Viktor
I had a better plan. Sure, I'd fuck Mateo eventually, just not yet. I wanted him… no, I needed him to ache for me. To let that hunger simmer beneath his skin until it drove him half‑mad. I wanted him to know exactly what it feels like to want someone so desperately that it scorches, that it eats at you from the inside out.
"We're going to the club first," I said firmly. "And I'm driving."
Mateo raised an eyebrow but didn't argue. That was fine, I had no intention of explaining why just yet. The drive was quiet, the tension thick between us. No one daring to say a word, afraid of the other's reaction to it.
By the time we pushed through the throng of people inside the club, my senses were already on high alert. Bodies pressed against each other, lights flashing, music vibrating through every inch of the floor.
Through the crowd, I spotted Bella. She was swaying wildly, screaming along to "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd, a green cup clutched in her hand. Man… she was wasted.
"Bella!" I called over the music. She turned, blinking, her gaze landing on me. A smile began to form on her face, looking brighter with the light flickering on it.
"Hey!" she yelled back, not missing a beat as she kept dancing. Then her eyes darted to the hand Mateo and I were holding. "Are you two back together?"
My body stiffened. I hadn't realized we were holding hands, it must have been instinct, a habit I barely noticed. And her question… it caught me completely off guard, twisting something unexpected in my chest.
I gave her a smile, knowing it only worked because she was as high as a kite. Perhaps as light too.
She was far gone in her stupor. I muttered to Mateo, "I need to take care of Bella first. We'd finish this later." I said, pointing at his bulging dick.
Mateo scoffed, clearly annoyed, "that's the thing with you, Viktor. Everyone is important to you. So important that you even let them come before me." He poked his index finger on my chest, accusingly, and strode off toward the bar.
If I didn't know any better, I would think he was drunk as well.
My gaze returned to Bella, who lost her balance mid-spin, but I caught her by the arm just in time. "Are you okay?" Stupid question, but she was my best friend.
"Never been better, V!" she yelled, gripping the cup tighter. She lifted it for a sip, then realized it was empty and laughed hysterically, tossing it aside. "Where's a bottle of ale, when a girl needs one?" She clamored in her faint irish accent.
I rolled my eyes, holding her by the shoulders to get her attention. "Where's that boyfriend of yours? I can't find him anywhere," I asked, scanning the crowd of hundreds of sweaty bodies grinding and dancing.
She giggled, swaying even more. "Well… he was with me," she slurred, hips moving to the beat. "And then he zoomed off to god knows where?"
Sighing, I searched for someone to help her. A red-haired girl caught my eye, a girl I had often seen around her but barely knew. I turned to Bella who was now swaying her hips to the new song playing, "what's your red-haired girl's name?"
She rolled her eyes and followed my gaze to the girl who was now making her way towards us. "Madeline!" She yelled. "Her name is Madeline, Louis."
"Madeline!" I called. She looked up and grinned, approaching quickly.
"Can you keep an eye on Bella? I need to talk to Vince," I asked. Bella was already lost in her music, singing nonsense lyrics, completely oblivious.
"Yeah, sure," Madeline said, although she looked mildly disappointed. She took Bella by the arm and steadied her. Hero status unlocked.
"Thanks. I'll be right back," I shouted over the pounding music and pushed through the crowd toward Vince.
The night was chaotic, every scream, shout, and plastic cup blending into a single roar of music and celebration. I found Vince eventually and laughed at what he told me.
"Bella nearly killed me when I asked her to leave. Screaming, whining, saying she couldn't go home. I gave up, knew better than to fight her tonight," he said.
"Good. Don't hurt yourself," I replied, shaking my head.
"Relax," he said. "I'd promised I'd come back for her. Tantrums and all."
"How about you do that now? I have to look for someone."
He stared at me for a while, then nodded.
Satisfied, I left him to it and glanced around for Mateo, but he was gone. He'd left for a drink at the bar and never returned.
I stepped out of the club, needing fresh air. The dark, starless sky stretched above me, and the tall green trees of the nearby woods brushed the few gray clouds. Mateo's family had a summer house nearby, and I had a strong feeling I knew where he was headed.
The horny bastard was probably touching himself at the moment.
The forest swallowed me as I stepped inside. Darkness pressed in, almost blinding me, while the scents of earth and decaying leaves thickened the air. My senses sharpened; each snap of a branch, each crunch of leaves underfoot, rang loud in my ears.
I ran through the forest like a man possessed, relying on instinct more than sight. Every muscle tensed as the narrow path twisted around roots and fallen branches, until finally, lights appeared up ahead.
I was tempted to let my wolf out, but he was upset with Mateo for the way he had been treating us. I had no idea what my wolf was capable of, yet. I didn't intend to find out this night either.
Pushing open the door to the summer house, my heart began to calm. I felt safe, or at least as safe as I could with him nearby. I could sense him, that sweet scent of olive and musk then drove me mad with desire.
The scent that made my dick twitch even without seeing him. I have never felt that way for anyone, and I doubted I would ever feel that way for anyone who wasn't Mateo.
"Fuck!" I muttered, raking a finger through my hair.
How does one feel the urge to fuck and kill someone at the same time?
'I guess we'd have to find out then.' I told myself as my hand hovered on the door handle that led to the room his scent came from.
"You really did want me to come find you—-"
I paused as I opened the door, glaring at the sight unfolding before me. Naked, intertwined in each other's arms, was Mateo. And Madeline.
No. That couldn't be.
It took a few seconds for my mind to process what I was seeing. Mateo, my mate, was pressed against another girl, hands roaming over her breasts like his life depended on it.
I had just left Madeline with Bella, how was this possible?
The wolf inside me growled, red-hot and furious. The ache in my chest twisted into a raw, possessive fury. Every hurt he'd ever caused, every night he'd left me aching, all of it exploded at once.
I staggered back, lungs tightening, heart hammering like a drum solo gone wild. My mate, the man who belonged to me, was… fucking someone else.