Page 172 of Carmichael's Omega

Huffing and puffing in aggravation, I untangle myself from the bed. Pushing away from the blankets and pillows, my feet get wrapped in the sheets, and I fall onto the floor... eight inches below the mattress, onto the plush rug Blu already put there as if he expected me to be clumsy.

To escape, I crawl out until I'm halfway across the room, grumbling the entire way. I'm tired. My she-wolf is tired. We have to pee all the time, which isn't fair because the pup is the size of a lima bean, but apparently, it's 'hormones.' My waist is already slightly pudgier than before. My nails keep growing faster, and I'm too lazy to trim them neatly every other day.

"Are you alright down there, Cass?" Adriana's voice laughs down at me.

"Hush," I mumble. "I'm counting the ways I don't like being pregnant."

She just laughs. "After you wake up, I'm going to remind you of that."

I just pout as I finally free myself and stand. She's right. As soon as the sleep clears from my brain, I'll be thrilled about my pup. I'll wake up and bake that cake, smiling like a loon the entire time. Alize keeps telling me I'm glowing, and I feel like I am. When she says that, it's Mina's turn to be grumpy and call me the 'annoying prego.'

"I'm up, I'm up," I say. I yawn so large that my jaw cracks. Alize winces.

"You need to relax a bit more," she tells me.

"No, I don't. It's better to be awake. I just..." I sigh.

Alize smiles. "You’re worried."

"So much."

I brush my teeth and splash water on my face before returning to the bedroom. "Alright, cake time," I tell my tiny pup-bump.

I wander into the kitchen of the hacienda, greeting pack members and dodging boxes and packed-up furniture along the way. The wolves that remain in LoboGris have all thrown themselves wholeheartedly into building a new town for the pack.

I'm helping the pack set the table for breakfast when I hear the sound of engines arriving.

I turn toward the doors. All of the wolves start to move to form a protective circle around us. There's no reason, though, because I recognize the males getting out of the dark SUV.

"That's Alpha Alexander," I announce to my pack with a smile.

Alpha Alex opens the door with his mate and head Gamma, Uncle Lyall, behind him. I start to hurry to them, arms outstretched wide, but there's something wrong. His smile, for me, is a little tense and doesn't make it to his eyes.

"Alpha?" I ask him. I stumble a little, and he catches me.

He enfolds me in his arms, but I hear him sigh, almost as if disappointed.

“What’s wrong?” Mattie asks as he halts in his tracks, looking worried at Alpha Alex’s odd behavior.

Before Alpha Alex can respond, I hear the sound of huge motors rumbling in the distance. As LoboGris gathers in the front yard, trucks bigger than a house are pulling up. It looks like a scene from Mad Max, but on these trucks are parts. House parts. Trusses for the roof, complete with insulation and metal roofing, wall panels with electrical sockets and window openings, even pre-assembled porch pieces. We stand and stare for what must be close to an hour, just watching the show as a miniature town is brought down the dirt roads into LoboGris.

"That is a little crazy," Mattie says faintly.

"Alpha," I catch Alpha Alex’s attention. "Why?" I ask, indicating all of the trucks with a casual wave of my hand.

He smiles a little ruefully. "You think I want something from you?" he asks me.

I nod. Alpha Alexander is a politician. He's family, true, but he's an alpha, first. "Uncle Lyall is hiding from us. He feels guilty, so I figure it's something you did." I point at him accusingly.

He laughs. "You're turning into a great luna, Bee. I don't want much." He strokes my hair out of my face. "I love you like my own, Cassie, Mattie, but you're not ClearHowl anymore. You’re leaving a hole in my pack."

I frown up at him. It's natural to leave a pack when you find your mate, especially if that mate is an alpha.

"I want a written treaty with Carmichael," he adds quietly. "And, I want something from you."

"What?" I ask, suspicious. I really don't have anything to offer.

"Counseling services for at-risk youth and periodic visits from you and Mattie to the pack to check-in on things."

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