Page 51 of Carmichael's Omega

"Um, guys?" I try to tentatively break up their stare-off.

"Now she is LoboGris, ey?" Rique takes a menacing step toward Gio.

"Your piece-of-shit alphason hasn't Marked her," Gio shoots back. I wince, but neither male pays any attention to me.

"Yet," Rique snarls. He takes another step, squaring up.

"Stop it! What are you two-" I trip over the raised part of the sidewalk and plummet to my hands and knees, scraping up my skin as I go.

"Luna!"

"Cassie!"

Both males lunge for me, but Rique gets there first, scooping me up into his arms. Gio tries to take me, but he can't without starting that fistfight with me cradled in Riques arms.

"Give her to me," Gio snaps.

"Back. Off." Rique hisses. He continues to carry me into the House, ignoring Gio. As he walks through the front door, he pauses.

"Where is the kitchen, Luna?" Rique asks me.

I point with my scraped-up hands.

"What happened?" Miranda comes down the stairs. I count at least three more curious heads poking around the corner to watch the melodrama being played out below.

"Cassidy fell on the sidewalk," Rique tells her. Worry has darkened his eyes.

"It's just a scrape-"

"If you hadn't pushed in where you don't belong-" Gio begins.

"-I don't belong?!" Rique growls.

"Boys," Miranda's icy-cold voice brings their argument to a screeching halt. "Place Cassie on the table, then get out."

"Bella-" Rique starts to protest.

"-Out!" Miranda shouts.

Rique places me gently on the counter. With one last worried look at my barely-wounded knees, he turns to Miranda. She ignores his heated stare. Bending, he whispers something in her ear before kissing her flushed cheek and leaving. Gio walks out a moment later.

"Will they fight?" I ask Miranda worriedly.

She lets out an unladylike snort. "Most likely. Wolves." She looks at me, startled, "oh, sorry, Cass."

I shrug and take the damp paper towel from her hand to tend to my scrapes. "That was kind of a disaster."

Miranda is quiet for a full minute as she gets out some antiseptic and bandaids. She helps me put a bandaid on the largest scrape on my palm.

"I'm sorry they came in through the house. I know boys are supposed to stay out in the parlor." I think it's odd that Rique, with as many times as he's been inside the house, didn't know where the kitchen is.

"I think it's time to show you why," Miranda says softly.

What? "Show me? I thought it was just a rule. You know, to keep boys from running amuck," I say to her.

Her lips twitch. "Amuck? I think I must be influencing you, Cassie." Her smile falls away. "There's another reason, Cassie. There you are," she pats my leg.

I hop off the counter and follow her out of the room. She walks down the hall to the rear of the house. I've never actually been back here other than to do laundry. Miranda stops at a door that I think goes down to the basement or the super-secret wine cellar. Not anything I've ever been interested in.

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