Chapter Six
Jared lay panting, struggling to catch his breath. Once he could think clearly again, he propped himself up on his elbows, biting his lower lip.
Miguel was kneeling back, watching him with an intense reverence that shimmered in his deep blue eyes.
The hard outline in Miguel’s pants drew Jared’s attention. A slow smiled formed, his mouth watering to taste the man’s cock in his mouth.
Just as he reached for the snap of Miguel’s jeans, a powerful sensation surged through him. His cheetah yowled, trying to break free and claim Miguel as its mate.
Jared gasped as his eyebrows shot up, feeling his eyes glow at his cheetah’s determination.
“Miguel,”
he whispered, his voice a soft, breathy exhalation.
“My wolf did the same,”
he said, gently brushing his knuckles over Jared’s cheek. “He’s claimed you, mi elegido .”
“What does that mean?”
Jared asked, leaning into his touch.
“My chosen one,”
Miguel replied with a warm smile. “How do cheetahs say it?”
“My chosen one?”
Jared repeated.
Miguel nodded.
“ Il mio Prescelto .”
Jared felt a mixture of excitement and apprehension. Xavier was still pissed about Kia bonding with a wolf, and now Jared had to tell him he was about to do the same thing.
Shit. He would have to tell his parents too. His mom and dad were loving and supportive, but this? Mated to a wolf? Jared dropped back down to the couch, tossing an arm over his eyes.
“Hey, what’s wrong? Miguel lifted Jared’s arm, concern in his mate’s eyes. “Talk to me, kitten.”
His mate. Jared’s cheetah had chosen a mate. It still didn’t feel real to him, and Jared wondered if he could’ve been mistaken. But the feeling inside his chest, and the way his animal was acting, said it all.
“My parents,”
Jared said, entwining his fingers with Miguel’s. “I’m not sure how they’re going to take the news.”
His mate stretched out next to him, his hard cock pressed into Jared’s side. How could he calmly lay there with a hard-on? Jared turned to his side, facing Miguel.
“Do you want me to help you break the news?”
Miguel propped his head on his hand. “We could meet them somewhere neutral so we don’t have to get our alphas involved.”
Jared considered his offer. On the one hand, having Miguel there would be nice. His parents weren’t going to freak out in a public place.
Maybe.
On the other, Jared would rather them freak out without Miguel there, in case something slipped that could possibly hurt his mate’s feelings.
Jared frowned when Miguel’s eyes began to glow with amber fire, pupils narrowing to slits. His canines lengthened behind parted lips, gleaming in the dim light. Did the thought of meeting his parents upset his mate that much?
The change was mesmerizing and terrifying all at once.
Miguel’s relaxed posture hardened, muscles tensing, before he eased off the couch with fluid, silent grace that seemed impossible for someone his size.
“Why is your wolf trying to come out?”
Jared sat up, heart hammering. One moment they were intimate, and the next Miguel had transformed into something feral and dangerous. A silent predator ready to attack.
Miguel pressed a finger to his lips, then jerked his chin at the scattered clothes on the floor.
The message was clear. Get dressed.
Jared fumbled for his boxers, yanking them on with trembling fingers. His T-shirt caught around his neck as he rushed to pull it over his head, stifling a curse when his arm got trapped in the sleeve. His was inside out and backward, but there wasn’t time to fix it.
Miguel’s bare feet were silent on the hardwood when he eased toward the kitchen, back muscles taut and flexing.
What the fuck was going on? Jared scrambled to follow, jeans clutched in his hand, pulse racing. He slapped a hand over his mouth to stifle a curse when his toe caught on the edge of the coffee table. Pain shot through his foot, making him clench his teeth together.
God, that hurt!
A distinctive click echoed from the kitchen—metal against metal—followed by the slow, tortured creak of hinges.
He hopped on one leg, struggling into his pants. Every movement felt too loud in the sudden silence that had fallen over the house.
Even Psycho had gone quiet.
Miguel moved like liquid shadow, pressing his back against the wall separating the living room from the kitchen.
Who could be breaking in? Did his mate have enemies? Jared didn’t know anything about the Salvador pack or how they operated.
Jared had only known Miguel a week. That wasn’t long enough to get to know someone.
Yet your cheetah chose a wolf as its mate.
That said a lot about his animal’s wisdom.
His fingers curled into fists at his sides, nails digging half-moons into his palms.
A floorboard groaned under unfamiliar weight. Jared’s mouth went dry.
Miguel’s arm shot out. “Stay behind me,”
he breathed, the words barely a vibration in the air. His chest rose and fell in measured breaths, controlled despite the feral light in his eyes.
Something metallic tapped against the counter—soft, almost delicate. A hushed voice murmured something Jared couldn’t make out.
Another step. Then another. Glass clinked against something metal.
He gestured for Jared to stay put, then began to inch forward. The intruders were just on the other side, close enough that Jared could smell them—an unfamiliar scent, musky and foreign. Not wolf. Not cheetah.
Something else.
M iguel caught his eye and mouthed a single word. Hyenas.
The same creatures who’d attacked them on the road. Cold dread pooled in his stomach, but he forced himself to remain still.
Miguel’s fingers flexed, claws extending further. Jared’s fingertips tingled as his own claws emerged.
A hushed voice drifted from the kitchen. “Check the bedroom. I'll take the living room.”
Miguel’s eyes narrowed, his body coiling like a spring about to release.
Jared took a step back, causing the floorboard behind him to creak. The sound might as well have been a gunshot in the tense silence.
A dark figure lunged through the kitchen doorway. Miguel sprang forward, colliding with the intruder in a tangle of limbs and snarls. They crashed into the wall, going for blows as the other hyena headed straight for Jared.
The hyena lunged at him with terrifying speed, his face distorted in a savage grin.
Jared stumbled backward, crashing into the bookshelf with a bone-jarring thud. Books cascaded around him, their pages fluttering like panicked birds, hardcovers slamming against his shoulders with painful force.
Miguel and the other intruder crashed through the kitchen doorway, a tangle of snarls and flashing claws.
“Nowhere to run, kitty cat,”
the hyena hissed, his voice dripping with malice as he gripped what appeared to be a gun.
Jared wasn’t versed in firearms, but he’d seen enough movies to recognize that ominous, orange-feathered projectile.
A dart.
It was a tranquilizer gun.
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be,”
the hyena sneered, his thin lips curling back to reveal yellowed teeth. His face was lean and angular, with stubble scattered unevenly, as if his skin rejected the idea of a proper beard.
The way the hyena eyed him made Jared’s stomach churn with revulsion, as though he desired something far more sinister than merely subduing him.
I’d rather jackoff with a spiked glove.
Fueled by a surge of disgust, he launched himself at the hyena. They crashed into the coffee table, the wood exploding into shards and splinters.
They scrambled to their feet simultaneously, Jared’s arm slick with blood. A throbbing pain radiated through him, but Jared gritted his teeth and forced himself to push through it.
The gun lifted menacingly, finger coiled around the trigger. Jared’s hand shot out, seizing the hyena’s wrist, twisting with bone-cracking force. The gun discharged with a muted pop, dart embedding into the drywall inches from Jared’s head.
They wrestled for control, Jared’s fingers digging into tendons, the hyena’s grip iron-strong around the weapon. Hot breath assaulted Jared’s face, reeking of cigarettes and something chemical, acrid and nauseatingly wrong.
“Let go!”
the hyena snarled viciously, ramming a knee into Jared’s stomach.
Air exploded from his lungs. His vision blurred, but he held on with a desperation that gave him strength. Another dart waited in the chamber. One hit and he'd be down, defenseless.
Adrenaline surged like wildfire through Jared’s veins as the hyena lunged. No time for thought, only raw instinct. He snatched the nearest object—a ceramic lamp—and hurled it, forcing the attacker to duck.
Jared bolted for the hallway, bare feet slipping on the hardwood. Behind him, Miguel’s roar of pain sent ice through his veins. He wanted to turn back, to help his mate, but the hyena was already on his heels.
“Miguel!”
Jared called out, voice cracking.
A hand caught his ankle, yanking him down. His chin cracked against the floor, teeth snapping together with enough force to make his vision blur. The taste of copper flooded his mouth as the hyena flipped him onto his back, straddling his hips with crushing weight.
“Got you now,”
he panted, breath hot against Jared’s face. He just might pass out from the man’s rancid breath.
“What you need to get is a toothbrush,”
he snarled.
The tranquilizer gun pressed against Jared’s neck, cold metal digging into his skin.
He grabbed the hyena’s wrist once more, muscles straining as he fought to push the weapon away. His claws extended, drawing rivulets of blood.
“You’re making this difficult,”
the hyena spat, trying to overpower him with brute strength. “Just one little dart and you can sleep through all the messy parts.”
Their arms trembled between them, locked in deadly tension. Sweat beaded on Jared’s forehead as he fought to keep the barrel pointed away. The hyena’s free hand clamped around his throat, squeezing until black spots danced at the edges of his vision.
“You know what’s happening?”
The hyena’s face split into a cruel grin, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “Evolution, little kitty. Natural selection with a helping hand.”
He jerked his arm free, the gun swinging toward Jared’s chest. “Soon hyenas will be the only shifters left. We’ll own all the lands. Every territory from coast to coast. Your kind will be nothing but a memory.”
Jared bucked again, this time upending the guy. The hyena threw his arms out to stop from hitting the wall, giving Jared the opportunity to squirm from under him.
As soon as he was on his feet, so was the hyena.
“Fuck you.”
Jared’s fist crashed into the man’s face before the hyena could dodge the strike. The guy’s head snapped back, hitting the wall.
Holy shit! He’d actually landed the punch.
Spinning around, Jared took off, racing back toward Miguel. His heart nearly gave out when he saw his mate’s attacker aiming a tranquilizer gun at him. Without thinking, Jared jumped on the man’s back, burying his claws into the bastard’s neck.
Miguel was on his feet, driving his own claws into the other hyena’s gut with a fierce growl. He gripped the gun, aimed at the man’s throat, then fired.
The hyena who’d attacked his mate crumpled, making Jared jump off of him before he went down as well.
“Should’ve never underestimated me, asshole,”
Jared spat at the man who’d tried to tranq him.
Miguel yanked his hand free, the second hyena falling to the floor. A sob escaped as Jared turned, clinging to his mate.
“Did he shoot you?”
Miguel asked, arms wrapped tightly around Jared.
“No.”
He shook his head and pulled back, wiping at his eyes. “You?”
Miguel shook his head then pulled Jared back into his arms.
* * * *
Matias quietly entered through Miguel’s back door, his footsteps almost silent despite his size. Night air clung to his leather jacket as he entered the kitchen, nostrils flaring at the mingled scents—blood, sweat, fear, and something chemical that made his wolf bristle.
His eyes scanned the room, taking in the overturned chairs, scattered utensils, and a knife lodged in the wall.
Two hyenas lay motionless on the floor, one with a dart in his neck, the other with a gaping wound across his abdomen. Matias crouched beside the nearest hyena, examining the dart embedded in his neck. Identical to those used at the warehouse, those fired at Miguel and Diablo on the road. His fingers closed around the man’s jaw, turning his face toward the light.
Not one of the hyenas they’d catalogued. “What happened here?”
he asked Miguel, who stood by the entrance to the living room, one shoulder resting against the wall.
“Broke in through the back door,”
Miguel said, voice steady despite the adrenaline still evident in his eyes. “Two of them, armed with tranquilizer guns. They entered the wrong house, they met their deaths.”
Matias nodded. “Either of you get hit with a dart?”
“No.”
Anger tightened Miguel’s shoulders.
Diablo and Santiago entered, closing the door quietly behind them. “You good?”
Diablo asked.
“Yeah.”
Miguel ran a hand through his hair. “Didn’t like the fact my mate was here when these ass clowns broke in.”
The side of Diablo’s mouth curled upward. “Mate? Who’s the unlucky guy?”
Matias was glad to know Miguel’s wolf had chosen someone. The male deserved to be happy after all the bullshit he’d been through.
“That would be me.”
Jared stepped into the room, no shoes or socks on, while Miguel stood there shirtless. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was going on. Jared took one look at him and sidestepped, now half-hidden behind Miguel.
Just fucking great. As if Matias’s life wasn’t complicated enough. Now he had to deal with Xavier again. It was bad enough with Kia, Jared’s cousin. He’d spent over an hour on the phone with the alpha about the guy’s nephew.
Now another nephew? His pack needed to go ahead and put him out of his misery. One bullet to the fucking head. Problemed solved.
“No shit.”
Santiago chuckled. “Two pussycats in our pack now. Cesar is going to love hearing about this.”
Diablo snorted. “He’s gonna hide all the chicken wings.”
“I did not eat that many,”
Jared argued, glanced at Matias, and curled his lips in.
Careful to avoid the widening pool of blood, Matias followed the trail of destruction into the living room, which was in no better condition. The coffee table was shattered, books had fallen from the shelves, and a dart was stuck in the wall.
The cheetah’s scent, along with hyena, was prominent in this room. So was the smell of sex. Matias smirked.
“Sir?”
He turned at the sound of Jared. The cheetah glanced around the room, apprehension in his eyes, as if remembering what had gone down in there. “You fought back?”
Jared shrugged, hands behind his back. “It was my life or his.”
Pride swelled inside Matias. Miguel’s wolf had chosen well. “Good.”
A spark of surprise gleamed in Jared’s eyes. Matias didn’t have a problem if his wolves mated cheetahs. He knew the man didn’t decide. Their animal did. Try and tell that to Xavier. Matias thought he would have to shoot the bastard to calm him down after Kia. He just might have to bury Xavier when he found out about Jared.
“Does your alpha know you’re here?”
Behind Jared, Miguel watched the exchange. Wolves were very possessive and protective of their mates. If Matias misstepped with Jared, either of Miguel’s beasts could emerge.
“No.”
Jared rubbed his chin on his shoulder, his gaze seeking his mate’s. “My car broke down, so Miguel brought me here.”
Miguel smiled softly at Jared, a look of goofy-ass love in his dark blue eyes. Another bites the dust.
“Was there something you need to tell me?”
Matias glanced around the room, thoroughly impressed the small cheetah shifter had taken on a hyena.
“One of them said something to me, sir.”
Jared glanced at Matias before looking away. “He said it was evolution. Natural selection. Soon hyenas will be the only shifters left. They want all the territories.”
“Natural selection?”
Matias kept the growl out of his voice.
Jared nodded, his fingers fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “That's what he said before...”
His gaze drifted to a dark stain on the carpet.
“ Esto es más grande de lo que pensábamos ,”
Santiago said as he glanced over at Diablo.
“Since they can’t take land, they figured they’d wipe out the competition.”
Diablo rolled his shoulder, jaw clenched.
Matias needed to meet with the other alphas. Santiago was right. This was bigger than they thought. If the other alphas weren’t aware, Matias was about to ruin their day. “Miguel, secure your elegido at the tavern.”
They needed to find Rico Diego, the alpha of the hyenas, and put a bullet through his head.