C10 MATEO

I glared at my watch, irked at Fidel for not arriving at the private party soon. My brother Hunter was out again, and his absence considerably worse in my mood. Since yesterday, it had been getting harder and harder for me to keep in control, especially after I snapped at Fidel and attacked him.

That has never happened before. I had never lost my control in that manner. Sure, I had bashed Fidel in the past more than a dozen times because he fucked up something important, but that has always been deliberate on my part. In all those situations, I was always in control. I always knew what I was doing, but last night's had planted some worry In my mind.

It was true that I hadn't been in my right mind for a while now, especially with my wolf pacing inside me and keeping me awake at night. I couldn't help but watch the people around me in disdain. They were enjoying in tonight, but me? I was miserable.

Partying wasn't my thing. Hunter was more into such things, but me? I loved working hard, kicking ass and always ensuring I was ten steps ahead of everyone. That was where I derived most of my fun, and while I try I to remind myself that this was all a work thing, especially this party I still felt irked by everything around me.

Tonight, I drank more than I usually dis at parties. That was the only thing helping me calm my sensing to some extent so I could sit there without trying to kill anyone. I kept looking for Fidel again and again, Wondering where the fuck he was.

Was he fucking the girl he was supposed to bring tonight, if so, then I'd need to give me more shit for wasting my time. Instead of sitting there and waiting I could've productively used my time to go out and do some independent investigation because, given how my men were treating this as a vacation, I knew I had to be the serious one to get things done.

I was already considering leaving the party and meeting some local contacts when I was informed of Fidel's arrival. Immediately, my wolf was alert and pacing as if something important was supposed to happen which worsened my mood. My wolf needed to be the last thing to trouble me in that situation but I guess I could never catch a break.

I left the private boot where I had been sucking most of the evening I had been drinking alone while watching people through the one-way glass. Although It was a good vantage point for observing people, I felt the need to step and take matters into my own hands.

"He's getting her loosened up. Giving him a couple of minutes," Rory told me, nodding towards the main bar. I was tempted to return my private boot, but I went to the bar instead and ordered a strong drink.

Even though I had been drinking for most of the evening, I was still annoyingly sober. I might as well have been drinking water all this while because me wolf's sudden over-activeness was making it harder for me to get drunk.

As soon as I sat at the bar, I looked around for Fidel. I didn't have to search for long; I found me instantly, occupying a table in a less-crowded corner of the room. But it wasn't Fidel who caught me attention.

No. It was the woman with him. As soon as I saw her, all my senses amplified. It felt like I was slowly stirring awake from an external slumber, like I was surfacing after being under water for my whole life, like all my senses has suddenly unlocked all the new sensations.

I watched the woman from afar, laughing with Fidel. I was too far from the table for her to notice me, but I couldn't find the strength or willpower to look away after seeing her.

She was breathtaking, life-altering, and wolf stirring. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest irrationally as I stared at her. The more I looked at her, the more I became perpetually aware of the emptiness inside me that had lingered under the surface for years, yet I had always Ignored it.

She made me feel like I had been a corpse all this time, but the sight of her had just breathed a new form of life force inside me. But I didn't like that she was with Fidel.

No, she should've been with me. Her whole attention should've been on me. She should've been with me. She was mine. That was decided in that instant. My chest vibrated with a growl as my wolf agreed with me.

She was ours. She was my mate. I have finally found the woman I wanted to mate, mark, knot, and breed. She was meant for me.

I straightened up and headed for Fidel's place without much thought. I need to be by her side, to talk to her, to know her name, to know everything about her, and having ant space between us already felt like torture.

I felt drown to her, like an invisible rope pulling me towards her. My legs moved faster. She straightened and snapped her head towards me when I was close enough for her to feel my presence. By then I was already at there table.

Her beautiful doe eyes widen as soon as she found me. When our eyes locked, I felt all the tension and annoyance drained out of my body until the only thing left was the aching need for her. I didn't know I had been craving her until I saw her.

I heard the chair scraping and footsteps hurrying away, but I couldn't care less. At that moment, all that mattered to me was her.

"Hello, mate," I greeted.