Chapter 1: Callie

I stood outside Luca's apartment door, my heart hammering against my ribs like it was trying to escape. Tonight was supposed to be different. Special. After six months of dating, I'd finally decided I was ready to take things further with him.

My hands smoothed down the front of my purple dress—the one Sienna had convinced me to buy last month. "You look hot in it," she'd said. I didn't usually wear things like this, preferring my oversized hoodies and jeans that let me blend into the background at college. But tonight, I wanted Luca to see me differently.

I knocked on the door, clutching the bottle of his favorite whiskey I'd splurged on. The door swung open, and my smile froze.

A she-wolf with bright pink hair stood there, wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt. My eyes zeroed in on the design—a wolf devouring the moon. Cannibal Moon. The concert shirt Luca had bought when we went together three months ago. The same shirt that had a bleach stain on the left sleeve from when I'd accidentally caught it while cleaning his kitchen.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her cherry-red lips curling into a smirk.

My stomach twisted. "I'm looking for Luca."

"He's busy." She leaned against the doorframe, and that's when I saw them—fresh bite marks covering her neck and shoulders. Bruises shaped like fingerprints decorated her thighs where the shirt rode up.

My wolf snarled inside me, but I kept my face neutral. The meek college nerd. That's what everyone expected. "I'm his girlfriend. Who are you?"

"Oh, sweetie." She laughed, stepping aside to let me in. "I'm so much more than his girlfriend."

I walked past her into the apartment, my hands trembling. The place was a mess—blankets thrown everywhere, clothes scattered across the floor. The smell of sex hung heavy in the air, making my wolf pace anxiously.

The bathroom door opened, steam billowing out. Luca emerged wearing nothing but a towel slung low on his hips. His chest was covered in scratches, and he had matching bite marks on his neck.

Our eyes met. For a second, guilt flashed across his face. Then it was gone, replaced by annoyance.

"Callie. What are you doing here?"

What was I doing here? The bottle of whiskey suddenly felt heavy in my hands. "I thought... we had plans."

"Plans?" He ran a hand through his wet hair. "I don't remember making plans."

The pink-haired she-wolf sidled up next to him, running her fingers down his chest. "Baby, who's this?"

"Nobody important," Luca said, not even looking at me.

Nobody important. The words hit me like a physical blow. My wolf whimpered, but I forced myself to stay calm. "Luca, what's going on?"

"Look, Callie." He sighed like I was inconveniencing him. "This was never serious. You kept making such a big deal about 'taking things slow' and 'waiting until it meant something.' I got tired of waiting around."

My throat tightened. "You said you understood. You said you'd wait—"

"Understood what?" He laughed, cruel and sharp. "That you're some innocent little Omega who needs everything to be perfect? Do you know how boring that got? Always having to pretend I cared about your feelings, your boundaries?"

The she-wolf—Bianca, I heard him call her—smirked. "He told me all about you. How you wouldn't put out, how you were always whining about emotional connection. God, you sound exhausting."

Heat flooded my cheeks, but it wasn't embarrassment anymore. It was rage. "You talked about me? About our private relationship?"

"Oh, honey, it gets so much better." Bianca pulled out her phone, tapping the screen. "Tell her about the bet, Luca."

My heart stopped. "What bet?"

Luca's jaw clenched. "Bianca—"

"No, she should know." Bianca turned her phone toward me. On the screen was a photo—heavily edited and clearly AI-generated—showing her and Luca in an intimate position. But my face had been photoshopped onto her body. "The guys at college made a bet. Who could get the uptight Omega nerd to finally loosen up? Luca said he could take your virginity within six months."

The room spun. Every sweet word, every patient gesture, every time he'd told me he loved me—it had all been a lie. A game. My meek persona had made me a target, and I'd fallen for it completely.

"I already won the bet, actually." Bianca's smile widened. "Posted this pic last week. Everyone thinks Luca already sealed the deal. You're just too stupid to know he's been playing you this whole time."

Something inside me snapped.

My hand moved before I could think. The crack of my palm against Bianca's cheek echoed through the apartment. Her head whipped to the side, and she stumbled back, clutching her face.

"You bitch!" she shrieked.

"Me?" My voice came out low and dangerous—nothing like the quiet girl everyone thought I was. "You created fake pictures of me? Spread lies about my body, my choices? Being a girl yourself, how low can you go? Have you no self-respect?"

"Callie!" Luca stepped between us, his hand shoving my shoulder. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

I stumbled back but caught myself. Everything crystallized in that moment—all the times I'd played small, made myself invisible, let people walk all over me because it was easier than fighting back. The Cinderella at home who scrubbed floors while her stepfamily partied. The nerd at college who let people ignore her existence.

Not anymore.

"What's wrong with me?" I straightened, my wolf rising to the surface. "What's wrong with YOU?"

Luca moved toward me again, his hand raised. "You need to leave before—"

My leg shot out, my knee connecting solidly with his groin. Luca's eyes bulged. He made a strangled sound and crumpled to the floor, hands clutching himself.

Bianca screamed and lunged at me, nails extended like claws. I grabbed a fistful of that bright pink hair and yanked hard. She yelped, stumbling into me as I pulled out my phone with my free hand.

"Let go of me!" She tried to scratch at my arm, but I twisted her hair tighter.

"Smile for the camera." I switched to video mode, angling it to capture Luca writhing on the floor and Bianca's tear-streaked, furious face. "Actually, don't smile. I want everyone to see exactly what you really look like."

"Don't you dare—" Bianca hissed.

"Too late." I hit the live button, streaming directly to my social media. My college network. The local pack feeds. Everyone.

"Hey everyone, it's Callie Mason. You know, the quiet Omega nerd who keeps to herself?" My voice was steady, cold. "I want you to meet Luca Rodriguez and his girlfriend Bianca. They're the ones who created fake AI pictures of me and spread them around campus to win a bet."

"Turn it off!" Luca groaned from the floor, trying to crawl toward me.

I stepped back, keeping Bianca's hair wrapped around my fist. The comments were already flooding in—shocked emojis, angry reactions, people tagging others to watch.

"Luca made a bet with his friends that he could take my virginity within six months. When he couldn't, because I'm not an object to be won, his girlfriend here decided to fake it." I turned the camera to Bianca's face. "Tell them. Tell everyone what you did."

"You're insane!" Bianca shrieked, but her eyes were wide with panic as she saw the viewer count climbing.

"Am I? Or am I just done being your victim?" I released her hair, shoving her toward Luca. "This is who they really are. Luca Rodriguez, who manipulates innocent girls for sport. And Bianca, who has so little self-worth she'll help destroy another woman just to feel special."

The comments were exploding now—disgust, outrage, support for me. I could see pack members tagging the Council. College administrators being notified. Luca's friends frantically commenting that they never agreed to any bet.

"I'm not the meek little nerd you all thought I was," I said to the camera, my voice strong. "I'm Callie Mason. I'm an Omega. And I will not be anyone's joke or victim ever again."

I ended the live stream and pocketed my phone. Luca was still on the floor, pale and sweating. Bianca had collapsed against the wall, mascara running down her face.

"You're going to regret this," Luca wheezed.

"No." I picked up my purse, leaving the whiskey bottle on his coffee table. "The only thing I regret is wasting six months on someone who never deserved me."

I walked out, my head high, my hands steady. Only when I reached my Jeep did I let myself breathe. My phone was already exploding with notifications—messages of support, offers of testimony, even texts from she-wolves thanking me for exposing Luca's true nature.

A text from Sienna lit up my screen: "HOLY SHIFT! Everyone's watching! You're my HERO! Get to Savage NOW—we're celebrating! "

I smiled, real and genuine. Tonight was supposed to be special. And you know what? It was. Just not in the way I'd planned.

I texted back: "On my way. Time everyone sees the real me."

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.

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.