Page 142 of Carmichael's Omega

My body is seized with panic, my alpha-wolf snarling viciously. My mates have been stolen.

---

The pack follows me. Headlights chase us as we get closer and closer to the Loco Lobo. Rique is out in front when my convoy arrives.

"Where are they?" I rasp out. Rique shakes his head, looking ashen. "They ran with Alize and Nico. All four are missing," I spit out through canines that have lengthened.

"Alpha," Rique croaks, "Renee came here a few hours ago. Miranda and I didn't know that the Luna and Omega were taken until we got José's text."

José is behind me, along with Holt, Adriana, and Miguel. Deanna and a few other females from my mate’s sorority are here, too.

Devel walks over with Leilani shadowing me. "I'll call my brother."

Jaw clenched, I shake my head. "There's no time for ClearHowl to get here. Mattie will be killed in that pack. Move out," I say hoarsely.

The convoy heads south without another word being spoken. Nothing is locked. The bar's lights are still on, the music spilling into the night. We left Caluna the same way. Nothing matters except getting to my mates.

We arrive at the edge of LoboGris territory at dawn. The sun rises, blood-red in the sky.

Wolves peek out of torn curtains and broken shutters. I quash the kernel of shame that rises in my gut. My Cassie and Mattie saw this, the poverty of the LoboGris. It's like coming into a different world, a broken, dystopian third-world mess.

No time for bullshit. I inhale, taking in the scent of the desert, of home. Fear trickles through the air from the watching pack as my wolves line up behind me. I take another breath and focus on the bonds that stretch between myself and my mates. It trembles, flexes, letting me know that I'm not close to my male and female. The strand of fate that belongs to my female is sparking with her frustration. The one to my male is soft, muted, as if my mate is asleep... or hurt. Unconscious.

Not dying.Por favor diosa.

"Tola casa de mi papa," I order. "Kill anyone who stands in the way."

---

Matthew

Pain is the first sensation I feel. Aching in some parts, bamboo-shoots-under-my-fingernails in others. My head... that's the worst injury, Mattie. That's the one that could kill you. I think... I think I'm OK otherwise.

I blink open my eyes to see a world of muted grey. At first, I think my head was hit harder than I thought, but then I realize that the room I'm in is dark, and I'm on paws.

Nico is curled around me, naked and on feet, holding me to his chest. I'm not sure if he's gotten over his reluctance of touching me and being touched, or if it's because I'm on paws, or if he's just so scared that even holding me is preferable to sitting in the dark alone, but I'm glad he's doing it.

"Mattie,gracias a diosa," he breathes when he sees that I'm awake. "You were out cold for a long time,chico," his voice is filled with tears.

I shift back to feet with groaning, searing pain. Nico holds me throughout, humming quietly until I'm lying in his arms, sweaty and gasping as tears pour down my cheeks. "Cassie?" I try to whisper, but my mouth is too dry.

"Papátook her," Nico shivers, and I whimper at the renewed pain slicing through me. "Lo siento, Mattie," he says quietly. I don't know if he's apologizing for hurting me or for his father. “Carm?" my voice is a little stronger.

Nico takes in a deep, shuddering breath. "Coming. He's on his way,chulito. I promise. We're... we're atPapá'shouse. In my... " he swallows, hard, "in my pup room."

I go stiff. "Is this where..." Goddess, is this where Hugh would hurt Nico? No wonder he's so terrified. It leaks from him like water through a sieve. He's petrified because this is the place of his worst nightmares. I can feel the putrid feeling of revulsion of this place stir in Nico. He won't even wrap a blanket around himself. Not if it came from that bed.

"Sí. It stopped when I moved to the packhouse."

I nod and half-turn so that I can wrap my arms around him. It pulls at my aching, sore body, but I manage.

Nico's tears start streaming. "They hurt you. You're all bruised up,chico. I don't know what to do."

"Can we leave?" I ask, even knowing the answer.

"No, Mattie," Nico's arms tighten. "This place is deep into LoboGris territory. The Rio is at our backs. To the west and east are hundreds of miles of desert. To the north is the rest of the pack."

I shiver.

---