Page 13 of Carmichael's Omega

"You can't rip his arms off," I repeat, horrified at the thought. Just because Kenneth is a douche who pissed on my bed doesn't mean he deserves to be permanently maimed. It's already bad enough to be... well... Kenneth.

"That's what I just said," Teague claims. "He's human, and I didn't rip his arms off." He reaches out and wraps his arm around my shoulders, guiding me from my humble abode.

"But youcan'trip his arms off!" I protest. "All he did was-"

"Ididn'trip his arms off, Mattie. I'm sure I could have if I wanted to. Skinny twigs over that beer gut body. Brittle. Shit, they'd snap with no pressure at all."

"I didn't mean you couldn't, Teague. You know that-"

"I think what Teague is saying is that Kenneth's arms are still intact. However, if he chose to, he would, in fact, be able to remove Kenneth's arms from his body. Completely," Lyall explains thoughtfully.

"I give up," I mutter. Both males laugh out loud. I'm aggravated by their game but also relieved to see that we are within sight of the black Escalade pulled over at the side of the road. Well played, males. The shaking in my body has stopped, and despite the early-morning chill in the air, I feel much more in control.

"My clothes. I left them by the signpost."

"In the SUV," Teague says patiently. Oh. Of course, he found them. My clothes are probably what he sniffed out first.

I settle in the backseat and stretch out.

Lyall starts the car and pulls back onto the road.

"Mattie, I'm sorry," Teague says. All humor has left his voice.

"About what?" I ask him.

"I had more eyes on you in the first semester. Kenneth checked out, and you seemed to be doing well, so I pulled back your protection. I shouldn't have."

"I wanted a normal experience," I pointed out to him.

Lyall glances in the rearview. "But, Matt, you're not normal. You're not human, and an omega male is a very rare wolf."

"I won't make that mistake again, Mattie," Teague says quietly.

I want to tell them both that I'm not a pup anymore. I bite the words back. It's snarky and unkind. And, most importantly, last night shows me that maybe I do need protection.

---

4 - Ode to Anxiety

Mattie

I have a jacuzzi tub. I have a wall safe hidden under a picture of a sunflower with five thousand dollars in cash tucked inside. I have three full-size camel-colored leather couches arranged around the 55-inch flatscreen hung over the gas fireplace. My kitchen has appliances that I'm afraid to touch.

In the bedroom, I have an Alaskan-King-size bed. Nine feet by nine feet. It's almost as large as my dorm room. It's larger than a regular king-size bed by over three-and-a-half feet. I googled it.

It's the size bed Teague, Mina, and Blu have. All three of them.

My new apartment is awesome, luxurious, huge, and downright lonely. I can already feel the emptiness of this place settling into my soul.

"Uh, T? Maybe I can have something else?" I ask a little frantically.

"What's wrong with this place, Mattie?" Teague looks around, bewildered by my attitude. He's a great wolf, a wonderful father and protector, the best Beta, and a horrible interior decorator. He's probably wondering what I see wrong that he can't.

"It's great," I say. "It's just kinda big and... fancy?"

Teague frowns. "You have my card, yeah? Redecorate with whatever you want, Mattie. You can donate this shit or something," he dismisses thousands of dollars of furniture and decor just that easily.

"Oh, OK," I mumble.

---