Chapter Twelve
E l ijah placed a hand on his arm. The male had no idea how much his touch affected Mathias. The embrace alone had helped ground him from the brutality of today. It hadn’t been something Matias had wanted to do but necessary in his world.
If he’d allowed those hyenas to walk away, they would have seen him as weak and would’ve grown even bolder.
A shifter’s life wasn’t easy, their rules different from the human world. Betrayals were met with executions. Enemies were put to ground before they could rise up and hurt the people you cared about most.
Truces were fragile, easily broken. Matias had to walk a fine line between justice and peace and didn’t always get it right, but he carried the weight of leadership with a deep sense of responsibility.
And sometimes, all he wanted was that one person who could settle the storm constantly brewing inside of him. Someone who was there for him, no matter what length he had to go to in order to protect his men and territory.
Someone who saw him, who accepted the monster and the man.
Elijah had given him the comfort he’d needed, no questions asked. Had stepped into Matias’s arms in the kitchen with zero hesitation, anchoring him. Had given himself over, trusting Matias not to hurt him, and allowed Matias to claim him. To bind their souls as one.
“I don’t need you to handle this, Matias. I need to be a part of it. Percy would do no less for me. Please.”
He gazed up at Matias, those pleading blue eyes a gut punch.
He was pleading but not begging. He wasn’t weak. He wasn’t asking to be protected. He was asking to fight for someone he loved.
He was also asking for the exact same thing Santiago had asked for. Help. If Matias had dropped everything to be there for him, how could he deny Elijah doing the same for Percy?
He gave a single nod. “We ride.”
Relief flooded Elijah’s eyes. “Thank you.”
Cupping his cheek, Matias brushed his thumb over soft skin. “You stay next to me at all times, understood? No running off. Got it?”
It was about trust. Trust that his mate could handle himself. Trust that he wasn’t a liability but a necessity.
He’d found something special in Elijah, a rarity in his world. A shifter’s animal counterpart was extremely selective, only choosing a worthy mate. Matias’s wolf had seen something in Elijah, softness with enough tenacity to strike balance, compassion while standing his ground in spite of his fears.
Things Matias sorely needed in his life when he was surrounded by rough, aggressive wolf shifters all the time.
Matias wasn’t just a warrior. He was a man who desired balance. Elijah wasn’t just some fling or passing attraction. He was the missing piece Matias hadn’t realized he’d needed.
A gentleness he craved.
Elijah gave a sassy salute.
Matias growled softly, pulling him in for a kiss. It wasn’t soft but still gentle. Because Matias would always take great care with his little bunny.
He swept his tongue over Elijah’s lips, and his mate opened for him, tasting like everything Matias had ever hoped for and dreamed of.
The longer he kissed Elijah, the more he wanted him. If Matias didn’t pull away, he would carry Elijah to his bed to enjoy his sweet, tempting body.
Reluctantly, he eased back. “We still need to talk, conejito. ”
He wanted to make sure Elijah was dealing with being mated. Fuck. Him. Matias Salvador. Was mated to a beautiful, blue-eyed little bunny.
And Elijah would now be the most protected in the Salvador pack.
“Any talk you want,”
Elijah quickly agreed. He grabbed Matias’s hand, trying to pull him from the kitchen. Matias chuckled, allowing Elijah, but sobered when they entered the tavern, retrieving his hand and adjusting the sleeves of his jacket.
More of his pack was there, freed up from previous obligations. Matias never objected when his men had family matters they needed to take care of. Family always came first.
He and Elijah headed for the door, but Matias stopped long enough to say, “We don’t return until Percy is found. Whoever locates him immediately informs me.”
So his mate’s worries could be put to rest. Elijah cared deeply for his best friend, and Matias cared deeply for his bunny.
No one asked where to look. They didn’t need to. Every one of them had Percy’s scent since he’d spent time in Sin & Steel.
His entire pack had been in the tavern the night the two had wandered through the door like two little morsels of prey, untouched because of Santiago’s personal invitation.
Mostly untouched. Matias hadn’t been able to resist Elijah from the moment his eyes had landed on his bunny.
Under the hot sun, men took off in every direction, the sound of their hogs ripping through the quiet streets of Blackthorn.
Matias locked the place up then headed toward his ride—a sleek and formidable motorcycle that exuded raw power and rebellion. Its body, a deep crimson hue, glistened like a polished gem. It was adorned with intricate metalwork resembling flowing tendrils and a fierce, stylized wolf’s head on each side of the gas tank.
The glimmering chrome pipes curled like serpents, hiding a roaring engine that was always waiting to unleash its thunderous growl on the open road.
It wasn’t just a machine but a work of fucking art.
Elijah arched a brow as he looked it over. “A wolf motorcycle, really? A little on the nose, isn’t it?”
Matias stared incredulously at him, feeling deeply offended. “You just reduced this masterpiece to a pile of metal that lacks subtlety or—”
“I wasn’t saying it’s not a nice bike,”
Elijah argued. “It is. I was just stating the obvious.”
“The obvious has been stated.”
Matias waved his hand like he was shooing Elijah away. “You may walk your way to finding Percy.”
Only he’d said it in Spanish, knowing full well that would tick off his mate.
“You don’t have to be so damn touchy.”
Elijah narrowed his eyes. “I might not understand you, but I understand that tone, buster.”
He spun and started to walk away.
Matias snarled, pissed that Elijah would endanger himself by trying to find Percy on his own. “Get your ass back here, conejito!”
His mate turned and walked backward, slowly lifting his hands before flipping Matias off with both fingers.
Oh, hell no. The sheer audacity.
With a snarl, Matias went after him. Elijah’s brows shot up, then he spun and took off, triggering his wolf to chase.
Within seconds he’d curled his arms around his mate and lifted him off his feet, his wolf snarling to claim, to conquer every soft inch of their bunny once more.
Elijah threw his head back and laughed, his blue eyes sparkling in the sunlight, his cheeks a rush of blushing red. The natural joy was Matias’s undoing. What shattered his defenses completely.
And it was the moment Matias fell even harder for the human cradled in his arms. But Matias didn’t just claim the male. He surrendered to him. And Elijah probably didn’t even realize what just happened. Totally oblivious.
“ Eres tan impresionante como un amanecer y un ladrón de mi corazón, pequeno conejito. ”
You are as breathtaking as a sunrise, and a thief of my heart, little bunny.
Elijah cupped his jaw, smiling softly. “I like this tone a lot better.”
He scrunched his nose and slowly enunciated each word…horrendously. “ Un lobo gigante y malo. ”
A giant and bad wolf. Matias was pretty sure he was trying to say big, bad wolf. And his pronunciation? Tragic.
“Did I get it right?”
His mate looked so goddamn hopeful.
Matias rested his forehead against Elijah’s, gazing tenderly at him. Elijah hadn’t just laughed and run, he’d anchored Matias afterward. That’s why his wolf had chosen him .
“ Sí .”
Matias was so endeared by the effort that he would commit homicide if anyone so much as snickered at Elijah’s terrible Spanish.
Reluctantly, Matias set him on his feet when his phone began to ring.
It was Santiago.
He answered, switching to Spanish. “ Sí .”
“Giving you a heads-up that we’re on our way back,”
Santiago said. “No issues.”
Santiago had a very soft spot for Percy and would want to know what had happened. So Matias explained how the guy was missing and that he’d sent everyone to look for him.
The phone was quiet for a heartbeat, then Santiago snarled, “I’m on my way.”
He hung up.
If Percy wasn’t found, Santiago was about to rip Blackthorn apart.
Just as Matias tucked his phone away, it rang again. Tito.
“Yes?”
he snarled.
“We found him.”
* * * *
Elijah stepped into the dimly lit hospital room, his breath catching as he took in the sight before him. The steady beep of machines filled the quiet space, each one a stark reminder of how close Percy had come to something far worse.
His best friend lay motionless, a tangle of wires and tubes snaking around his too-still form. Skin too pale. Lips dry and cracked. Blond hair darkened and matted against his forehead, a far cry from its usual styled perfection.
The sight sent a sharp pang through Elijah’s chest. It was still unbelievable that Percy had somehow locked himself inside a shed. He was absentminded, na?ve, and a bit chaotic—sure—but he wasn’t stupid. He wasn’t reckless.
None of this made sense.
If he’d been trapped out there any longer in that suffocating heat…
Elijah squeezed his eyes shut, shoving the thought away before it could spiral. With quiet steps, he crossed the room, lowering himself into the chair beside the bed.
Gently, he reached for Percy’s hand, careful of the IV taped to the back of it. The warmth of his skin was a small reassurance.
“You scared the hell out of me,”
Elijah murmured, voice barely above a whisper.
His grip tightened. “I need you to wake up, Percy.”
A slight twitch against his palm made Elijah freeze.
Percy’s fingers stirred, his grip weak but there, a sluggish attempt at movement. His lips parted, dry and cracked, barely forming sound.
Elijah leaned in, heart pounding. “Percy?”
A faint whisper, barely audible. “One… of…”
His tongue darted out, as if he was trying to wet his lips.
“Take your time,”
Elijah said, gently squeezing Percy’s hand to let him know he was there. That he would always be there for him. Best friends until the end.
Which, thankfully, hadn’t been today.
“Matias’s… men.”
The words were strained, so soft Elijah almost thought he imagined them. But the way Percy’s eyelids fluttered, his brows faintly drawing together, told him he was still half trapped in whatever nightmare had led him to that damn shed.
Elijah sucked in a sharp breath.
“No,”
he whispered back, shaking his head slightly as if that could undo what he just heard. That wasn’t possible. Matias’s pack was loyal. Feral, dangerous, and rough around the edges, sure. But loyal to their alpha.
Why the hell would one of them betray him like this? It made no sense. Percy wasn’t leverage for anything. He had no ties to anyone outside of maybe Santiago, but even then, Elijah was pretty sure they hadn’t become mates.
His best friend would have told him.
Percy’s fingers went slack, his brief moment of consciousness slipping away as quickly as it had come. His breathing evened out, the machines taking over as the only sound in the room.
Elijah sat there, gripping Percy’s hand tighter as his mind spun.
What if he’d died out there?
What if the heat had claimed him before Tito had found him? Tears stung Elijah’s eyes at the thought of losing Percy. They’d been through so much together, a lifetime. He loved the man like his own brother.
And if one of Matias’s men had done this, Elijah wanted revenge. He wasn’t the vengeful type, but for Percy, he would make damn sure that whoever had done this would pay dearly.
Elijah stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. His gut churned, too much adrenaline, unease and rage spiking through his veins. He had to tell Matias.
Now.
His steps were quiet as he pushed into the hallway, eyes locking instantly onto Matias.
The man stood near the waiting area, arms crossed, his expression unreadable. But Elijah saw the tension in his shoulders, the way his pack stood around him like sentinels, as if they were awaiting orders.
Too many ears. Too many eyes watching him, watching the room.
Elijah swallowed hard, forcing himself to keep his movements casual as he stepped closer. When he was within reach, he gave Matias’s sleeve a small, insistent tug. Covert, so no one else saw what he’d just done.
It worked. Without a word, Matias turned his head slightly, light brown eyes sharpening before he followed Elijah down the hallway.
Once they rounded the corner, Elijah cast a quick glance around. No one else was there.
He exhaled then whispered, “Percy woke up for just a second.”
His throat felt tight, stomach flipping. “He said it was one of your men.”
An eerie stillness settled over Matias. Elijah had never seen someone go so utterly quiet before. Full body. Like a predator moments before it lunged.
The only sign of his fury was the slow, controlled breath he released through his nose. His gaze flicked from Elijah to the hallway.
“Elijah.”
His voice was pure danger. A blade sheathed in silk. “Are you certain?”
“I wouldn’t make this up.”
Not when Elijah knew the pack was Matias’s family, his identity. The men he relied on to have his back.
Matias closed his eyes for a single breath, gathering himself. When he opened them, his expression was carefully neutral, no longer a man barely containing his rage.
That didn’t fool Elijah. Matias was a weapon, and someone was about to feel the impact of it.
Without another word, he turned and strode back toward his men, his pace unhurried, his demeanor almost casual.
Not a single one of them knew death was circling.
Elijah followed behind, keeping an eye on him, barely noticing when the waiting room doors swung open.
The air shifted.
Santiago had arrived, Diablo right behind him.
The wolf walked in like he was barely keeping himself from going insane right then and there. He wasn’t panicked. No, he was something far worse.
Furious.
Nostrils flaring, eyes sharp and locked onto Matias, dark and full of something dangerous. “Which. Room?”
Matias jerked his chin toward the door Elijah had just come from. Without another word, Santiago stormed inside, the door closing quietly behind him.
Elijah watched then turned his attention back to Matias, unease twisting his gut. There were so many men in the pack. How the hell were they supposed to figure out who the traitor was?
Percy didn’t know their name. If he had, he would’ve mentioned it. Which meant he knew the man by sight. Elijah gazed up at Matias, feeling helpless.
Subtly, Matias shook his head, but Elijah had no idea what that meant. Leave it alone for now? He had no idea how to figure it out either? He couldn’t believe this was happening. Elijah desperately wanted to know.
“You men can head out,”
Matias suddenly said, leaning casually against the entrance of the waiting room, arms and ankles crossed. “It might be a while.”
They mumbled their well wishes, to Elijah or Matias, he wasn’t sure. Elijah still had no idea why Matias had shaken his head and was about to ask as soon as the men were gone.
“I have nothing to do, I can stick around.”
It was imperceptible, but Elijah caught the way Matias stiffened. “No problem,”
Matias replied, glancing away.
Elijah turned away as well, wondering what this meant. He wasn’t strategic like Matias. Something was going on, but Elijah couldn’t put the pieces together.
Why would Matias stiffen just because Tito had volunteered to stick around?
Matias slipped his phone from his pocket, texting something while Elijah stood there confused as hell. Diablo was by the nurses' station, but Elijah could tell he was paying attention.
To what?
Slowly, the door to Percy’s room opened. Santiago stepped out, glancing toward Diablo. “Ready to head out?”
Diablo glanced from Matias to Santiago. “Yeah. It’s been a long day.”
“I think we should head back too,”
Matias said to Elijah. Then he turned to Tito. “Mind keeping an eye on Percy’s room tonight?”
With a casual shrug, Tito replied, “Like I said, I have nothing better to do.”
Trusting Matias, Elijah followed him, although he hadn’t wanted to leave Percy. Not yet. He still wanted to sit with his best friend, be there when he fully woke up.
When they reached the elevators, Matias took Elijah’s hand and slipped into the hallway beside it but not before he hit the “down” button.
Elijah’s eyes rounded when he saw Diablo and Santiago in the same small hallway.
“What’s going on?”
Santiago asked, brows deeply furrowed. “Why was I pulled away from Percy’s room?”
“It’s a setup.”
Diablo studied Matias, understanding in his eyes. “Percy didn’t accidently lock himself in that shed.”
“I knew he didn’t!”
Elijah seethed. “It made no sense.”
Santiago tilted his head in a slow motion, eyes narrowed, voice low. “Who found Percy?”
The realization finally sank in. Elijah’s mouth dropped open slightly. “Tito,”
he whispered. The same man they’d just left outside of Percy’s room.
The same man Elijah had vehemently defended.
Matias started from the hallway, Santiago and Diablo following. Elijah hurried behind them, his mind racing. He didn’t recall Percy being there when he’d bandaged Diablo.
The tavern, when Matias had left Tito in charge of watching over Elijah and Percy.
“I can be drunk and highly functional at the same time.”
Then he’d finished whatever he was saying in Spanish.
“Matias?”
Elijah touched his arm, and Matias stopped. So had Santiago and Diablo. All three were glaring at him, an intimidating sight, but Elijah knew it wasn’t aimed at him.
“What does ow demo stray—”
Elijah racked his brain to remember what Tito had said. He’d repeated it in his mind a few times when Tito had uttered the words, telling himself he would use the translator on his phone to find out what it meant. “Quindo are reba stay…”
Elijah ground his teeth, desperate to remember.
“I proved it when I snatched…”
Diablo translated. “Go on.”
“I’m trying,”
Elijah argued. “He’d said it so fast.”
He squinted, like he could squish the thought out of his head. “S, ice cream. No.”
Elijah shook his head. “I used word association. Ice cream. Oh yeah. Dulce.
“That candy?”
Diablo frowned.
“What?”
Elijah wrinkled his nose. “He proved something when he snatched some candy?”
“Do you recall any other words?”
Matias cupped Elijah’s jaw, smiling softly at him. “What was going on when he said that?”
For just a second, Elijah became lost in Matias’s pretty eyes. The touch grounded him, helping to bring the moment into sharp clarity.
“He was drunk and told me to stop nagging him.”
The word surfaced. “Bo cabo…camo…”
“Bocado?”
Matias asked.
“Yes! S dulce bocado .
“ Lo demostré cuando arrebaté ese dulce bocado . Is that what he said? Diablo asked.
“Exactly what he said,”
Elijah replied, proud of himself for remembering. “What does it mean?”
“I proved it when I snatched that sweet morsel,”
Santiago snarled.
“I can be drunk and highly functional at the same time. I proved it when I snatched that sweet morsel,”
Elijah murmured. “Oh my god! He was mocking me to my face, and I didn’t catch it.”
He felt like he was going to be sick. Tito had known where Percy was the entire time, even when Elijah was going out of his mind with worry.
Tito had been bagging, only Elijah hadn’t known because he didn’t speak Spanish. He was going to learn the language if it was the last thing he did. “Tell me you’re going to make him pay.”
Matias let out a low, guttural snarl. “His mistake wasn’t crossing me. It was thinking he’d survive it.”