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Chapter 3: He's Lickable

"I..." My brain had apparently stopped functioning. Santiago De La Cruz was standing in front of me, asking to buy me a drink, and I couldn't form a coherent sentence.

His smile widened, like he knew exactly the effect he had on me. "Cat got your tongue, hermosa?"

"I already have a drink," I managed, holding up my glass like proof.

"Then dance with me instead." It wasn't really a question. His hand was still on my lower back, warm even through the fabric of my dress, and every nerve ending in my body was screaming at me to say yes.

Before I could respond, Sienna appeared at my other side. "Callie! There you are! I've been looking everywhere—" She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Santiago. "Oh. Hey, Santiago."

"Sienna." He nodded at her but his eyes never left mine. "I was just asking your friend here for a dance."

"Was he now?" Sienna's grin was pure mischief. "Well, don't let me interrupt."

"Sienna—" I started, but she was already backing away.

"You kids have fun! I'll be at the bar!" She disappeared into the crowd before I could protest.

Traitor.

Santiago's thumb traced small circles on my back, and I had to fight not to shiver. "So? What do you say, Callista?"

He knew my full name. How did he know my full name?

"How do you—"

"Everyone's talking about your live stream," he said, his voice low enough that only I could hear over the music. "Luca Rodriguez is a fucking idiot. Any man who'd treat you like that deserves worse than a kick to the balls."

Heat flooded my cheeks. "You saw that?"

"Everyone saw it. You're kind of famous now." His hand slid slightly lower, resting just above the curve of my hip. "The quiet Omega nerd who turned out to be a fierce little fighter. I like it."

Little? I was five-seven, but next to his six-three frame, I supposed I was little. And the way he said it—like it was a compliment, not an insult—made my wolf preen.

"I'm not that fierce," I said, then mentally kicked myself. This was exactly the kind of self-deprecating thing the old Callie would say.

Santiago's eyes darkened. "You kicked a man in the balls, exposed him to the entire pack, and walked out with your head high. That's pretty fucking fierce, hermosa."

The way he kept calling me hermosa—beautiful in Spanish—made my stomach flutter. Nobody had ever called me that before. Well, Marco had called me beautiful too, but this felt different. More intense. More... right.

"One dance," I heard myself say. "But I'm watching you, De La Cruz. I know your reputation."

His grin was wolfish. "Good. I'd hate to disappoint."

He took my hand and led me toward the dance floor. His palm was calloused—from basketball, probably—and the moment our hands touched, something shifted inside me. It wasn't like the pleasant sparks with Marco. This was deeper. Primal. Like my wolf recognized something in him that made her sit up and pay attention.

As we moved through the crowd, I noticed heads turning. People watching. Whispering.

Santiago De La Cruz was dancing with the Omega nerd who'd just gone viral for destroying her ex-boyfriend.

We reached a spot near the center of the floor, and Santiago pulled me close. One hand stayed on my hip while the other held mine. The song was fast-paced, primal, but he moved with an easy confidence that made it look effortless.

"You've been at college for two years," he said, his mouth close to my ear so I could hear him. "How come I've never seen you before?"

"You have seen me. You just never noticed." I tried to keep my voice steady despite how close he was. "I'm usually in the library or wearing baggy hoodies."

"My loss." His hand tightened on my hip. "But I'm noticing now."

God, he was good at this. Probably had a different girl every week. But my traitorous body didn't care about his reputation. It cared about how good his hands felt on me, how his scent—sandalwood and smoke—made my wolf want to rub against him like a cat.

Then our eyes locked, and the world seemed to tilt.

My stomach clenched with an overwhelming need to get closer to him. To touch more of him. To claim him. The pull was magnetic, undeniable—exactly like what I'd read about in my Omega studies.

Mate bond.

No. No, that was impossible. Mate bonds were rare. They didn't just happen on random Tuesday nights in clubs.

But Santiago's pupils had blown wide, his nostrils flaring as he pulled me impossibly closer. "Fuck," he breathed. "Do you feel that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," I lied, even as my wolf howled with recognition.

"Yes, you do." His hand slid up my back, possessive. "Tell me you feel it too, hermosa. Tell me I'm not going crazy."

My heart was racing so fast I thought it might burst. "Santiago—"

"Your brother's here too, right?" I blurted out, desperately trying to change the subject. "Mateo?"

"Yeah, he's around somewhere." Santiago spun me, then pulled me back against his chest. His arm banded around my waist, holding me there. "Why? You interested in him too?"

"No! I just—" I stumbled over my words. "Sienna mentioned you guys were looking for someone. Her stepsister?"

Something flickered in Santiago's eyes. "Stella. Yeah, we were supposed to meet her here. You know her?"

My stomach dropped. Of course. Stella. My stepsister—the golden child who could do no wrong. The one who got all the attention, all the praise, while I scrubbed floors and did homework in my room.

"She's my stepsister too," I admitted.

Santiago's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, you're—you're Stella's sister? The one who—"

"Lives with her family? Yeah." I tried to pull back, but his grip tightened. "Let me guess, she never mentioned me."

"She mentioned she had a stepsister, but she said..." He trailed off, looking uncomfortable.

"She said what?" My voice came out sharper than I intended.

"That her stepsister was kind of a loner. Kept to herself." He was choosing his words carefully now. "She didn't mention you were an Omega. Or that you looked like this."

Of course she didn't. Stella loved being the center of attention. Having an Omega stepsister would have stolen her spotlight.

"Well, surprise," I said bitterly. "The loner stepsister actually exists."

"Hey." Santiago's hand came up to cup my jaw, forcing me to look at him. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant... fuck, I'm bad at this. What I'm trying to say is, if I'd known about you, I would have noticed. Trust me."

The intensity in his dark eyes made my breath catch. This close, I could see the gold flecks in them, could see my own reflection in his pupils. Could feel that pull getting stronger with every passing second.

"Santiago—"

"There you are!" A familiar voice cut through the moment.

I turned to see Sienna pushing through the crowd with another man beside her. He was just as tall as Santiago, with the same athletic build and sharp features. His hair was darker though, almost black, and his eyes were a lighter brown.

Mateo De La Cruz.

"We've been looking everywhere for—Callie?" Mateo's eyes widened when he saw me in Santiago's arms. "You're Stella's sister?"

"Stepsister," I corrected automatically.

"Holy shit." Mateo ran a hand through his hair. "Stella never said... I mean, she told us she had a stepsister but—"

"But she failed to mention I was an Omega who actually leaves the house?" I finished for him, unable to keep the edge out of my voice.

Sienna winced. "Cal—"

"It's fine." I stepped out of Santiago's embrace, immediately feeling the loss. My wolf whined in protest. "I'm used to it. Stella's the star. I'm just the shadow."

"That's not—" Santiago started, reaching for me, but I shook my head.

"I need another drink." I turned away from all three of them, pushing through the dancing bodies toward the bar.

My mind was spinning. Mate bond. With Santiago De La Cruz. The campus bad boy who was here looking for my stepsister. This was a disaster.

I made it to the bar and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath.

"Back so soon, beautiful?" Marco appeared in front of me, his green eyes concerned. "You okay? You look upset."

"I'm fine. Just need another drink."

"Another Jack and Coke?" He was already reaching for a glass.

"Make it a double."

His eyebrows rose but he didn't comment. As he fixed my drink, I felt eyes on my back. I glanced over my shoulder to see Santiago watching me from the dance floor, his expression intense and hungry. Mateo was talking to him, gesturing, but Santiago wasn't listening. He was focused entirely on me.

"Here." Marco slid the drink across the bar. "On the house."

"You keep giving me free drinks, your boss is going to fire you," I tried to joke.

"I am the boss." His smile was crooked. "Well, co-owner actually. This is my club."

Of course it was. Because my night wasn't complicated enough already.

"Thanks, Marco." I took a long sip, letting the alcohol burn down my throat.

"Anytime, hermosa." He winked before moving to help another customer.

"Callie!" Sienna appeared at my side again, slightly breathless. "Okay, so don't freak out, but—"

"But what?" I asked warily.

"But Stella just texted. She's on her way. She'll be here in like ten minutes." Sienna bit her lip. "And she has no idea you're here."

Perfect. Just perfect.

My stepsister was about to walk into a club where I'd just been dancing with the guy she was supposed to meet—who also happened to be my mate—after exposing my ex-boyfriend to the entire pack.