Page 79 of Carmichael's Omega

"Luna? I'm taking you back to school today,Bella. Can you stand up for me?" Rique's voice is gentle, soft. He strokes my head just as nicely, but I still mumble a childish "no," at him and burrow deeper into Mattie's arms.

We've just laid here like lumps for two days while wolves come and go like it's Grand Central Station in here. Not that I've ever been to Grand Central Station. Or New York. Or more than a few hours out of ClearHowl territory.

We've ignored most of it. Even now, Mattie's still sleeping, bruises under his eyes along with tear tracks.

"No?" Rique chuckles softly. "Up, Luna. You have exams this week, ey? Time to go."

I protest weakly, but Rique gently bullies me into standing and walking with him, anyway. My omega shivers, pressing close to the big, tough male. He's not Carmichael, but he'spack.

"Mattie?" I whisper through dried, cracked lips. I try to peer at my brother, but my sore neck sends shooting pain down my spine when I try to twist my head. My eyes are swollen, and my vision is blurry. I cling to Rique more tightly, stumbling and lost.

"Adriana and José volunteered to stay with him until the semester ends. Your friend, Gio, will stay here as well. He won't be alone, Luna, but you need to go back to Caluna," his soft, warm voice washes over me.

"Carmichael?" I can barely get his name past the ball of hurt in my chest.

"Went to handle pack business,Bella. Give him time, ey? This isn't easy for him."

"Will he come back?" I ask. My wolf howls, a lonely, sad sound. We missed him for an entire month, and then...

Rique cups my chin in his hand and pulls my face up to his. "He loves you, Cassidy. More than anything. He needs to run, work, get his head on straight, think clear, ey? No question, he'll come back."

"OK. Let me get my things and say goodbye?" I'm so tired I can't muster up the energy to argue. Something has shifted in my relationship with my twin. As much as we clung to each other this weekend, our shared mate is a yawning gulf between us. Mattie thinks Carm won't want him. I can't tell Mattie the truth; Carm doesn't want me, either. I'm an omega.

"Hurry," Miranda slips in through the door. "You have to go back to Caluna now." She gives Rique a knowing look. He nods, his jaw clenched.

"Why? What do you both know that I don't?" I ask, looking between them, confused and distraught at justleaving.

"I heard from a friend here... Dylan's frat brothers called the police and reported him missing," Miranda says quietly. "They're going to ask Matt questions, Cass. You can't be here when they do, OK?"

My stomach drops to my toes. "No," I breathe. I spin around to go back to Mattie.

"No, Luna," Rique catches me. "Let us handle this,si? We know what we're doing. We'll get Matt together, get his story straight, but we need you safe at Caluna."

"Mattie is..." I want to blurt out that Mattie is Carm's mate, too. He's important, just as important to them as I am. I cut my words off, not knowing how to tell Rique that his alphason is mated to a male.

Rique shakes his head. "His?" He hugs me tight, stroking my shivering back as I sob. "Shh, I know,Bella. But we can't have both of you threatened,si? Not all at once."

I don't have time to process that before Mattie comes around the bedroom partition. "Cass?" Mattie comes stumbling over, rumpled and panicked.

"I don't want to go," I say stubbornly. I push weakly at Rique chest, ineffectual as my struggle is.

"I heard," Mattie says in a raspy, tear-filled voice. "You have to go, Cassie. Be safe, OK?"

"No," I snap. I take a step toward my brother when a wave of exhaustion washes over me. My knees buckle, and I start to sink to the floor. Clucking his tongue, Rique sweeps me into his arms and carries me out of the door.

"Mattie?" I call out desperately. Then, I see it through the floor-to-ceiling window at the end of the hallway. A black police cruiser, pulling up to the front of the building. "No, goddess, he's not ready."

"Shh. Miranda will delay them," Rique says quietly. He sprints to the stairs and runs down them with me cradled in his arms. We walk out the backdoor, and he has me curled into the passenger seat of Miranda's car moments later.

"Let's go. We'll call Mattie when we get back to campus."

Trembling, I press my hand to the car window, watching the police cruiser parked outside of the apartment building disappear in the distance.

I cry, trying to be quiet, the entire ride back to Caluna. Rique drives Miranda's car into the private driveway at the LaNu House, edging as close to the white-brick wall as possible before he cuts the engine.

"Thank you, Rique," I whisper.

He's already on the phone, grabbing my bag and ushering me through the back door of the house.

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