"I can't believe this is happening to me," I said when Asher came back into the room.

He handed me a cola, but I didn't open it. The can was still so cold in my hands, it nearly stung my skin. Asher narrowed his gaze at the drink in my hand. He sat down in the chair beside the bed and let out a heavy sigh.

"I had all these things I wanted to do before the summer ended. Might as well say goodbye to the rest of my life, too. Everybody knows the Omega follows the Alpha." Asher kept his face blank, sitting in the guest chair. He looked at me as if I were paint drying on a wall. I was about to tell him that if he was already so bored with me, then he should just leave, when a new, horrible thought popped into my brain. "Crap! What are my parents going to say when they find out?"

My head hit the back of the hospital baseboard. Not to mention the minute Alfie finds out about this, he's going to have my head. I'm never going to be able to do anything alone ever again. I hit my head against the board once more, realizing being mated meant I really wasn't going to be alone ever again. This sucks so bad.

"Are you done?" Asher asked, crossing one leg over his knee and resting his head in his hand. "All that banging on might give your neighbors on the otherside of that wall the wrong idea."

I barely turned my head to side-eye him. There was the slightest quirk on his lips, and I silently threatened the heart monitor that I would pull the plug on it if it showed just how much that expression affected me.

"Maybe we can come to some sort of agreement." He suggested.

"And what would that be?" My fingers tapped against the top of the can as I looked to face him fully. It was hard not to keep staring at him. How can he look so different and yet all the things I remembered about him were still there?

"Well, you have exciting summer plans, you don't want to ruin because of me, and I have a lot of work that needs to get done in the next couple of weeks that would get done quicker if I didn't have any distractions."

I sat up in bed, letting the can fall to my lap. "Are you saying we pretend none of this happened?"

"More like, putting a pin in it," Asher corrected.

"Trying to ditch me already," I scrunched up my nose. "Why am I not surprised?"

"That's not what's happening here." Asher pressed his lips into a firm line as the muscle in his jaw ticked. Good. Let him feel guilty. 

"Whatever if it means I get my life back for a little longer, then I can agree to it." I picked up the soda can again and tapped the top.

"I thought you'd be happy about-" Asher said before he abruptly stopped talking and turned his head to the door. 

My brows furrowed, and my grip tightened on the can. My heart monitor picked up pace. Did someone already tell my parents what happened? Asher jumped to his feet, lips curling upwards in disgust just as the door slammed open.

Theo came barging in, his eyes nearly as black as Asher's hair and heaving as if he'd been holding his breath for hours. Thick gauze wrapped around his chest, and an IV tube was still attached to his arm, but he seemed unbothered by the inconvenience as his wild eyes locked onto mine.

"Jonah!" He ran to greet me, but was immediately blocked by the Alpha in the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Asher said, obstructing my view.

"To my best friend! What are you even-" I didn't have to see Theo's face to know he was quickly piecing together why an Alpha would be allowed in the Omega building.

"You bastard!" Theo growled before he threw his fist at Asher's jaw.

The room stilled, and not even my heart monitor threatened to beep as Asher grabbed his jaw.

"Big mistake," Was all the Alpha said before he grabbed Theo and thrashed him against the wall. There was a loud crack as the back of his head hit the concrete.

"Hey!" Anger seeped through my voice. "Let him go!"

Asher used one arm to pin Theo to the wall by pressing it against his throat and cutting off his airflow. His face contorted into something ruthless as he looked Theo in the eyes. The Beta clawed at his arm, but he didn't relent.

"I said, let go!" I threw my soda at the Alpha's head.

Asher quickly dropped Theo, letting him collapse to the floor, and turned to face me, his blue eyes like a wild ocean storm. "What the hell!?"

"You're psychotic!" I shouted at him. My chest heaved as my heart monitor kicked into over drive.

"And you're neurotic!" He barked back.

"What's going on in here?!" Doctor Wood ran into the room before any more damage could be done. He pushed Asher to the side and picked up Theo from the ground. Theo continued to wheeze, and a knot formed in my chest.

"It's his fault!" Theo and Asher said in unison.

"Both of you need to grow up. This is a hospital, not a fight club." Doctor Wood remarked, trying to get a better grip on Theo. His body seemed to stiffen as he got a sniff of Theo's scent. Unconsciously, I gave the air a sniff. His scent was so strong. He must have been bleeding a lot.

"Theo," I said, trying hard to make sure my voice didn't crack. The Beta stood up and pulled away from Doctor Wood. Blood dripped down from his nose, and he wobbled as he walked toward me. This fight probably exacerbated his existing injuries. 

Asher growled as Theo walked past him, but he didn't stop the Beta. Theo placed both hands on the bed rail. He said with a bloody smile, "Hey, you okay?"

"Ironically, better than you, it seems." I winced.

"Good," Theo wheezed. "Doc, you can take me back to my bed now."

Doctor Wood ran over and placed Theo's arm around his shoulders. Theo flipped off Asher. He stumbled past him and out of the room.