Page 144 of Carmichael's Omega

I turn my head to see the massive dark-colored wolf, the alpha, attacking the Beta. The Beta shifts and the fight becomes a mass of fur and teeth. Spittal flies from the two males, then blood splatters. It's absolute carnage as they fight for dominance.

The truth sinks in slowly. As the Beta's wolf falters and the dark wolf rips and tears at his neck, I know that this will end when one of them dies.

"Stay back, Luis," Nico says hoarsely.

The adolescent male, Rique's younger brother, is caught between the two raging adult males and us. Indecision plays across his face.

"Rique will kill you himself," Nico warns him. "He is about to become the Beta of this pack."

The Beta dies with a howl that quickly turns into a wet gurgle. Blood flies, hitting the ceiling, the walls, and us. The large body collapses to the floor.

The other male stands then shifts. I stare up at the Alpha, Carmichael's father, as he glares at Luis with cold, dead eyes.

"Vete," he growls. The young male runs out of the room, tears in his eyes.

"They didn't want Carmichael to have a male omega mate," Nico explains in a tear-filled voice. "Mattie is going to be a doctor,¿Sabías?Don't hurt him anymore. Carmichael loves him," Nico pleads desperately.

The Alpha turns, not saying a word, and walks out of the room, leaving the dead body of the Beta behind in a scene of utter slaughter.

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Cassidy

My she-wolf's ears twitch.

Slowly, the fur along my ridge rises. My eyes spring open. I shy backward into the closet, pressing myself against the cool metal door to the safe.

A memory flashes through my mind. Walking in the woods with Teague, Blu, and Mattie when Mina was pregnant with Braxton. He told us how to flush a fox from a den.

A den is safe unless a bigger predator can get in, yeah?

He held the fox, a wild animal, in his hands while Mattie and I cooed and petted it. Blu snickered at him when Teague let the fox go instead of killing it and bringing it home to his pregnant mate. A soft whine bubbles up in my throat. Will Carmichael spend time like that with our pup? Will he ever have the chance?

The stench of blood and bowels heralds the approach of the alpha. Carmichael's father walks into the door of the closet and pauses. While he comes closer to me, I have a moment to regret making a mess of his clothes. I resist the urge to shift back to feet and tell him I'll clean it all up. Once, I was mad with Mattie because he wouldn't leave my side at the Homecoming dance our junior year. I messed up his closet in revenge, and he cried. The memory makes me cringe even more now that I know he's a compulsive omega like me. We spent two hours fixing what took five minutes to ruin.

The alpha crouches down in front of me. Gaggin at the foul odor of blood and excrement he's covered in, I keep my eyes fixed on his bare feet. He has blood splattered across the tops and caked under his toes. I look a little higher and see a bite wound on his left shin.

"Little omega," he murmurs, stroking my head. His hand shakes, but not as severely as I do. "I bet you're so pretty on feet, little one." He reaches around me and picks me up as he stands. I go stiff, but I don't fight him. My temporary den is a trap. Dumb omega.

"I don't wantmi hijoto make the same mistakes I did,sí?" he whispers into the fur on top of my head. His breath washes over my sensitive ears and makes them twitch.

"You can't hear it,sí? The battle outside," he continues to murmur. He reaches out with one hand and turns the dial on the safe. "Everything is soundproof in the alpha suite."

I yelp and start to struggle in his arms as his words penetrate. Is Carmichael here? A battle? Is he safe? Is Mattie safe? Goddess, where is Mattie?

"No, no,mamita," he says, jostling me back so that, once again, I'm held securely.

The safe door swings open to reveal a small staircase.

My struggles cease. Horror floods every part of me. I pee, just a little, from fright. The alpha doesn't even flinch as the warm liquid soaks his arms and belly.

I whine explosively, but it doesn't seem to make a difference to the male. "Shh,Chiquita Bella." He climbs the stairs, his shoulders brushing the sides of a wood-paneled wall. Behind us, the door swings shut automatically, and I hear the lock whining shut even over the pounding of my heart. The door, so solid from the closet side, is covered with foam-board insulation on the interior.

I start to pant wildly as my she-wolf's high-pitched cries of terror scream in my head. At the top of the staircase is another solid door. This one is made of wood, but I can tell it's a heavy security door, even without the large deadbolton this side.

The alpha locks things away in his attic. Goddess, help me. The sight of that second door galvanizes me into action. I kick and claw at him, biting his arms, scratching his belly.

Nothing I do makes a difference. The alpha unlocks the second door using the keypad next to the deadbolt. My mind spins crazily. It's such a bizarrely modern security device in this simple attic staircase. Surreal. A nightmare.

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