Page 173 of Carmichael's Omega

My frown deepens. It's nothing I wouldn't do, anyway. "And?"

His smile gentles. "This is for that. A gift." He waves his hand at the trucks. "I also want first right of refusal to any MateLess wolves you have, and in return, I will finance the town of LoboGris to rebuild. Schools, roads, infrastructure, all of it."

I choke on my own spit. Very un-luna-like. "What?" I ask him, my head spinning.

"Any wolves who are fated MateLess will spend time at ClearHowl. There will be a concerted effort, from both packs, to create mating bonds between ClearHowl and LoboGris."

"You want us to take away their choice?" I ask him, feeling horrified. I search his face for some leniency, a flicker of discomfort, anything, but the ClearHowl Alpha is nothing if not a cold-blooded shark when it comes down to pack business. There is no smile, no gentle friendliness. The male I've spent the last ten years calling 'uncle' isn't treating me like a niece. Is my mating Carmichael this much of a big deal?

"I want first refusal, Cass," he explains patiently. "Not forced matings. I want ClearHowl to grow, and I need wolves with powerful bloodlines. LoboGris needs money and support, which I can offer. Conner will need more power in his ranks in the future," he pushes me using my nephew.

"We have to talk to Carmichael first," Mattie says weakly.

His smile returns, a grimace. "Mattie, I want ClearHowl and LoboGris to stand together, understand? I need a decision.”

"Give us an hour," I whisper. I turn around and walk away, grabbing Mattie’s hand and pulling him with me, refusing to look backward or beg. I keep walking, looking at my useless phone. Carmichael can’t answer his phone. Neither can Rique. “This is the worst timing. They are most likely in the thick of things in Mexico with the Carabona. Coincidence, or is Alpha Alex just taking advantage of the situation?” I whisper fiercely to Mattie.

“Of course, he took advantage, Cassidy Morgana,” he scolds chidingly. “He just arrives with these house parts when Carm’s not here?”

“Is it so bad, what Alpha Alex asked? I think I even understand him. He always told us to look for motivation. ClearHowl is still small and, other than Teague, has very few leaders,” I say hesitantly.

“So... he wants the LoboGris bloodline, crazy but powerful, to mate into ClearHowl?” Mattie mumbles. “No, Cass. We can’t do this without Carm.”

I look over the wolves left here in LoboGris. Silently, I count in my head and feel my heart sink to my toes. Just in this one room, we have at least four MateLess wolves. Four. Four that I know of.

"Cass?" Mattie prods me.

I just shake my head, thinking. "We need a plan. We need to know what we aren’t not seeing," I murmur. I look at Mattie and blink. "We need an alpha."

Mattie spreads his hands, “who?”

"We know an alpha nearby. An experienced one," I say softly. His eyes widen until the whites can be seen all around.

"N-"

I cut him off with my hand over his mouth. "Shh. What choice do we have? He's all locked up. I say we go."

---

"Hola, Preciosa,"Carmichael's father folds his hands over the bars and looks at me with an intense stare. He inhales and smiles. "The pup is growing nicely," he says with satisfaction. He ignores Mattie, standing behind me.

I stiffen my spine. Alpha Javier’s hands are clean, and he must have just washed his face, but there is still dried, dark blood caked under his nails and in the curls of his ears and hair. It's more than a little creepy. OK, it's utterly terrifying, and so is he, but he's all we have right now, so...

"Umm..." I tiptoe closer, barely able to hold his eyes.

"Ask me your question,Preciosa," he says gently.

I take a deep breath and explain, "ClearHowl, my birthpack, wants an alliance with us. The alpha wants first refusal to MateLess LoboGris wolves."

The alpha looks surprised. Then, he looks at his own hands, a frown on his face. "Did they treat you well,Preciosa? When you were growing up?"

"Yes," I answer simply. I lick my lips and tell him, "Alpha Alex is like an uncle to me."

The alpha's mouth twists into a grimace. "A better uncle than most, I hope?" he snarls, with a black look tossed to a sodden heap of flesh and bone in the corner of the cell that I refuse to examine too closely.

"The best uncle." Tears prick my lashes at the thought. It hurts to be treated so coldly by Alpha Alex.

The alpha's eyes narrow on my face. "Don't cry, Cassidy. He is an alpha doing what is best for his pack, no?"

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