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Chapter 2: Something Sweet

The city lights blurred past my windshield as I navigated through the streets toward Savage. My hands were still shaking slightly on the steering wheel, adrenaline from the confrontation with Luca pumping through my veins. My phone kept buzzing with notifications, but I ignored them. Tonight wasn't about Luca anymore. Tonight was about me.

Sienna had sent me the address with a string of fire emojis. "Trust me, this place is PERFECT for letting loose," her text read. I'd never been to Savage before—it was one of those clubs everyone talked about but the "nerdy Omega girl" never got invited to.

Well, screw that version of me.

I found parking a few blocks away and checked my reflection in the rearview mirror. My auburn hair was still in place, my makeup hadn't smudged from angry tears, and my eyes... my eyes looked different. Fiercer. Like I'd finally woken up.

The walk to the club was short, and I could feel the bass thumping through the sidewalk before I even saw the building. Savage rose up before me—tall, imposing, built from dark brick that seemed to absorb the streetlights. Above the entrance, someone had painted a massive full moon that almost seemed to glow. The neon green sign spelling out "SAVAGE" hummed and flickered.

I pushed open the heavy doors and immediately understood why Sienna loved this place.

The smell hit me first—alcohol, yes, but underneath that was something wild and woodsy. Pack scents. Lots of them. This was a werewolf club, the kind where we didn't have to hide what we were. Where dominance and submission played out on the dance floor as much as in dark corners. My Omega wolf perked up, curious and alert.

The interior was dimly lit, all shadows and flashing lights. A set of stairs led down to the main floor where a massive bar dominated one side and a packed dance floor stretched out beyond it. The music was loud, primal, the kind of beat that made your wolf want to move.

I descended the stairs, my heels clicking against the wood. Several heads turned as I passed—alphas and betas sizing me up, catching hints of my Omega scent. I'd stopped suppressing it after leaving Luca's apartment. Why hide? I was done with that.

The bar gleamed under the low lights, and behind it worked the most gorgeous man I'd ever seen.

He was tall, his black hair pulled back into a messy bun that somehow looked perfect on him. Tattoos covered both arms—intricate designs I wanted to trace with my fingers. A silver hoop pierced his nose, another through his eyebrow. When he looked up and caught my eye, his smile was slow and devastating.

And his eyes... they flashed bright green. Wolf green.

My heart stuttered.

"What can I get you, beautiful?" His voice was smooth, with a slight accent I couldn't quite place. Australian, maybe?

I approached the bar, hyperaware of every step. "Jack and Coke, please."

"Coming right up." He didn't look away from me as he reached for a glass. "Haven't seen you here before. First time at Savage?"

"That obvious?" I managed a smile, trying to ignore how my pulse was racing.

"Nah, I just remember a face like yours." He fixed my drink with practiced ease, and when he slid it across the bar, our fingers touched.

Holy shit.

Sparks. Actual, literal sparks that shot up my arm and made my wolf howl with recognition. Mate. The word echoed through my mind, primal and certain.

His eyes widened, pupils dilating. He felt it too.

"What's your name?" His voice had dropped lower, rougher.

"Callie," I breathed. Then, for some reason, I added, "Callista, actually. But everyone calls me Callie."

"Callista." He said it like he was tasting it. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl. I'm Marco."

"Marco," I repeated, and his wolf definitely liked hearing his name on my lips because his eyes flashed green again.

"This one's on the house, Callista." He leaned closer, and I could smell him—pine and rain and something uniquely him. "Welcome to Savage."

I picked up my drink with trembling fingers, needing to put some distance between us before I did something crazy like climb over the bar. "Thank you."

"Anytime." His gaze tracked me as I stepped back. "I'll be here all night if you need anything. Anything at all."

The promise in those words made heat pool low in my belly. I turned away before I could respond, my cheeks burning.

What the hell was that? Mate bonds were supposed to be rare. I'd dated Luca for six months and never felt even a fraction of what just passed between Marco and me in thirty seconds.

I needed to find Sienna. And maybe another drink.

I scanned the crowd for my best friend's blonde hair but didn't spot her. The dance floor was packed with bodies moving to the heavy beat. I made my way to one of the high tables that overlooked the floor, climbing onto a bar stool and smoothing down my dress.

The black dress suddenly felt too short, too tight. But in a good way. In a way that made me feel powerful instead of exposed.

I took a sip of my drink—perfectly made, of course—and let my eyes wander over the crowd. That's when I saw him.

Santiago De La Cruz.

Everyone at college knew Santiago and his brother Mateo. The De La Cruz brothers were basketball royalty—tall, gorgeous, dangerous. They had a reputation for breaking hearts and rules in equal measure. Bad boys in every sense of the word.

Santiago stood near the edge of the dance floor with a group of guys I recognized as his teammates. His dark hair had streaks of blue and green that caught the club lights, making him look almost otherworldly. He was tall—at least six-three—with broad shoulders and the kind of athletic build that came from serious training. A tight black t-shirt showed off muscles that made my mouth go dry.

I'd seen him on campus dozens of times. Had watched him play basketball once when Sienna dragged me to a game. But I'd never been close enough to really look at him.

He was... devastating.

As I watched, he threw his head back and laughed at something one of his teammates said. The movement was loose, confident, the kind of easy dominance that made my Omega wolf take notice.

Then his head turned, and his eyes locked directly on mine.

My breath caught. Even from this distance, I could see his pupils dilate. Could see the moment he caught my scent on the air, recognizing what I was.

His nostrils flared. His entire body went still, predatory. And those eyes—dark and hungry—never left mine.

"Callie!" Sienna's voice broke the spell. She appeared at my side, throwing her arms around me. "Oh my God, you actually came! And everyone's talking about your live stream. You're like, a total legend now!"

I tore my gaze away from Santiago to look at my best friend. Sienna was dressed in a silver sequined dress that hugged her curves, her long blonde hair falling in perfect waves. "You saw it?"

"Saw it? Everyone saw it! The pack group chats are exploding. Half the she-wolves want to buy you drinks, and Luca's friends are all scrambling to distance themselves from him." She squeezed my shoulders. "I'm so proud of you!"

"Thanks," I said, emotion tightening my throat. "I just... I couldn't let him get away with it."

"Damn right." She grabbed my hand. "Come on, let's dance. We're celebrating your freedom and your badassery."

"Wait—" I glanced back toward where Santiago had been standing, but he'd disappeared into the crowd. Something like disappointment curled in my chest.

"What's wrong?" Sienna followed my gaze.

"Nothing. I just..." How did I explain that I'd felt the mate bond with the bartender and then gotten eye-fucked by Santiago De La Cruz all in the span of ten minutes? "Nothing. Let's dance."

Sienna didn't look convinced, but she pulled me toward the dance floor anyway. "Okay, but first—you see those guys over there?" She nodded toward a group near the bar. "That's Mateo De La Cruz and his crew. Santiago's probably around here somewhere too."

My heart jumped. "You know them?"

"Kind of. They're friends with my stepbrother." She grinned. "Why? You interested?"

"No! I just... I've seen them at school."

"Uh-huh." Sienna's grin widened. "Well, just so you know, they're both single. And both absolute heartbreakers. But after what you just did to Luca? I think you could handle them."

Could I? The old Callie would have said no, would have hidden behind her books and baggy clothes. But the new Callie—the one who'd kicked Luca in the balls and exposed him to the entire pack—maybe she could.

As we pushed through the crowd toward the dance floor, I caught another scent on the air. Different from Marco's pine and rain. This was darker, wilder—sandalwood and smoke and pure alpha dominance.

And it was getting closer.

My wolf perked up, alert and interested. I looked around, trying to find the source, when a hand touched my lower back.

"Excuse me, beautiful." The voice was deep, smooth as whiskey. "Mind if I buy you a drink?"

I turned and found myself staring up at Santiago De La Cruz.

Up close, he was even more devastating. His dark eyes held flecks of gold that seemed to glow in the club lights. A small scar cut through his left eyebrow. His jaw was sharp enough to cut glass, and when he smiled, it was pure sin.

"I..." Words failed me. This was Santiago De La Cruz. Campus bad boy. Basketball star. The guy who'd never looked at me twice in two years of college.

And he was looking at me like I was the only person in the entire club.