Page 149 of Carmichael's Omega

"She's inside the fucking safe?" he growls.

"No. The attic." I close my eyes as a memory washes over me. I used to play in the unfinished attic when I was a young pup. BeforeMamadied andPapáshut himself inside this place. This is why. This is why he never came out of this fucking room.

Diosa, what is behind that door?

"Punk, Punk!"the Beta is shouting,"Carmichael!"

"How fast can you be here? She scared.Mi alma. She is scared," I repeat, feeling helpless to save her. Pathetic.

"One hour to get our shit together. Two hours to travel by helicopter. You have clearance in that shit pack?"

"It will be clear for you,Jefe," I mutter angrily.

He hangs up, and I meet Rique's eyes. My beta nods, his face grim. "Let's go paint a fucking 'H' on the ground," he tells José and Luis.

I can't leave the door. Cassidy is sinking into shock, her body weakening as the bond wavers and pulses with the urgent need to sleep. "Go to sleep,mi alma. I'll be there soon," I whisper. "Mattie, come comfort your alpha," I command. His arms wrap around me, and I hold him tight as we wait.

"What's happening to her?" Mattie asks me in a tear-filled voice.

I look into his wet, caramel eyes. "She's frightened," I tell him softly. "But alive, not in physical pain,mi Corazon." I kiss him softly, then tuck him to my chest. My wolf whines pitifully. Mattie doesn't fit in my arms. I need another omega, snuggled next to him.

We wait, in silence, for the beat of the helicopter overhead. Three hours is an eternity. I don't let go of Mattie for even one second. When someone brings him some clothes to put on, I help him dress, then take him right back into my arms. I rock him, force him to drink to replenish himself as he cries in my arms, but we don't leave the closet.

My packmates clear the rubble, so that door and metal reinforcing are all that remains, standing starkly between my female and me. When they are finished, the appearance of the Beta and his team of stone-faced mercenaries takes me by mild surprise.

I scowl. "The room is soundproof," I hiss out. Dread is a heavy ball in my gut. What, or who, doesPapáhave up there?

The Beta strides into the closet. "Yeah, this blue metal is soundproof. Is the whole fucking suite like this shit? Mother-fucker, what the hell does he have up there?"

"My mate," I growl out. My mate. My female. My Cassidy. My soul.

A male from ClearHowl sets up electronic equipment, twisting dials and hooking wires to the lock on the door. "You the witch?" he asks a hovering Miranda.

"Yes," she replies, her face pale. Rique rubs her shoulder, kisses her forehead. I'm jealous that he has his female in his arms.

"Electronics?"

"Magnets, actually."

"Even better," the male sounds impressed. I bite back the growl of impatience. Just open the damn door.

Gently, I pass Mattie to Nico to pace as the two get to work to open the door.

It takes only five minutes. "That's it," the witch breathes.

The buzzing of the lock ends abruptly, and I hear it click. The door swings open, and I bolt through the door up the stairs that I only vaguely remember as a pup. At the top is another door, this one of wood, locked with the same electronic keypad.

"Do you want me to-"

I cut off the wolf when I slam my full weight into the door, cracking it right through the middle. I hit it again. On the third, it splinters enough to wrap my claws around the wood and tear it off in strips. A hole in the center widens until only splinters cling to the hinges and lock.

I enter the apartment on paws. My form barely fits in the narrow hallway. The thin, wood-paneled door between my female and I isn't reinforced. It bangs off of the hinges, and I barrel inside, leaping onto the stunning beauty sitting up in bed.

I shift back and slam my mouth on hers, praying against her lips,"Diosa, gracias. Gracia diosa."She's safe, I tell myself. She's right here, in my arms. Mattie is downstairs, and Cassidy is back in my arms. Everything will be alright now.

Dimly, I hear shrieking. It takes time to penetrate the focus on my female. My alpha wolf's ears twitch in acknowledgment of the high-pitched sound, but he, like me, doesn't stop examining our female. Very slowly, I turn my head, keeping Cassidy tucked safely under me.

Soft brown eyes meet mine. I stand, staring, my heart racing, my alpha-wolf snarling, insane.

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