Page 116 of Knot So Social

“Should we take him to the hospital?” Jeremy asks away from the receiver.

“No,” I answer instinctively. “I mean, do you think it’s that serious?” What about his green card, or employers? If rumors of drug use get bandied around in this community, his business will dry up fast.

“Not sure yet,” Joel answers, his gruffer tones sending tingles through my core even via the phone. “But we need to get him off the street. His car as well.”

“Bring him here,” I say. “Please? I can nurse him, and, and call an ambulance if it gets any worse.” Not knowing what I’m looking at has me imagining the worst.

“You don’t have to beg, love.” That’s Jeremy, a trace of a smile in his voice. “We’ll be there in a jiffy.”

My heart hammers in my chest as I lock Mr Shares in the laundry and get the security gate and front door open. I crane my head, peering out from the threshold for a glimpse of them coming down the street.

The hum of a vehicle at high rev comes first, and then Alessandro’s work truck swings into the drive. I ache to run out to help, but even leaning past the door frame makes me shake so bad my vision blurs

“Hurry!” I call instead.

Joel throws himself out and runs around the vehicle to the passenger side. Alessandro spills out through the door, limp and totally naked.

“Oh, shit.” I press my hands to my mouth. What on Earth happened to him?

Jeremy tries to help, but he can hardly walk so in the end Joel gathers up the inert alpha and loads him over his shoulder, staggering until he finds his balance.

“Where?” he huffs out as he comes through the porch.

“First right.” I take Alessandro’s hand, finding it clammy.

Joel carries the alpha into the guest bedroom and drops him down on top of the covers. Alessandro writhes, throwing one hand over his head to grab the pillow. His eyes flutter and he looks at me, gaze unfocused. He smiles and slurs what might be a hello in Italian.

I sit down beside him and stroke damp hair off his sweaty brow. “What do we do?”

“I suggest we watch him around the clock,” Joel says, breathing roughly. “Could just be stoned, but seems a bit weird.” He slides a calculating glance my way. “Is this . . . normal for him?”

“No.” I shake my head hard enough to send my hair flying. “I mean, I don’t know for sure but . . .”

My gaze drifts across the alpha’s naked frame. The man who didn’t want to go further with me for fear of breaking my trust now sitting stark naked in his truck in the middle of the street, doing drugs?

“It just doesn’t seem like him,” I mutter.

“It’s not,” Jeremy declares, stumping in through the doorway on his crutches.

Alessandro writhes again. He struggles to focus on Joel and throws out his hands.

“No! Basta.” The alpha slurs out a string of things in Italian.

“Is he calling me a bastard?” Joel asks, frowning.

I grab my phone and search up a translator app. “I think it means “stop”,” I muse. When Alessandro murmurs again, I hit the record option and hold it near his mouth. The English sentence that forms on screen nearly stops my heart.

“What’s he saying?” Jeremy demands.

With trembling hands, I turn the phone so he can see.

I don't want you. I only want my omega. Don’t do this to me.

Jeremy swears. Joel grabs my hand and turns the phone his way to see. His touch lights up my skin.

“Some fucker roofied him,” he growls out, an ominous aura radiating off him.

“Then we have to take him to the hospital?” I ask. “They’ll need to test him and—"