Chapter 147: Chapter 147

Alpha's Hated Mate

Santiago's POV

I was on my way to lunch with Rachel and her new boyfriend when I received a call from Adrian. I was going to decline but the idiot seems to be too busy with lord knows what at Crix's lane since he left three weeks ago that he doesn't answer calls. I miss him more than I like to admit, I never knew we were that codependent until now.

“Alpha can't keep a woman, what's up?” I say to him, my concentration is still on the road.

“Nothing, Beta can't get a woman, what's up with you?” he retorts.

“I'm driving, finally meeting Rachel's little pup.” I snort, irritation already sinking in.

“You haven't met him, yet and you're already degrading the poor kid.”

“Oh, look who's talking.”

Adrian chuckles, and I hear noises in the background, from what I know he rarely leaves his room, if he does, he goes to the gym, working that anger.

“Made friends I see?” I snarl, partially jealous I don't get to hang out with him anymore.

“Something, like that.” he sighs.

“You sure everything is okay, you sound worse than usual.”

“I don't know but I think it's Camilla,”

“Oh,” I rasp. “Talk to me.” I tell him, of course, it's Camilla, everything with him starts and ends with her, I just wish this behaviour was portrayed earlier. Maybe then, we wouldn't have these goddamn issues we have now.

“She's not okay, she's in pain, I need to be with her.”

I nod to myself, of course she's in pain, he caused it, him, Angel and every lie in his proclaimed truth when he lashed out at her that day.

“Really, and how do you know that, does that mean you and Hunter are connecting?”

“Hmm,” The noise in the background is now subtle. “He tells me she's hurting, and her wolf too.”

“Her what?” I ask, trying to process his sentence.

Her wolf, Camilla doesn't have one, she's past the age of getting one and she has never once exhibited any behavior that would lead me to believe she is a shifter.

“I know it's confusing but I just want to go after her right now, I miss her and not just the sex, you know everything about her excites me. I don't think I'll be able to live without her Tiago,”

“I know, but Adrian she's the one person you shouldn't have hurt, you fucked up real bad and it'll be hard coming back from that.” I tell him, trying my best to sympathise with him as well as remind him he put himself in this situation.

He means it, he can't live without her, at least not happily, he can exist but without her, living is forfeited. Adrian has been obsessed with Camilla and everything about her since she moved in with us, the little things she thinks nobody knows about her, he knows them.

The nights she lay awake crying herself to sleep or pretend to sleep, he was there, watching her, so close yet so far. He never knew how to help her, it scared him to have someone feel so deeply and not be able to help her turn whatever haunted her off, he needed to know but never asked.

He learned patience by watching her, Camilla taught him many lessons unknowingly and she lit up his heart and now that she's gone, that light is slowly burning out, I just hope she returns before it burns out completely.

“I know, will you stop nagging me? I already feel like shit without your constant taunting reminders.”

“Ugh,” I roll my eyes. My car pulled into the driveway of my destination, a decent restaurant that is way out of Rachael's financial services. “I won't stop taunting you, I'm under pressure now because you sent her away, mom and mother want to meet my mate, just great.” I sigh.

Adrian sneers on the other end, “Whatever man, I gotta run.”

“To play with your new friends?” I tease.

“Yeah, why? Are you jealous? ” he counters.

“You wish I was, I'm actually having a good time without you here. Alpha Nicholson and I have formed quite the bond.” I smirk, awaiting his reaction.

“What the fuck Santiago, you-” I press the end call button, my lips curving into a deeper smirk. I lied, I know he doesn't like Nicholson, I don't like him either but he has been trying to befriend us for a while now.

My phone vibrates once again, Adrian is calling, but I ignore it, letting him focus on my lie rather than Camilla constantly. His mind needs the diversion of concern.

My gaze shifts to the window as I free myself from my seat belt, it finds Rachael.

She seems to be saying something to the boy next to her. He's tall, no different from the boys I've beat up for dating her in the past when it comes to his appearance. I see why she's crazy about the boy, he listens, even from where I stand I can tell she wears the pants in the relationship, which isn't much of a surprise.

I exit the car, swiping my phone when I do. Rachael is oblivious to my arrival as I enter the restaurant, helping myself to the seat in between the two lovebirds, only then does she see me.

“Santiago.” she nearly gasps.

I dismissed her, just like I did to the familiar scent that flared up my nostrils, feeling all the way down to my toes when I walked in. My attention focused on her mate. Trying to get a better look than I did from my car to her. My gaze scans him up and down, taking in his rattled state upon seeing me.

“You are, you're...” he begins, unable to find his words.

“Babe, this is my brother Santiago.” Rachael tells him, discreetly kicking him under the table, but I catch the movement.

“Nice to meet you Beta Sir,” he rises, extending a hand towards me.

I take a glance at him and then the hand before flinging my sister a glare. She takes my glare and makes twice as much, aiming at him. That seems to get him back to his senses, a little bit.

He drops his hand to his side and takes his seat once again, his gaze flickering between my sister and I.

“Good, you're afraid of me and her.” I murmur, my elbow leaning on the table as I gaze at him with a warning expression.

“Tiago,” Rachael whines, elbowing me in the arm.

I shrug, dismissing her unsaid complaints. “So pretty boy what's your name?”

“Anthony Danielson.” Rachael retorts.

“No, no.” I tell her, “Let the boy speak for himself,” my hand gestures to him. “ Antonio, where are you from?”

He looks at Rachael, his gaze quickly shifting back to me. “It's Anthony Sir,” he stutters.

“Are you correcting me?” my gaze furrows, an eyebrow raised.

The boy shakes his head vigorously, “Umm, no Sir, I would never.”

“Ugh, stop terrifying him Santiago.” My sister frowns, falling back into her seat, her arms crossed over her chest.

I laugh, ignoring how pissed this is getting her. “Okay, serious talk Justin Bieber, what do you like about this annoying creature here?” I ask, nodding towards her.

“Umm, well sir...” he begins, turning to her, his cheeks flashing red. “ I don't like anything about her, I love it all. Rachael is a remarkable person, she's nothing like anyone I've ever met, she seems like a good book that makes me sad after I'm done reading it because it's fiction.

Sure she talks too much, but it doesn't bother me, she apologises for it sometimes but I don't mind her taunting or anything that she says because she has the voice of an Angel. I admit sometimes she sounds like a broken record but even then I want to hear her.” he says, his eyes casting down. Surely blushing harder than my sister. “She is the rainbow I've been waiting to see my whole life,” he adds.

I nod, and my gaze shifts to Rachael, my poor sister blushing from ear to ear. It seems everything is good here, it's that young love, the one she strived for in the past, the perfection she desired and worked to build with past relationships, except, this one flows in the direction she wants, by itself. “Look,” I begin, my gaze abandoning Rachael. “Well, you seem like a cool kid and for as long as you treat my sister right, we will have no problems here. Is that clear?'

“Yes, very clear.” he nods.

“Hmm, and how is it that you will treat her?”

“Like the beautiful queen she is, sir.”

“Good,” I exhale. Relief filling me, “Appears we are speaking the same language, Adrian will like you.” I tell him, my hand patting him on the shoulder.

In response, he gulps hard. Not sure if it's the mention of Adrian or the physical contact I just applied on my shoulder.

“What pack are you from again?” I ask, my hand still on his shoulder.

“Alpha Clarissa's Pack Sir,” he stutters.

I nod to myself, I know her, Alpha Clarissa is an excellent Alpha. She knows how to handle her pack with grace and stature. “I see, so the deal here is you, Anthony, Antonio or whatever your name is, you can only take my sister to your pack once she's graduated nursing school and you're ready to take care of her.”

“Santiago!” Rachael gasps, her outburst drawing more attention to the table.

“No babe, I agree with him. Sir, I'll marry her first then bring her home, to my house when I buy one, she deserves the best.”

“I like him,” I grin, turning to Rachael.

I honestly do like the kid, how scared he is of me is another reason I like him but I like him because I think she'll be okay with him, she's safe with him. “Order for me, I'll be back in a few minutes.” I tell her, using my hand on her mate's shoulder to stand, the sound of a bone cracking audible when I press hard on it.

I know he'll treat her right, but just in case he doesn't, that bone cracking gave him an idea on exactly what I'll do to him if he ever makes her cry.

“Where are you going?” Rachael frowns, peering up at me.

“To the men's room, why do you want me to take Santonio with me?”

“Anthony,” she bites out.

My lips curve into a grin as I turn, my feet carrying me away from the table. I think I'll continue to screw up his name just to provoke a reaction out of my sister. My hand reaches into my pocket as I walk away, emerging with my phone. I swipe it open, immediately typing a message to Adrian to update him on the situation, ignoring his texts about Nicholson when I open our chat. I sneeze, there's that scent again, a sweet scent that I can't place with a memory just yet. But I know it, I've smelled it close, and the further I walk in the direction of the bathrooms the stronger it gets.

The scent is killing me, it's awakening something inside me I didn't know existed, the beat in my chest rises but I don't lose focus on the message I'm writing to Adrian. The more I try to dismiss the scent, the stronger it gets and more chills it fills me with. It's not until I hear Ryker howl in excitement that I discern what's going on, what that scent is, where it's from, and why my body reacted to it like it did.

She's here, she's really here. Pressing send on the unfinished text, my hand slides the phone back into my pocket where it took it from. My feet move with purpose, running in search of that scent, in search of her. My left is where the scent is stronger and so, I go that way. Running into two women who also seem to have been running and giggling, several keys dropped to the floor when I collided with one of them.

My hand rushly reaches for the keys, “I am so sorry, her...” I pause, all words lost when I meet the gaze of an angel.

I blink, she's here, I'm not imagining her, I'm sober as hell and I can see her now.

Staring at me with that fiery gaze, her lips twitching. It's her, I'm not dreaming, my baby love is right here, in midnight Saints, so close to me I could touch her, but I don't, I stand still, praying the beat of my heart is only that audible in my ears.

“Oh no,” she snarls, her hand snatching the keys from me. The light brush of our fingers makes my blood run hot. “Now what the fuck is your problem, if you can't see then get some fucking glass-”

“Smiley,” the other woman cuts her off. “Come on, let's go.”

She doesn't respond, she shakes her head, turning to me with a frantic expression which falls when our eyes lock, time stops for a second, my gaze staring deep into hers, as if searching for her soul.

She has those blank eyes, unreadable like Tiana, Camilla's friend and I is desperately want to read the. Her gaze is like a foreign language, one that I can't speak but will give my life to learn about right now. My hand reaches out to her, but tanks on plain air, I shake my head, only to be faced with her standing about fifteen feet away with the other girls and a few other people, her gaze still locked onto mine.

One of the men she is with seems to be yelling at her but she doesn't respond to him, instead the other girl she was with is something out of turn to him. I wonder if she too, like me, can't hear anything around me. It's all faded to nothing but my heartbeat racing in my chest as well as my heavy breathing. I feel like I've been running for hours.

The same man one yelling at her comes to her side, slanting his head with his hand waving in her face. She's quick to slap his hand away and deliver a punch right on his nose, her hands pushing at his chest and then, she disappears into the hallway. Only then do I recollect myself as well as my senses.

“Fuck Santiago,” I curse underneath my breath. My hand wiping my face real quick.

Using the newly found strength to run after her, the one I didn't have a second ago but, I'm out of luck, my baby love is nowhere to be seen. My one functioning brain cell at this point is working overtime, approaching the man she punched. I reach into my pocket for a handkerchief.

“Hey, are you okay?” I ask, offering it to him. Having the decency to be kind before I use him to fulfil my own endeavour.

“Thanks,” he retorts, standing straight upright. I stand a foot taller above him.

“No sweat, that girl,” I gestured to the direction she left. “Do you know her?”

“Who, Smiley?” The girl beside him asks, I nod in response and she nods too. “He does, she's his crazy ass spoiled cousin, did she do something?...”

Cousin? They're family, he probably lives with her, he knows her.

“She didn't do anything, I simply wanted to talk to her.” I informed her. A lie, she did something, their Smiley and my baby love did something unheard of in Midnight Saints, she stole the Beta's heart.

The girl giggles, “To be honest, you don't stand a chance with Miss world, she's too good for everyone but herself, and that minion of hers.”

My baby loves's cousin sniffs, looking down at the girl. “Shut up don't you know who you're blabbing to?,” he asks her, his gaze turning to me. “Sorry Beta, Smiley is in town for some family matter, my girlfriend is having a pool party tomorrow you should come, Smiley will be there.”

“Of course, where is it?”

“Fanerin, we rented it for the entire weekend.” he says, holding the nosebleed up. She seems to have done a number on her cousin, his nose must be broken judging by the excessive bleeding.

“Thanks, I'll see you tomorrow then...” I pause, waiting to recollect his name but he never told me.

“Raymond,” he sniffs instantly. “And this is my girlfriend Tara and I'm so honored to meet you Beta, I'm a huge fan.”

“Nice meeting you too Raymond,” I grin. “Sorry about the whole...” I trail off, my hand gesturing to my nose.

Raymond laughs, “No worries, Smiley is a little unruly, always has been.” he says, shrugging like it's not a rare occurrence between him and his cousin.

I nod, making a mental note, "Don't get punched by baby love."