Chapter 20

(Santiago’s POV)

After Isabella leaves, Layla faints. I catch her in my arms and call for the doctor. He says she likely passed out due to emotional agitation. Hearing him say that only makes me more irritated.

While the doctor examined Layla, I had time to think…

This woman cheated on me. I don’t believe this baby is mine, but in the off chance it is, I can’t not be there for him…or her.

Everything having to do with Isabella feels confusing. Father treated her with disdain, and it pissed me off. Layla displayed one hell of a performance. Then she tried to hit Bella.

The way Bella stood up to Father, made me proud she’s my mate…then I reminded myself she’s not.

She was careful not to hurt Layla, but she wasn’t going to let her hit her either. I was impressed with how she handled herself there.

The woman is an Alpha in every sense. Father’s wrong, she’d make one hell of a Luna.

Just not mine. I need to keep to the contract.

Layla’s IV bag empties and beeps. The nurse comes in and discharges her for the second time.

I get Layla home and settled in one of the guest rooms. Then, go to my study to think and decompress.

“Isabella is better than Layla for all the reasons you pondered at the hospital and more,” my wolf says. “She smells sweet. When we are close to her, I can sense her wolf. They want us too.”

“I don’t care. I don’t want to be involved in any more relationships. We need to focus energy on managing the pack! But, no we are out here wasting our time repeatedly dealing with betrayers.”

My phone rings. It’s Bella.

“Hello,” I say.

“I want you,” she says.

My eyes widen when my cock springs up at her words.

These women, I swear. Apparently, she’s going to push buttons too. Her words sure don’t match our fucking contract.

“Where are you?”

“The bar.”

“You’ve been drinking?”

She giggles.

I’ve never heard her giggle before.

“It’s fucking adorable,” my wolf says.

“Not now,” I tell him.

I hear a guy hitting on her. I must get there and pick her up before some douche bag tries to get lucky.

I feel my jaw clench and back muscles tense as a low growl rumbles in my throat at the thought of any other man touching her.

“I’m coming to get you. Share your location with me. Now.”

I get there in record time.

I growl upon entering, forcing submission from every wolf there…except Isabella.

Not a surprise.

“Hi,” she says waving at me.

“Come on, we’re leaving,” I tell her.

She still doesn’t submit, but she does get up and walk to me. Well, stumble and almost fall is a little more accurate.

I get her home and place her in the bed. She shifts to her knees. The slit in the dress opens up with the remaining fabric falling open, revealing her thigh.

I walk over to help her lay back down. She runs her hands up my chest.

I meet her gaze. She kisses my cheek…then my jaw.

Instinctively, my arms wrap around her waist.

Fuck. No. I need to get out of here before this goes any further.

She slides my jacket off and starts trying to unbutton my shirt.

I take her hands in mine and pull them away from me.

I lay her on her back and hold her hands down to keep her from touching me.

“Bella, it’s time for slee…”

She kisses me, hard.

Her lips are soft…she slides her tongue inside my mouth.

Instinctively, I match her movements. I sense her arousal.

She moans against my lips and my cock responds to it.

I push her away. “Remember the terms of our contract,” I warn her.

My wolf growls in my mind. “You’re clueless,” he tells me.

She mumbles something vague. Next thing I know, she’s asleep. And probably too drunk to remember anything tomorrow.

I adjust her sleeping position so that she’s lying on her side and write a note to let her know what the private investigator found out. I leave it beside her in the bed.

Then I leave.

(Isabella’s POV)

I wake up. It’s morning. I’m still in my dress. I sit up and a splitting headache shoots through me. Great, a hangover.

The sound of crumpling paper brings my attention to my left hand. It’s a note from Santiago.

Suddenly, the memories from the entire night flood back to me. I remember drinking myself stupid then calling Santiago.

Oh Moon Goddess, I called him. I threw myself at him. Did we?

“Regrettably no,” my wolf says. “Not for lack of trying. His wolf wants us; Santiago was too stubborn.”

I read the note.

“There will be no sex between me and Santiago,” I tell my wolf. “Now that we have this evidence.”

My wolf growls.

“Once the Elder Council sees this, they’ll have no choice but to withdraw their ruling. After we find a way to resolve Santiago’s feral condition, our contract will be terminated.”

I take the information that Santiago left me and go to a hotel that Jesse frequents so I can copy the video evidence onto a disc.

On my way out of the hotel lobby I hear Jesse call my name. I stop walking and turn around to see him jogging my direction to catch up.

“Hey, I’m glad to see you,” he says as if he’s done nothing to me.

“I can’t say the same,” I return.

“I’ve been needing to talk to you. You want to grab a bite to eat? They’ve got amazing food here at the hotel restaurant.”

“No. I don’t want to share oxygen in the same 200 mile radius as you, Jesse…let alone a meal.”

“Layla and I are over.”

“How does that affect me?”

“Well, I just thought…”

“You thought wrong. There will never be anything between us again. Ever.”

This sick bastard hurt me, still wants to take everything from me.

I feel tears sting in the corner of my eyes, like acid.

My hands ball up into fists, and I feel my wolf’s claws extend. She’s ready to shift and rip his fucking head off.

“Stand down,” I tell her.

The claws retract. Regardless, I still feel my face heat. I close my eyes for a heartbeat and concentrate on breathing.

He wants to steal my life. I’ll make damn sure he ends up the one leaving with nothing.

“I Want to talk about dividing the pack’s property and settling things between us peacefully.”

“Alright,” I say looking him deadpan in the face.

He smiles at me with a nod. “Yes, shall we,” he says gesturing back toward the hotel restaurant.

“Not here. I wouldn’t be caught dead anywhere near a hotel with you,” I tell him. “We can meet at the restaurant on the border between our packs…in an hour”

He agrees and I go on my way. I feel like the whole pack is running a marathon in my chest. Maybe we can end this nightmare quicker than I thought.

“Doubtful,” my wolf says. “The scent of him makes me nauseous”

“We’ll hear him out. If what he spews is bullshit, we can leave,” I tell her.

“Or you can shift and let me rip his head off?”

“We’ll see how it goes,”

“Please, it’d be festive…like opening presents on my birthday.”

I just roll my eyes at her. She’s not wrong.

At the restaurant, Jesse reminisces about our married life. His gaze softens as he looks for eye contact from me. “You took good care of our family,” he says.

He reaches for my hand.

I withdraw from his reach.

“It hurt me deeply to be betrayed, Isabella.”

“I wasn’t the betrayer, Jesse. For me, our marriage brought only pain.”

I look at him deadpan in the eyes. “Look, I have no interest in revisiting the past. What ideas do you have for dividing up the pack?”

Out of nowhere he asks me, “Have you ever seen a healing stone?”

I furrow my brows and sit back in my chair, holding my deadpan gaze on his. “I have never heard of that.”

“It’s a special stone that possesses powerful healing energy. It can cure all kinds of werewolf illnesses.”

“I have no interest in this. If we aren’t going to discuss dividing our property, then we are done here.”

I get up to leave. Jesse stands up and grabs my arm. During the brief struggle, the disc with the copied evidence falls out of my bag.

Jesse picks it up and hands it back to me.

I grab it and slip it back in my bag before he has time to study it.

Just then, an Alpha guttural growl fills my ears. My head turns toward the direction it came from. “Santiago?” I ask with furrowed brows.

“Come here.”