Page 155 of Carmichael's Omega

She starts with Alejandro. I blink the tears away furiously. Did she lose a male? Then, I notice that she writes Elizabeth, then Nicolás, Verónica, Bembe, Juana, and finally Rosalia.

"Alejandro is Carmichael?" I whisper.

Lily nods furiously, tears in her eyes. She circles the name Alejandro twice, then taps the pad of paper.

"You wanted to name him Alejandro?"

She nods. Then she bends and crosses out the name Verónica.

"She's gone? Dead?" Leilani whispers.

Lily nods, her face pale. She then circles the name Bembe and draws a line through it.

"Bembe is the male Juana told me about. She said he's gone, but is he still alive?" I force myself to ask.

Lily's shoulders slump, and she shakes her head, then shrugs helplessly. Her ice-blue eyes shine bright with tears and pain.

I rub my own stomach absently. Lily has lost so much. Her first three pups, orphaned and lied to, her fourth dead before she even has a chance to live. Her fifth pup is gone, disappeared because he was too close to shifting age. Lily lost five pups of the seven she has carried. What must that feel like?

My omega howls and whines, trembling at the idea of losing even one pup.

"Lily, do you have any idea where Bembe might be?"

Lily stares at Leilani, then writes one more word.

Carabona.

Then, she points at Leilani.

"Yes, I was Carabona. Not anymore," Leilani says.

"Is Bembe there?" I ask eagerly.

Lily nods her head, then shrugs again, looking frustrated.

My omega-wolf is vibrating with energy. Then, to my complete and utter shock, Lily reaches out and captures my wrist. I realize that I'm staring off into space, lost in my thoughts. When my eyes snap back to Lily, she begins to write again.

Run.

I suck in a breath. "Carm-Alejandro-Carmichael won't hurt me, Lily. I have my family and Mattie and the pack. No one will hurt me," I try to reassure her, but Lily’s eyes hold something close to terror.

Lily circles the wordrunagain. She points at herself, then Leilani, then me.

She writes the word again. And again.

"I won't. I won't ever run from Carmichael again." I rush the words out, blurring them together until I feel like I can't even understand myself. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, then open them to meet the eyes that my mate inherited.

"I won't run from him."

No Claim

Lily points to her neck, the Mark there just above the terrible scars, then to my Mark. I frown, not understanding. Carmichael Marked Mattie and me. We are Claimed.

When I hesitate, Leilani says softly, "in LoboGris; the males Claim their females in front of the pack. José told me about it." I immediately look over at Mattie. "Mattie, too," Leilani says firmly.

Lily shakes her head, pointing at my Mark, then circles the wordsno claim.

"You don't think Carmichael will Claim us in front of the pack?" I guess for her.

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