Chapter 42

(Santiago’s POV)

The door to my study flies open. There stands Isabella with a flushed expression and wide eyes.

Layla sits to my left, droning on about goddess knows what.

I lock eyes with Bella. Her frazzled state is palpable with shaking hands and unshed tears brimming up on her eyelids.

Without looking away from Bella’s gaze, I say to Layla, “Go now.”

She grabs my arm. “Santiago! She is so rude, storming in here!”

“I said leave.” I return using my Alpha tone.

She sighs and leaves.

I stand up and walk to Bella, invite her in, then close and lock the door behind her. “What’s wrong, Bella?”

She begins pacing. Her hair is piled high on her head in a messy bun that bops up and down with every movement she makes. I try to focus my gaze on her beautiful face, but her tight body strutting up and down the space of my study in her leggings and crop top, with a lacy blue bra, is playing peekaboo, making it almost impossible.

“You’re not going to believe this!” she says, shaking her head.

Not knowing what to do to pull her out of her thoughts long enough to find out what happened, I gather her up in my arms. I expect her to push me away, but she doesn’t.

Instead, her body goes from rigid to relaxed, and she buries her face in my chest for a couple of heartbeats.

What is this feeling, I think to myself.

“Connection, ya idiot,” my wolf says. “She’s our mate, and you soothed her. Now find out what’s wrong and who caused it so we can go rip their throat out.”

She looks up at me and pulls back. “I’ve been waiting on a response from the council. It’s been hell and well, Ariana knows someone in the court and…”

“And what?”

She sighs, “It looks like all that evidence I submitted has been tampered with.”

“Tampered with?” I ask with a raised eyebrow. “How?”

“Ariana said it looks like I am the one who cheated and framed Jesse and Layla.”

A stabbing pain penetrates my heart when she looks up and stares into my eyes.

Her eyelids have no more room for tears. They stream down her cheeks.

She shakes her head. “I didn’t cheat, Santiago. I would never betray my mate.”

I nod. “I believe you, Bella. Don’t worry. We will set the record straight.”

I take her hand and lead her out to the courtyard.

“Where are we going?”

“The council office.”

“To rip out their throats.” My wolf says in my mind.

“Calm down,” I tell him.

When we arrive at the Elder’s Council office, I don’t bother to knock. The she-wolf who keeps records is the only one present.

Her eyes widen, and she freezes. “Hi…um, can I help you with something?”

I use my Alpha voice, forcing her to break eye contact and bow her head. “Yes, I want to see the evidence in the Costa and Hansen case.”

“I’m sorry Alpha, but I can’t do that. All evidence once submitted is classified and must be kept confidential until trial.”

I walk over to her. She’s nearly half my height. “Amber, your bosses are screwing over another Alpha,” I say, gesturing to Isabella. “She has a right to a fair trial. We have reason to believe that her evidence has been tampered with.”

She looks up at me and into my eyes, then turns and looks at Bella, then walks to the filing cabinet. The young she-wolf cracks open a drawer. “I really shouldn’t be doing this…”

I growl.

She jumps.

Bella steps in front of me. She uses her Alpha voice, yet somehow, she makes herself sound both assertive and motherly toward the girl. “Amber, we won’t out you as our source to the council. But I know you know they are corrupt. They are railroading me and setting a precedent for the future treatment of she-wolves going through divorce.”

Amber hands Bella her file. “Only one is corrupt Alphas. Unfortunately, he is the oldest and in charge.”

We nod.

I follow Bella’s lead with the girl, intentionally softening my tone and using her name. “Amber, we will assess the validity of the proof and replace the file without your boss knowing you helped us. You have my word on that.”

She cocks her head to the side. “Thank you, Alpha Santiago.”

Isabella flips through the file with eyes wide as saucers. The evidence has clearly been tampered with in favor of Jesse. She puts her face in her hands, shaking her head vehemently. “It makes me look like the guilty one.”

“Amber,” I say, holding up the bullshit incarnate.

“Yes, Alpha?”

“Shred these…now.”

She hesitates but does as instructed.

“Santiago,” Isabella starts.

I pull out alternative documentation and place it in the folder for Isabella to read over.

Her brows furrow in quiet contemplation. “This…outlines the evidence I submitted?”

“Yes, and it states that the official evidence will be submitted at trial to the judge by your attorney and that our private investigator is prepared to testify.”

“But I don’t have an attorney,” she says.

“Yes, you do. I’ve made arrangements with my pack’s attorney to represent you. She’s the best at what she does, and she believes you.”

Tears fill her eyes, and she nods.

“Come on, I tell her. We need to leave before any of the council members arrive. We definitely want to keep our element of surprise.”

I tell Isabella to go on ahead to the car, and to my surprise she does without fighting me on it. I turn to Amber. “Bella believes you are kind. I’m not so naïve. If you breathe a word of our visit to Elias or anyone else, or my girl gets hurt any deeper than she already has been, I’ll pay you a visit personally…do you understand?”

Her voice shakes as she nods. “Yes, Alpha,” she says lowering her eyes to the floor and bowing her head.

(Isabella’s POV)

My phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, but I’m glad I answer it. It’s my new attorney. She tells me that Santiago used his status as Alpha to apply pressure on the Elder’s Council and that, combined with the evidence we have, my appeal trial is able to proceed after all.

I call Ariana and ask her to meet me to go shopping. I want to buy Santiago a gift to thank him for helping me.

We meet at the mall and wander around looking at all the possibilities. I look at some knives, lighters, and cologne in the men’s section, when Ariana struts around the corner, making me realize she had wandered off.

She holds up a babydoll-style dark blue silk chemise and wiggles her eyebrows. “This is the gift to give…that should make him want to accept your appreciation over and over again.”

I feel my cheeks flush. “Um, no…that’s a little too intimate,” I say, taking it from her. The silk is cool to the touch and smooth, soft. It has a plunging deep V-neckline made of sheer black lace. The same lace runs the short hemline, including a high slit.

I decide to go with a small bottle of bourbon and head home.

It’s late, but I see the light on in Santiago’s study. I stand outside the door about to knock, and hesitate.

Before I can knock the door opens. Before me stands a Greek god with icy blue eyes that widen in slight surprise to see me.

I clear my throat. “The court called today. And my appeal trial is scheduled. I wanted to thank you, so I got you a little something.” I hand him a wrapped gift box.

He steps aside, inviting me in. “This is very nice, Bella. But you didn’t need to get me anything.”

I wave dismissively. “It's just a little something.”

He opens it and his eyes go wide as he pulls out the dark blue chemise from the store.

My cheeks heat immediately. “There’s been a mistake. That was supposed to be a bottle of bourbon.”

He cocks his head as he holds the nightgown out and looks at me with darkening eyes.

I lunge to grab it and he pulls it back and raises it over his head.

My lips brush across his. He drops the chemise behind me, pulls me to his chest and kisses me.

When I pull back, he runs the back of his cupped hand down my cheek with a softness in his eyes that I’ve never seen before.

I clear my throat. “Listen, I know how important adherence to our contract is to you. I am deeply sorry about this, Santiago. I assure you; this was accidental. I promise to find a more suitable gift.