Mateo Santiago

JUNIPER

The stranger standing over me was gorgeous. Dark hair, dark eyes, with just enough muscles. He smelled of dark chocolate and pine, the smell of rain in the air in a lush forest. The scent made my mouth water, and the possibility of his taste on my lips sent me reeling.

I wanted him. How could I want him? I didn’t even know who he was.

The man—and he was a man—halted, his hand rest against my cheek. Where he touched, an electrifying sensation jolted me and traveled down my body. It had Starlet crying out in my head. She was panting, restless.

What’s wrong?

Need.

That was all she said, all she kept repeating. The implication made me flush.

Who was this guy?

Not even Royce, handsome in his own right, had made me feel this way.

This stranger’s very presence made me crave something. A touch. A caress.

A filthy night in bed that would leave me sweaty and sated.

Yes. Starlet was pushing at my mind, humming. Practically purring.

We can’t.

“Mateo.”

I hadn’t even noticed the other guy in the room. He looked vaguely familiar, a memory tickling the back of my mind.

His disruption brought some sense back to me, and I finally took in the room. Plain white, an uncomfortable bed, medical gear hanging from a wall and loaded onto shelves.

What had happened? Where was I?

Then the other guy’s words registered.

I knew that name.

Mateo Santiago.

The memories came rushing back. My father, my home, the woods, the wolves.

Grief consumed me as I realized my father had probably ordered those wolves to hunt me down. He wanted me dead. My mother had stood by and let it happen. Was I so much of a disgrace to them?

And my grandmother? The pain of losing her was still fresh. An open wound. What had become of her body?

What will become of me? It was a selfish thought, but a worry nonetheless. Grandmother wouldn’t have wanted me to sit stewing over her death.

After my father’s wolves left, more wolves had shown up. I was terrified, I remember, standing in front of what felt like a small battalion. There was an unshifted man too, and it suddenly clicked.

The guy in the room was the same stranger in the woods who had sicced his wolves on me. I couldn’t get away quickly enough, tripping over myself enough to the knock myself out. This was the same guy who had called for Mateo, called for his Alpha.

Called for the Alpha most known for his intolerance of rogues.

Mateo Santiago was a ruthless killer. He rarely spared invaders and unwelcome guests on his lands.

Wasn’t that what I was? A lone wolf running around on lands that I had no right to?

I stiffened, and he saw that. He felt it with his hand still pressed to my cheek before he snatched it away and a snarl curled his lips.

MATEO

My hand was still tingling. Zeus was whining; he wanted the contact back. He wanted to rub against her until she smelled like us. He wanted our scent so deeply ingrained that it could never be washed away.

I growled, low and threatening. To Zeus, myself. To this rogue.

Most of all, our reaction to her was shocking.

She was a rogue. You could smell it on her under the strawberries and vanilla. She had crossed onto our lands uninvited and brought potential harm to my people, my wolves. She was dangerous.

Yet, why did I want her?

My mind was screaming for me to punish, to maim. I could use her as a warning to all rogues who thought about targeting us. I could tear her to shreds, spread what was left outside the border as a message. The darkest part of my mind whispered agreeably.

As I moved to grab her, though, Zeus’s voice gave me pause.

She’s special, Mateo. Can’t you feel it?

This is our duty. Just because you find her attractive—

It’s more than that. Don’t fool yourself. We must know more.

It’s nothing, I hissed. How foolish could he be? So smitten by a pretty face, he forgot our duty.

Yet, his words struck truth. I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t. She was special, as much as I hated to admit it.

Furious, I stepped back and away. I stalked from the room.

“Orion!” I snapped, though he was already following me out. My anger was boiling over, and my patience had gone.

I slammed the door so hard that small cracks began to spread along the wall. Great.

Outside, more of the pack had gathered. Sam and Max were still standing guard, arguing with one of the Elders that stood in the hall.

They fell silent as I approached, bowing their heads, baring their necks in submission.

When one went to speak, I held up a hand to silence them. The hallway wasn’t the place for this discussion, especially not in front of the door of the topic we would be discussing.

They trailed after me until we reached a large conference room. Many considered it beautiful, as the room boasted traditional architecture with elegant carvings and decorative pictures and sculptures.

I found it to be a bit pompous.

As soon as the doors shut behind us, I turned—attempting to control my temper still—and announced my plan. While Zeus was still unhappy, I had managed to come up with something that would satisfy both our needs in the meantime.

“I want her locked up. She doesn’t leave until I find out what she is, where she came from, and why she was on our land.”

“We do not hold rogues,” an elder with a beaky nose and nasally voice sneered. “This is unprecedented, Mateo. The other Elders will not agree to this.”

The High Court of Elders was a bunch of crotchety old wolves in need of being pushed down a few pegs. Ignorant, selfish, and pretentious, they were a constant headache to deal with.

“You’ve never hesitated before,” another one spoke. “Why now?”

“Maybe you’ve grown weak, complacent.” The elder turned his beaky nose up at me. “It’s been years since you’ve been truly challenged.”

Orion snarled from my right, ready to tear out the throat of this pretentious old man. He took a step forward, body vibrating, prepared to shift.

I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. The Elders did have some sway in our pack, enough that we had to be careful of them.

I gritted my teeth together, reining in my own rage. “We’ve had peace for those years because of me. If you have someone in mind to take over, bring them here. Let them extend their challenge. I assure you they won’t get very far.”

When I came into the Alpha position, I was fifteen. Many, the Elders included, argued I was too young, that I couldn’t handle the responsibilities, that I couldn’t protect the pack.

They were wrong.

I had been protecting myself for years. I had been preparing to be Alpha for years.

I proved to be a strong and capable leader within my first year. During my reign, our pack had seen the peace lost generations ago. We were thriving, and the pack was happy.

While the Elders had some merit and influence, I was the Alpha.

I worked for what I’d gotten, and no one would take it from me.

“The rogue stays locked up until I know more. There is strong magic around her. It would be foolish not to investigate something we could potentially use.”

The excuse was thin to my ears, and Zeus snapped at me for my words, but it was enough to intrigue our audience.

“Magic?”

I looked to Orion, and he wasted no time explaining what had happened whenever someone went around her while she was unconscious.

The Elders present looked to one another, whispering their ideas and opinions. Orion turned away from them and spoke lowly to me.

Are you sure about this?

I nodded only once before the room fell silent again. The same nasally-voiced Elder stepped forward, his head tilted up haughtily.

“We agree with your decision for now. The rogue should be locked away until we can find answers about the… curiosities surrounding her.”

I gave a rueful smile before leaving.

“Orion, with me.”

Dutifully, he followed as we headed back toward the infirmary. I beckoned Sam and Max to join us and filled them in on what had happened.

“Where are we putting her, then?” Sam spoke softly, glancing back at the door every now and then.

“Somewhere I can keep a close eye on her. I’ll want one of you posted outside the whole time.”

They nodded.

The doorknob was looser than before, probably due to my rough treatment, and the door practically moaned as I pushed it open.

The rogue was still awake on the bed, and I hated how my heart seemed to speed up and gallop in time with hers. Wide green eyes stared at me, and her breath turned shallower the longer I lingered.

My anger grew. I didn’t know what I was furious at. Her, for the fact that she was a rogue and the feelings she stirred up inside of me? Or me, for allowing her to affect me so and not wanting to change anything about it?

I should have killed her the moment I laid eyes on her.

“Take her away.” I had to spit the words out.

She struggled against the gloved hands that grabbed her.

“Where are you taking me?” Her eyes were wide with fear.

A part of me wanted to go and comfort her. It was a struggle to obliterate the urge.

“You’ll be staying with me, in my rooms.”