Mateo Santiago Book 2

⏪Previously on Mateo Santiago...⏪

With the threat of Odessa far behind them, Mateo and Juniper are mated and happier than ever. But there’s a new threat rising. And if Juniper can’t gain control of her powers, she may lose Mateo forever…

SEASON 2

^Produced by: Adam Sharp^ ^Written by: Ilan Benjamin^

ZEUS

The chase was on.

We were running. Sprinting. Tearing through the brush as fast as our limbs could take us.

My canines dripped with saliva as I catapulted forward, relishing the wind whipping at my fur, the feel of the soil beneath my feet, the hunger…

The ravenous need to eat, to tear apart, to consume every morsel more powerful than it had ever felt before.

I was going to kill today.

And, Goddess, had I missed it.

Take it easy, Zeus.

You’re not the only one with an appetite.

But I wasn’t listening to Mateo right now. It had been too long since I had allowed my wolf to take over. To be wild. To be free.

I spotted four legs skipping behind a distant tree, trying to outrun me, and hurried my pace. No way was my prey going to get away from me.

Not today.

Not after everything Mateo and I had been through.

I leaped through the air, soaring, and slammed my claws into the hindlegs of the deer, slamming it against the ground. Before it knew what was happening, I lunged for its neck.

Blood filled my jaws, the taste of iron and salt like a salve to my senses, as I let out a triumphant howl.

I finally had recovered enough strength not only to run but to catch my own food. Odessa’s violence had not been easy to shake.

But as I tore into the flesh beneath me, my hunger insatiable, I knew that I was finally on the mend. I was my full wolf again.

And as I finished eating my fill, I allowed Mateo to intrude once more.

This will make for a feast tonight, Zeus...if you leave enough for Juniper and Starlet.

Starlet.

Just the thought of my mate’s name made my wolf growl with another kind of hunger. Too much time had passed since we last ran together. It was all about Mateo and Juniper lately.

But now that we were healthy, I intended to remedy that.

And soon.

What do you say, Zeus?

Save some food for the ladies?

I took one last bite and stepped back to examine the sublime wild forest around me. The lands of Vistas Moon Pack. My home.

Yes, Mateo, I replied. ~Let’s give the girls a meal to remember.~

JUNIPER

I stood on the balcony of the impressive pack house, three stories high with a view of rolling hills and green pastures, feeling the wind tussle the locks of my hair, and the sunlight graze my cheeks with its glorious warmth.

To think it had been two months already since that fateful night when I had banished Odessa. To think Mateo and I had been mated for that long…

It felt like my heart might burst from pure gratitude.

While I knew that Royce, once my friend, and Dayton, once my father, were still out there, plotting who knows what…

Right now, it felt so easy to let it all go. To just be grateful. And the weather seemed to be matching my disposition. Because even the clouds in the sky were shaped like smiling faces.

I saw some kids from the pack below, lying in the grass, pointing up at the various shapes and grinned.

I could put on a little show for them if I liked. That’s how confident I had grown with my own powers.

Our powers, Marissa reminded me.

Yeah, yeah, Starlet said with some sass. ~We’re all aware how amazing you are, Marissa.~

Hey, just saying, Marissa replied. ~All this cool magic comes from somewhere.~

“Quiet, you two,” I said, laughing. The witch and wolf inside me were a part of my identity but also with their own desires and quirks. Of which they had many.

Right now, it wasn’t about who was to thank. It was about being thankful. Period.

“Hey, kids!” I yelled out. They looked up at the balcony.

“Hi Luna!” one of them yelled out.

“Will you do it again, June? Please?” another one asked.

I giggled, but decided to go along with it. Few things brought me as much joy as the laughter and excitement of the pack children.

I took a deep breath, raised my hands, and felt my powers surge inside me, the elements making my fingers tingle. The sun disappeared suddenly and clouds began to shift and morph, swirling above us into a glorious constellation of vapor.

The kids stared in awe…

A hole in the thick swirl of clouds broke open and the sun spilled through, illuminating in one ray of light the spot of grass where the children were sitting. As if the whole world, for a brief moment, was focused on them.

“SO COOL!” one of the kids gasped.

“I want to be June when I grow up," another said gleefully.

I laughed, feeling tears at the corners of my eyes. These pure souls reminded me so much of myself when I was young, just a little girl in the Litmus Pack who wasn’t even allowed out of her grandmother’s house.

So much had changed so quickly. Ever since I met Mateo...it was like my whole world had been turned upside down. And for the better.

I hoped he and Zeus were enjoying their run today. Seeing him regain his strength day by day, his dominance as an Alpha, even his overwhelming intensity…

It made all the pain and fear we had gone through seem almost worth it.

As I looked at the children below, I thought again of what he had said to me the night he marked me.

“We’d better get started then, don’t you think?”

The idea that we might have children someday soon filled me with so much excitement and longing. It felt like we had our whole lives ahead of us and nothing could get in the way.

Don’t jinx it, June, Marissa teased.

She has a point, Starlet agreed.

I shook my head. When these two teamed up against me, it was pointless to try and fight back. I simply smiled and stepped into the pack house.

“Whatever you say, ladies.”

MATEO

Zeus and I returned to the pack house with the deer carcass and immediately ran into Orion, my Beta, best friend, and most trusted advisor, who looked busy and lost in thought.

“Alpha,” he said with a stern nod. “Good to see you’re feeling like yourself again.”

I nodded in return. “Thanks, Orion. Is everything alright?”

“Yes, I’m just…” he began with a sigh. “I’m frustrated that we haven’t been able to locate Dayton or Royce yet.”

I felt my lip twitch with an involuntary snarl. When I laid eyes on that bastard Dayton again, I didn’t know if I’d be able to stop myself.

I knew he was Juniper’s father. But the man was wicked through and through. The fact that he had conspired with that evil witch Odessa of all things…

That kind of cruelty deserved to be punished.

I put a hand on Orion’s shoulder. “That’s alright, my friend,” I said. “I trust you. Plus, I have two of my best trackers on their scent.”

He lifted an eyebrow, surprised. “You mean from outside of the pack?”

I nodded. I hadn’t wanted to tell Orion or anyone for that matter, hoping that keeping it a secret would improve their chances.

“I won’t ask who,” Orion said wisely. Then he eyed the dinner I had dragged here. “Please just say there’s enough to go around.”

I laughed heartily. “Only for the best. First, I have to feed my mate. But you know that.”

He nodded, his grim features relaxing slightly. “Have you thought more about it? When you’re going to ask her?”

At that moment, I saw Juniper exit the pack house and run towards a group of children. They were playing a game. It was beautiful.

She was beautiful.

Zeus growled from within me, still hungry. Desiring a moment alone with Starlet. And could I blame him?

I looked at Orion. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment,” I admitted. “But now that you mention it, why wait?”

My love for Juniper was only growing with every passing day and she deserved to know it – to know exactly how much she meant to me.

“Well?” Orion said with a laugh. “What are you waiting for?”

JUNIPER

That night, Mateo prepared a massive feast for all the pack leaders with the game he had caught. Taking a bite of the perfectly cooked meat, I felt pride swell through me.

My mate had caught this with his own bare teeth. He was truly himself again.

As he looked over at me, mid-bite, his eyes sparkling with mischief, I felt the same butterflies fill my stomach that I felt the first time he laid eyes on me.

“June,” he said. “Let’s take a walk.”

“Okay,” I said, curious. “Any hints where we’re going?”

“That would spoil the fun, you know that.”

He took my hand and led me from the hall, nodding toward Orion, who shot me a wink that only heightened my curiosity. What was this all about?!

Maybe he’s going to make you hunt for deer next, Starlet suggested.

Yeah, right, Marissa replied. ~All June needs to do is wave her hand and we’ll have twenty deer for dinner.~

There’s more than magic to life, Rissa. Don’t you know it’s all about the chase?

Guys! I shouted. ~Do you mind giving me and Mateo a second?~

They went blissfully quiet as we stepped out into the grounds of the Vistas Pack. The sky was starry and clear, making for a jaw-dropping view.

Once we stood at the very center alone, quiet took over. Our only company, the distant crickets in the trees.

Mateo looked like he had something important to say. Like it was eating him up inside. Like he was debating with Zeus how to say it.

I grabbed his strong jaw, stubbly and rough to the touch, and brought his gaze to mine.

“What is it, Mateo?” I asked. “You can tell me anything.”

He took a deep breath, then smiled. “June...these past two months have been the best of my life. But I’ve felt like...something’s missing.”

My smile faltered. Oh no. Was I doing something wrong? Had I not been a good Luna to his pack? He must’ve read my reaction because he shook his head.

“Not like that,” he said. “It’s a good thing. I mean…”

He looked nervous. I had never seen the Alpha nervous in his life. But why? I could feel his tension, his fear, his excitement radiating off of him.

I found myself overcome by an intense heat. Red hot. Burning. Overwhelming the cool night air.

What was happening to me?

Mateo fell gently to one knee.

The color rose in my cheeks as I realized what was happening.

“Juniper Santiago,” he said. “Will you marry me?”