right past my ear.

“Please stop shouting. He’s had a very exhausting morning.” I whisper-shout. “I promise he’s safe.”

“If you want me to leave, you need to show me proof of life,” he whisper-shouts back, jabbing a finger into my chest. “If not, I have an alpha waiting outside to call the cops.”

“I completely understand. Just a minute.”

I’m pretty sure he’s full of shit, but let’s hope I’m right for the sake of the potentially imaginary alpha’s life. I may have tolerated Tyler touching Elliott, and a non-threatening omega, but I’m on edge now that I’ve left our nest, and I’m going to lose my shit if an alpha comes near him.

My hackles raise as I turn my back to him. I won’t be surprised if he attacks me from behind at this point. I open the door and tread lightly toward our nest, then peel back the gap in the blankets. Elliott’s still asleep, white sheet arranged around his lap, exactly the way I left him, so beautiful that my breath catches.

I lift my finger to my mouth. “Quiet.” I gesture for him to enter and pull the blanket wide enough for him to look in.

“Please note the rise and fall in his chest for your proof of life,” I whisper.

He nods gravely.

“You’re welcome to get closer. Quietly. But you know him best. If you want to wake him, I’ll defer to you.”

The friend shakes his head and backs out of the room. I release the blanket, cocooning him in our nest again.

“I’m Noel,” he says as I close the door to the guest room. “Sorry about that.”

“Don’t apologize. I’m glad he has such a good friend.” Anyone willing to battle Elliott’s potential kidnapper with only a bluff and some bravado will always have my respect. I bring my fingers to my mouth, tempted to bite them. “Actually, would you like to stay until he wakes?”

Suspicion fills his features.

“If that’s okay with you and your alpha, of course.” I walk to the kitchen, trailed by Noel.

Noel crosses his arms over his chest. “Why?”