Page 154 of Carmichael's Omega

"Where is he?" I snap. "What happened tomi hermano?"

Papánodded slowly, his face pale. "He was adopted by a wolf couple in the Carabona.Una buena familia.He was too old, too rambunctious, to stay home."

Diosa, the Carabona?

"Do you know what family?" the Gamma asks sharply.

"Sí.It was perfect. The Carabona are not our friends,sí? Bembe would never know how to come back. I used to get updates, but then the alpha was killed,sí?"Papálooks at me withdeep sorrow. "Lo siento, hijo.I don't know where Bembe is anymore."

"When did you send him to the Carabona?" the Gamma asks.

"Two years ago,"Papáreplies.

I suck in a breath. "The Carabona alpha died five years ago,Papá.That makes no sense."

Papáfrowns.The Gamma speaks up, "how did you send him to Mexico if you were in conflict with the Carabona and the Cartel?"

"I gave him to Hugh to take out there. Hugh is one of the only wolves who know thatsu hermanawas not my truemate."

I can barely hear the Gamma's next question. "Does Hugh know about the pups being Lily's?"

"He believes that Carmichael and Renee are Marguerite's. He knows that Nico is not. He doesn't want Marguerite known as a liar and rankwhore,sí? So we have each other's throats."

I choke, literally feel my throat swell. I grasp my neck, trying to breathe, to catch my breath as my lungs start to burn. My alpha-wolf is incandescent with rage. No part of us isn't pure fury. "I'll kill you," I mouth to my father.

"Easy," the Gamma slaps my back, jolting me into breathing again.

"Hugh is a pedophile," I gasp out, explaining to no one and everyone. "He's been raping Nico for years. Bembe never went to a fuckingfamiliaenMéxico. You fucker.Vete a la verga.Teodio."

Mi padre's face goes grey.

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39 - Easy-Peasy Lemon-Squeezy

Cassidy

"Hi Lily," I squeak. Awesome, Cassie. You sound like an idiot. It's not my fault, though. I'm nervous. I must hold the record in terrible meeting-the-mother-by-mating stories. Being abducted and dragged into a secret apartment in the attic? I win that dubious award hands-down.

Lily flashes a nervous smile. Her eyes keep darting to Nico sitting at the table, then to Mattie standing next to me. I worry the inside of my cheek, wondering what I should do. I'm terrified of asking questions, of bearing the weight of Lily's answers on my shoulders. She hasn't been outside in years and years. How terrible her memories must be. I think the best psychologist in the world would have trouble sorting through Lily's emotional baggage, and all I have is my Science of Behaviour class. At least I got an A in the course.

Leilani wanders over and grabs my free hand, squeezing it. I relax. I have my family, my twin and our mate, and the rest of our pack. Who does Lily have? More to the point, who does she believe she has? She's afraid of her own sons. Probably because they resemble their father, or maybe it's all males? She's still glancing at Mattie with the same wariness that she looks at Nico with.

I eyeball my non-threatening omega twin sideways. "Mattie, go to Nico," I whisper in his ear. He looks at me, his own eyes perfect mirrors into my own. The same concern. The same questions. The same reluctance to poke at Lily's wounds.

Mattie doesn't think about it for long before he walks away. He goes and sits next to Nico, who immediately leans closer to my twin. My omega-wolf gives a little tail-wag at the sight, feeling that at least something is going right in the world before we both turn back to our mother-by-mating.

"Hi, Lily." This time, my greeting isn't so annoyingly high-pitched.

Lily doesn't smile a second time. Her eyes watch us with a seriousness that makes the fur on the back of my omega-wolf's neck rise just a bit.

I decide that social niceties are unnecessary because her mate abducted me and tried to imprison me with her. "Lily, can you... can you tell us about your pups?" I ask her quietly. "Carmichael is... he's so sad. I told him about Bembe. I had to," I explain, trying to guilt the other female into telling me something. Hurriedly, I give Lily a pen and a pad of paper. "Can you write it down?"

She hesitates. "Please, anything?" I beg. Hesitantly, she reaches out and takes the pen and paper. Tears smart in her eyes, and my stomach sinks. She can't write.

"Just their names?" Leilani says softly. She's sitting next to me, her head on my shoulder for both comfort and to make herself seem less threatening to Lily.

Lily stares at the pad of paper for a long time. I exercise all of my patience, singing nursery rhymes in my head so that I don't push her too hard. I'm halfway throughSee See My Playmatewhen Lily starts to write.

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