(24). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 24: meeting a friend . The rest of the summer passes by uneventfully, with the exception of Ricardo’s first rut as a mated wolf. Carlos will never again tease the alpha about his stamina. Ever .They’ve made a home for themselves in one of the smaller cabins with Leo and Kai as their neighbors. Leo’s finally begun showing, and now that the morning sickness has subsided he practically glows. The omega always has a hand on his belly protectively and often murmurs quietly to the pup growing inside him. The only person happier than Leo is possibly Kai. He was scared at first, which is to be expected. The young alpha was barely out of being a pup himself, but he’s so, so excited at the idea of being a father. It’s not uncommon to see him kissing the round curve of Leo’s stomach, also talking in low voices to their pup while Leo laughs, lighting up the world with his smile.Gavin and Adrien are officially courting now, which Carlos is over the mo
(25). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 25: forever and always . Ricardo completes his patrol but his mind isn't in it. Instead he's consumed by guilt, angry at himself for abandoning his pack, condemning them to life under an alpha that could care less if they live or die.It very easily could have been Leo or Mimi’s going hungry, or Mimi and Lara’s little pup crying because of an empty belly. It makes Ricardo’s stomach twist, a tightness in his chest as he lopes back to camp.The sun is up now, and when Ricardo shifts, stepping into his clothes, he can hear Carlos and Leo laughing about something through the clearing. It's unusual for the two of them to be up so early, especially considering Leo would usually sleep until noon if he was allowed.He sneaks up behind the pair, and when Leo catches the alpha’s eye, he motions for him to be quiet with an index finger over his lips. Luckily, the younger omega plays along and Ricardo is able to surprise his mate, wrapping his arms arou
(26). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 26: See you on the flipside. It’s only a few days later when Ricardo makes the decision that he’s ready to tell Erik everything about his past. Carlos has been patient with him, reassuring him that they’ll do it together and that there’s no rush. In addition to there being no rush, Erik has been holed up in their home taking care of Jorge over what Carlos presumes is another slump due to Leo’s pregnancy.Plus, Leo has made Carlos keep him company all day while Ricardo and Kai are out doing stuff, including patching Maria and Luca’s roof.But after they’re no longer busy, Carlos sets aside time for Ricardo to talk to Erik in the cabin.“Everything’s going to be fine, you’ve been antsy to talk to him,” Carlos mumbles as they’re on their way to Erik and Jorge’s cabin.“I know, I just— what if he hates me, what if he won't help?” Ricardo is obviously nervous, keeps chewing on his lower lip and fiddling with the edge of his shirt.“So?, if he ha
(27). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 27: Ricardo is going to feel every little thing that happens to his mate . Training the valley wolves proves to be easier than Ricardo anticipated, but no less time consuming. Jeff proves himself invaluable, actually working alongside Ricardo to help other alphas and betas. When other pack responsibilities don’t need to be taken care of, there’s a clearing just inside the forest that functions as a training ground of sorts. Ricardo is almost always there, training wolves in shifts, from sun up til sundown.It’s the morning of the fourth day after visiting with Lance that Ricardo wakes, groaning from the soreness of his muscles. Living with the valley wolves has made him softer, his body not used to the harshness of training and fighting every day. The sun has barely risen when his eyes finally flutter open, blurred and puffy with sleep.The sweet smell of his mate fills his nostrils, and Ricardo finds himself gravitating towards Carlos’s w
(28). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 28: For now, Carlos can only wait for them..Ricardo wakes in a cold sweat. He jack knives into a seated position, blankets pooling around his waist as panic and terror flood through his mate bond.“Carlos!” he calls out, voice cracking on the second syllable as he clamors out of bed, nearly tripping over the sheets that end up twisting around his feet.The omega is not in their cabin like he should have been. Ricardo tears the small space apart looking for him, but yields no results. His heart is in his throat and he feels like choking, doubling over in phantom pains.Something is wrong .His own fear blends with whatever is happening to Carlos, and he scrambles out of their home with the singular purpose of finding his mate and protecting him.A thousand and one scenarios flicker through the alpha’s mind. It wouldn't be uncommon to run into a bear during this time of year, and that is honestly one of Ricardo’s worst fears. A protective mothe
(29). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 29: And the fighting begins.It's been a long two days. Two days since the last time Ricardo saw Carlos. He's been confined to Jorge and Erik’s cabin with either Kai or the head alpha himself keeping watch to make sure he didn't try to get up to the mountains by himself. He'd almost done it, too, so blinded with rage that if it hadn't been for Kai, surely he would have tried to take on the whole White Peak clan by himself.There's barely anything that comes through their bond, and Ricardo’s wolf aches, cries for his mate. It only gets worse as the seconds tick by. And Ricardo’s frustrated because no one is fucking doing anything .Objectively, he understands the need to wait, to gather their forces, to coordinate an attack instead of running in blind. But every breath he takes knowing that Carlos is somewhere far away, alone and scared, makes him crazy.Erik has been good about keeping him calm and grounded, but he hates the pitying looks tha
(30). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 30: the war is over I'm coming, my love ..The White Peak wolves are shellshocked when they hear howls that don’t belong to them and are floored when wolves barrel into the heart of their pack. Half of the wolves stand there as valley wolves flood the mountain, but are quick to react when they’re knocked down to the snow and attacked.In a matter of minutes, every wolf is fighting, rolling around in the snow, but those who are in opposition to Richard retreat to the caves in human form to show their surrender. The valley wolves outnumber the mountain wolves easily, but the valley wolves are smaller, not as brutal, not even with Ricardo’s training. Blood spatters across the white snow with every wolf that’s attacked and it’s pure chaos.One dead mountain wolf lies in the fray already but the fighting has only just begun and not everyone is guaranteed safety by the time it’s over.Everyone gives Ricardo and his brother a wide berth, allowing the
(31). When Alpha meets Omega. Chapter 31: Ricardo is home and home is where Carlos belongs..Carlos stays seated on the hard floor against the cave wall for the duration of the fight, twisting his wrists around in every way possible to free himself. His results garner no success, only reddening the soft skin of his wrists from the friction of the metal.Throughout the fight he’s felt Ricardo’s pain, just lessened, and he resists his wolf from crying out to his mate because any move like that could result in a worse outcome.Everything becomes chaos outside and then suddenly, silence.Carlos stops squirming and listens, leans forward as far as he can to hear any noise, any indication of what’s going on, but then he hears his howl and Carlos has never been filled with so much relief in his entire life. They’ve won, everything’s going to be okay, he’s coming home.His heart thuds in his ears and he wriggles around more as he senses Ricardo coming to retrieve him, his wolf whining, en