t w e n t y - s i x
l o s - c a m b i a d o r e s
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dedicated to majesticunitato

new chapters! please leave a comment if you're enjoying it!

WARNING: a little bit of mature content towards the end - you've been warned ;) xx

WHEN ERETRIA SANTIAGO-LUNATI was three years old, she received her first tattoo. It was insignificant, the tiny cross no large than a five-cent coin, placed at the base of her neck on her back, where it could effortlessly be covered up. To a stranger, the ink was merely what it appeared to be - ink. But to Tia, it symbolised something much more important than a cross inscribed on her skin. To Tia, it was the mark of her pack, the Cambiadores.

Otherwise translated as the Shifter pack, Eretria was part of a long line of wolves who could shift, and unlike many other male wolves, control their animal side, even during the full moon. The pack members were said to be a direct descendant of one of the first werewolves, but Tia believed it was a myth. Being able to shift had always been a curse to females, with alphas willing to pay, or even force themselves on a shifting female so that they could raise strong offspring. The most notable alpha of which, was Jasper.

Despite having his own mate, Jasper spent four-hundred and twenty two days searching for the Cambiadores before finally locating them in Southern Mexico. Eretria distinctly remembered the day when she was four years old, when a pale man with slicked back ebony hair walked up to her alpha with his own pack in tow. He had worn a leather jacket, with the cigarette in his mouth pluming grey smoke into the summer air. She had taken one glance at him, and run to her mother in fear.

Jasper had ordered the alpha to surrender his unmated females - not for his sake, but for profit; to be sold off and used as negotiating chips. Everyone knew the high demand for shifting females in America; knew what would happen as soon as they offered up their souls.

When Eretria's alpha refused, Jasper burnt the whole village to the ground, killing every man, woman, child, and werewolf alike. At the end of his massacre, Jasper found a little girl crying over the corpse of her deceased Aunt, with her mother and father lost in the depths of the battle. He had torn her from the limp corpse, and smiled at the child whose hands were too stained, and eyes were too wet.

"Shh," he had soothed, his whisper cutting through the chorus of spitting fire and screams like a knife. "You're safe now."

Being a child, Eretria had believed the lie. She grew up missing her parents, engulfing the lies that Jasper had fed her like a hungry animal. It wasn't until Jasper announced that she would be marrying an alpha she had never met after her eighteenth birthday that her mind conjured the dark truth she had been neglecting for years.

And it was the only reason Jared had been so hell-bound to get his hands on her.

So, Tia had learnt to lie. After three years of practice, even Colton was unable to tell when his best friend was speaking the truth or spewing lies. But it was only because Tia knew that if any alpha, or male wolf, were to know that she could shift, it would ruin her chances of finding a mate that truly loved her. She was just a toy; a means to an end. Someone to produce a strong bloodline.

And so she hid the truth, even from Connor. Because all that the truth did was bluster secrets and infiltrate innocence.

Tia knew just how heated her infernal stare was as she held eye contact with the bound werewolf, refusing to blink as her fists tightened. Jared - like so many other wolves - had been fed the myth that female wolves were a certain form of priceless treasure – even when over a tenth of the population of females were able to shift. Eretria knew there was nothing special about her, except, perhaps her larger bust.

"You had no right to say that!" Tia yelled, slamming a fist down on the table. The wood cracked beneath her hand, and splinters fell away as one of the table legs completely collapsed on itself. The woman felt invincible showing her true power, yet afraid that Connor would see a monster. And although Colton knew about Tia's secret, he jumped as half of the wooden table crashed to the floor.

Jared waved his fingers in his constraints. He was unaffected by the reverberating noise, which only made Tia grow angrier. "What, sweetheart? Not my secret to tell?"

"No," Tia spat, striding over to Jared with her claws already elongated. All thoughts of letting him live to help had grown into the need to have his head rolling across the ground. "It wasn't."

Tia raised her hand, only for Ethan to catch hold of it and twist it behind her back until her shoulder clicked out of place. The woman howled in pain, which further intensified as Ethan pressed her face onto the grainy wood. It felt like sandpaper beneath her scratched cheek, and as she gazed up, all of the vampires had their eyes on her. But Tia wasn't interested in the vampires, she was interested in him. The only man she had ever had true feelings for. And the way he was looking at her sent daggers though every cell in her body, crushing her soul into a million irreparable secrets.

Eretria attempted to struggle out of Ethan's grip, but when he didn't move she decided to dig her claws into his flesh instead. Ethan hissed, but didn't let go.

"Get off me, dickhead," Tia grunted. Ethan twisted her arm further, causing Tia to scream as the room stood and watched them silently.

"Tia, I hate to say this, but everyone's right," Ethan groaned, pulling his sister from the table and yanking her arm once more. "We need him."

"Yeah," The woman said through gritted teeth. "We need him dead."

Ethan began to hurt the she-wolf further, but Connor ran forward and pushed him off Tia before he could inflict further pain. The alpha stood in front of the man with greasy slicked-back hair and crystal blue irises that sent a shiver down Tia's spine, protecting his woman.

"She can't kill him," Ethan harrowed, narrowing his eyes at Connor.

"And you don't have the right to hurt her like that. No wonder she hates you," Connor retorted without a pause. His hand wrapped around Tia's, who let out a surprised sigh as his soft skin caressed her shaking fingers. Eretria didn't know how to feel, but her heart beat sped up until it was thumping twice as fast. Ethan had always hurt her when she stepped out of line, and she had put up with broken bones and bruised limbs, but no one had ever stood up for her.

Connor tugged at the Mexican's wrist, her gaze burning a hole in Ethan's figure, before diverting to Jared's smirking face. "Come on, Ti."

Tia didn't have time to argue or protest as Connor hauled her away from Jared, and the brother who had replaced her own deceased one. The alpha clenched his jaw every five seconds as they exited the kitchen, bidding the vampires and Colton none of their attention. Tia didn't attempt to pull away, and let Connor lead her up the stairs, climbing the two flights to her room.

"Connor," Tia sighed to break the ice between them, but his cobalt eyes were set straight ahead as he opened the door for the woman, and pulled her inside. As soon as the door slammed shut, his lips were on hers; hands winding up the small of her back until they found their way under her bloody garments. Shocked down to her bones, Eretria's breath shook as she kept kissing, wanting more. Yet his silence had driven a wedge between them, and Tia restrained herself from kissing Connor further, pushing him away.

"About me-"

"I don't care," Connor pressed, leaning forwards to kiss the woman once again, but Tia only lent away.

Tia crossed her arms over her chest, obscuring her cleavage before Connor had any other ideas. They had to talk, and although Eretria had wanted to tell Connor in her own time, she no longer had a choice.

"I'm being serious, Connor," She stated, gazing up at the taller man through her make-up coated lashes. "I wanted to tell you, about being a Cambiador and being able to shift, but because of my ability, I've only ever been treated like a possession by men. And if I told you, I was afraid that you would too."

Connor's fingers raked up Tia's arm, and she gave in as he pulled her hands around his back. His eyes didn't wander from her own brown orbs, taking in the woman's beautiful face as her lips fell open, and her cheeks grew to a rosy shade of pink.

"Tia, you had every right not to tell me," he whispered, fiddling with the strand of Tia's black hair tickling his arm. "I understand, ok? I get it. Alphas want shifting females; they don't care about love or feelings. But I will always like you no matter what, Ti. You're beautiful, inside and out, and you mean more to me than anyone else ever has."

Tia couldn't recall the last time she had cried so openly in someone else's presence, but she couldn't prevent her eyes from welling up as their smudged her mascara. "Oh God, stop being all soppy."

Connor chuckled as he placed both palms under Tia's chin and wiped away her first tear with his thumb so gently she could barely feel his presence against her skin. "Why would I do that? And Eretria, baby, I mean it. You're incredible."

"Baby does not sound right coming from you," The woman laughed as Connor wiped away two more tears. Her shoulders shook slightly as she brushed his hands away, unable to remember another time she had felt as connected to another person. "And no, I'm a dick. I was so rude to you when we first met. I pushed you away, and I was so bitter when you tried to help me with everything. I never said thank you, and I'm so fucking grateful for everything you've done, Connor."

The male's strong arms bulged as they raked up Tia's back, pulling at her shirt. Instead, she took the hem in her hands and threw the garment over her head. She didn't mind when she caught Connor's eyes wandering over her chest, stepping closer to pull his lips to hers. Connor's hands worked quickly, tearing off his shorts as his chest pushed against Tia's body. Her hands moved to the man's abs, mapping his body confidently as his tongue slid into her mouth.

"Also," Tia abruptly broke off the kiss, panting. "I'm not having sex when we're both covered in blood."

Connor's lips jerked up at the sides, nodding in agreement, but Tia raised her hand once more as soon as Connor reached to take off her bra.

"And, I'm not losing my virginity in a shower."

The man chuckled once more as a response, taking in Tia's figure as she stepped back and slide out of her ripped leggings. Blood crusted at her knees, and a large scar was still healing on the she-wolf's calf from the fight earlier. Although her dizziness had subsided, Tia felt a rush of euphoria as she pulled the borrowed sports bra over her head. Other men had seen her breasts, but Connor was different. Once the initial sense of euphoria rushed over her, Tia felt nervous. It was foreign to her, as Connor's eyes hungrily raked over her exposed body.

After a moment of silence, and listening to the air rush against the building outside, Connor paced forwards, slamming his lips to hers. The kiss was hungry and passionate, causing Tia to forget every single doubt she had had. Connor clicked open the door to Tia's bathroom, and stumbled into the shower as they turned the water on.

Expecting boiling water to scald her skin, Tia jumped as icy droplets landed on her body and entwined with her hair.

"Fuck," she groaned, shivering whilst Connor gave her an infuriatingly handsome smile.

"Thought you said you didn't want to lose your virginity in a shower."

Tia bit her lip, slapping Connor hard in the abs, a red mark appearing on his skin in the shape of her hand. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Connor muttered, lips moving against the Mexican's cheek. Tia raked her hands down her back, moaning as Connor's hand found her breast and squeezed gently.

"But," Tia bit her lip. She flipped her dark hair onto once shoulder, the soaked locks heavy under her hands. "I never said I couldn't do other things." The she-wolf winked at Connor seductively, pulling his boxers down before he kicked them out of the square shower.

"What're you doing?"

"Let's just say my knees are going to hurt after this."

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;)) DON'T GET ME WRONG I LOVE THEM BUT I FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE WRITING SCENES LIKE THIS SO I HOPE IT WAS ALRIGHT <333

what does everyone make of Tia's backstory? and who's excited for Colton to find love (which may or may not be happening in the next chapter hehe ;) )

hope you all enjoyed! next update will be soon, and thank you so much for sticking with me <33 I can't believe we've reached 174k reads!!

lotte xx