Chapter Ten
Jared couldn’t stop grinning as they walked down the porch steps. His dad had actually laughed at Miguel’s jokes, his mom had pinched Miguel’s cheeks before they left, and most importantly, nobody had mentioned the word “wolf”
with any hint of disgust.
“Your face is gonna stick that way.”
Miguel twirled his keys around his finger as they headed down the concrete path lined with solar lights. The glow from the living room window cast long shadows across the manicured lawn, neat stripes left by his father’s meticulous mowing.
He turned to glance over his shoulder, catching the silhouette of his parents framed in the doorway.
His mom leaned into his dad’s side, her head resting on his shoulder, arms wrapped around his waist. For a moment, Jared felt a pang of something. Not quite sadness, not quite nostalgia. Just the strange sensation of a chapter ending, another beginning.
“Can you blame me?”
he asked when he turned back around. “My dad actually asked when you’re coming back.”
He bumped his shoulder against Miguel’s arm. “That’s basically a marriage proposal in dad-speak.”
Miguel snorted, the sound warm in the cooling evening air. “Your mom force-fed me three helpings of lasagna.”
“That’s how she shows love. Food and aggressive mothering.”
He watched as Miguel swung his leg over the motorcycle, the leather of his jacket creaking with the movement. “I think she’s already planning your next visit.”
“As long as there’s cake.”
Miguel patted the space behind him as the last streaks of sunset painted the sky in bands of fading purple and deep blue.
Jared climbed on, his body fitting perfectly against Miguel’s back, the position already familiar despite how new it was. His arms wrapped around his mate’s waist, fingertips grazing the warm strip of skin where Miguel’s shirt had ridden up.
He would never get enough of admiring his mate’s sexy body.
The engine roared to life beneath them, vibrating through both their bodies. Jared leaned forward, resting his chin on Miguel’s shoulder, close enough that his words wouldn’t get lost in the wind. “Did you really have a nice time?”
Miguel turned his head slightly, just enough for Jared to catch the quirk of his lips. “After my initial thought that your mom was luring me into a trap, yeah.”
“She would never do that.”
“Sure, kitten.”
“Think you know her that well?”
Jared arched a brow. “Already making a move on becoming her favorite, are you?”
“Says the guy who bit my neck less than twenty-four hours after we met.”
Jared’s face heated. “Technically, we met a week ago.”
“My mistake.”
Miguel chuckled. “A whole week. We’re practically an old married couple,”
he said as they pulled from the driveway.
While they cruised down the quiet suburban street, familiar sights slipped past—neighbors’ houses with lights glowing from within, cars parked neatly in driveways, kids’ toys scattered across lawns.
“I’m exhausted.”
Jared yawned as they stopped at a traffic light. “I’m gonna sleep like a log tonight.”
Miguel’s laugh rumbled through his chest. “Let’s get home first.”
Home. Jared liked the sound of that.
The light changed, and they accelerated again, the bike hugging the curves of the road leading back to Blackthorn. Miguel’s body telegraphed each movement before it happened so Jared could lean with him. He pressed his cheek against his mate’s back, feeling the steady thrum of his heartbeat beneath leather and cotton.
The town limits of Riverside faded behind them. Darkness gathered between the trees. Streetlights became sparse, then nonexistent, leaving only the motorcycle’s headlight to carve a path through the night. The breeze picked up, carrying with it scents of pine and earth, the open road connecting territories stretching before them.
He pressed close to Miguel, his arms wrapped tightly around his waist, fingers splayed against the rigid muscles of his abdomen. Stars dotted the velvet sky above, bright against the night.
Soon, Jared relaxed into the rhythm of the ride, the steady thrum of the engine beneath them, the solid warmth of Miguel against his chest.
Then it hit him. A prickle of awareness, though he didn’t know why. His cheetah stirred uneasily. Danger hummed in the air like an electric current, an unsettling sensation that made Jared’s nails dig into Miguel’s sides.
His mate must’ve felt his tension because he glanced over his shoulder. Jared squeezed Miguel’s side, hoping to convey the message that something was wrong.
A set of bright headlights appeared in the side mirror. Jared squinted, unable to make out whether it was a truck or SUV through the glare. Just a large, boxy shadow bearing down on them with alarming speed.
“Someone’s following us!”
he shouted against Miguel’s ear, the wind snatching at his words.
His mate’s head tilted slightly in acknowledgment, his body tensing beneath Jared’s hands. The motorcycle surged forward as he opened the throttle, engine roaring louder as they picked up speed.
The vehicle behind them accelerated too, riding so close Jared could feel the heat of its engine, and hear the growl of its motor competing with their bike.
“Too close,”
Jared yelled, heart hammering. During their visit, Miguel had told them how he’d gotten his scars. A motorcycle accident. This had to be a nightmare for him, knowing they were being pursued and could possibly wreck.
Please don’t let us wreck.
Without warning, Miguel twisted the throttle, the motorcycle lunging forward with a surge that yanked Jared’s breath right from his chest. Trees and road signs blurred into streaks of color as they sped along the curve of the road.
Yet the vehicle kept pace, its bumper nearly kissing their back tire. Jared risked another glance, catching glimpses of a dark truck, but its high beams were blinding.
Miguel leaned forward, his body angling lower over the handlebars. Jared mimicked his position, pressing himself tight against his mate’s back as they drove faster. Wind whipped past them, carrying with it the faint scent of exhaust and the acrid tang of Jared’s own fear. He turned his head slightly, eyes watering from the rush of air, trying to see how close the truck was. The headlights were two piercing beams, hurting his eyes.
Oh…shit!
Ahead, road signs flashed warnings of a particularly nasty bend. Yellow diamonds with black arrows curving like snakes. Jared’s breath stalled in his throat, every muscle tensed for a crash. Miguel must have realized the same thing. Instead of taking the risky turn at their current suicidal speed, Miguel slowed abruptly, veering off the road and into a field dotted with tall grasses that swayed like waves around them.
The truck skidded briefly across loose shale before regaining traction on the grassy terrain. Headlights bobbed and jolted across the uneven ground, but kept pace behind them as stones flew and pinged against metal.
Miguel cut the engine, letting momentum carry them several yards before stopping completely. The abrupt silence felt wrong after the roaring wind and engine. Only ragged breathing and distant crickets could be heard. Jared couldn’t even hear the truck anymore.
Doors slammed behind them in quick succession. Footsteps crunched through dry grass. That explained why Jared couldn’t hear it. Whoever was driving had stopped.
“Get off,”
Miguel’s tense voice commanded.
Jared slid from the seat on shaky legs, stumbling slightly as his feet hit solid ground.
“Stay behind me.”
Miguel placed himself between Jared and the approaching figures.
Three men emerged from the glare, their silhouettes morphing into familiar shapes as they approached. Not hyenas as Jared had feared.
Three cheetahs from his own coalition walked toward them with a predatory gait that made his stomach drop. They were young men he recognized, ones who’d voiced their displeasure when Kia’s cheetah had chosen a wolf as its mate.
Jared recognized Cameron, Doug, and Richard. Their faces were twisted with barely contained rage as they approached.
“Well, well,”
Cameron called out, his lip curled into a smirk. “Looks like we caught the mutt.”
Mutt? “What the fuck?”
Jared fisted his hands at his sides. “You could’ve killed us on that goddamn road!”
“We don’t appreciate wolves mating with cheetahs. And since Xavier won’t do anything about it…”
Cameron gave a lazy shrug.
A low, feral growl resonated from Miguel. “You really don’t want to fuck with me, boys.”
Doug jerked his head back, staring at Miguel with revulsion. “What happened to your face?”
“The same thing that’s going to happen to yours!”
Jared lunged for him, but strong hands curled around his waist, pulling him back. “You lousy son of a bitch! Does it make you feel like a big boy to talk shit about someone? How would you like it if I talk about your mom and how she—”
Miguel pressed a hand over Jared’s mouth.
Richard let out a whoop, laughing. “Jared’s grown some balls!”
“So did your mother!”
Jared shouted from behind his mate’s hand. He despised bullies, and these three were the biggest ones he knew.
“I’ll give you one last chance to get back in your truck and drive away,”
Miguel said calmly as Jared glared at them.
“Or what?”
Cameron tilted his head. “Gonna piss on my leg, doggie?”
Jared’s eyes widened when he felt the hand over his mouth sprout fur. Slowly, he turned his head, then gasped as Miguel began to shift.
But it wasn’t a wolf forming before his eyes.
Bones cracked with sickening pops as Miguel’s body contorted and expanded. His clothes strained against bulging muscles before seams gave way, the fabric tearing like paper. Jared stumbled backward, nearly tripping over the motorcycle as his mate’s transformation accelerated.
Miguel’s face elongated into a snout, his human features disappearing beneath thick, slate-gray fur that sprouted across his skin like fast-growing moss. His height shot upward until he towered over them all, massive and terrifying. Eight feet of pure predator stood where a man had been seconds before.
“Holy shit,”
Jared whispered, unable to look away.
Not wolf. Not human. Something ancient and primal that existed between worlds. Miguel’s lycanthrope form radiated raw power, muscles rippling beneath fur that caught the truck’s headlights, giving him an otherworldly glow. His shoulders spanned twice their normal width, yet still recognizably Miguel in the intelligent blue eyes that glowed with amber fire.
Despite his terror, Jared couldn’t deny the creature’s savage beauty. Every line of Miguel’s transformed body was deadly muscles, a perfect killing machine honed by evolution.
“You still feeling brave?”
Miguel’s voice emerged from the beast, deeper and rougher than before, yet unmistakably his. Rows of teeth gleamed when he spoke, each one designed to tear flesh from bone.
Jared’s jaw hit the ground, eyes widening. “You can flipping talk !”
Cameron’s face drained of color. His lips moved but no sound came out, his eyes bulging as he backed away. Doug stood frozen, terror clearly paralyzing him, while Richard’s legs gave out entirely, dropping him to his knees.
“I asked you a question.”
Miguel stepped forward, each footfall heavy enough to flatten the grass. “Are. You. Still. Brave?”
Cameron visibly trembled. “What the fuck are you?”
“Your worst nightmare if you don’t leave now.”
Miguel’s massive, clawed hand gestured toward their truck. “Last chance.”
Headlights cut through the darkness as another vehicle approached, momentarily blinding everyone. The motorcycle came to a stop before the engine cut off.
“Well, fuck me sideways,”
came Suero’s amused voice as he stepped into view. He took in the scene—the transformed Miguel, the terrified cheetahs, Jared standing wide-eyed beside the motorcycle—and his face split into a wicked grin. “Started the party without me?”
Kia appeared beside him, freezing mid-step when he caught sight of Miguel. His eyes widened to perfect circles, mouth dropping open as he clutched Suero’s arm.
“You never told me you could do that,”
he hissed at his mate.
Suero shrugged. “The subject never came up.”
Kia turned, staring incredulously at Suero. “Never came up? This isn’t something you conveniently forget to mention while passing dinner rolls across the table.”
“Can we deal with this later, carino ?”
Suero replied, sounding far too casual given the situation.
“Oh, we’re definitely dealing.”
Kia glanced back at Miguel.
Suero’s gaze flicked to Cameron and the others, a smirk spreading across his face at their obvious terror. “Problem, gentlemen?”
None of them answered. Cameron’s throat worked uselessly, Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to form words.
Miguel took another step toward them, claws flexing at his sides. “These three thought it would be fun to run us off the road.”
“Did they now?”
Suero’s voice hardened, all traces of humor gone.
Richard had already pushed to his feet and begun inching toward the truck, keys jangling in his trembling hand.
Doug took a hesitant step backward, feet tangling in the tall grass.
Cameron finally found his legs, scrambling backward without taking his eyes off Miguel’s towering form. “You’re all fucking dead when Xavier hears about this.”
Suero cupped his ear, tilting his head slightly. “I’m sorry. Do I hear a little bitch running his mouth?”
Cameron’s jaw clenched, eyes glowing, but wasn’t stupid enough to say anything.
“What exactly is your alpha gonna hear about?”
Suero took a few steps toward Cameron, arms crossed. “How you three assholes ran a motorcycle off the road? How you threatened my pack brother and his mate? Yeah, I'm sure he’ll love that story.”
He pulled out his phone. “As a matter of fact, let me call my alpha so he can play telephone and call yours about this little shindig I’m still pissed I wasn’t invited to. I cannot wait until Xavier learns you nearly killed his nephew.”
Cameron’s eyes cut toward Jared.
“I think he forgot that little fact,”
Kia said beside him, still unable to take his eyes off of Miguel.
“I’m so over this shit.”
Jared threw his hands up. “Every time I think things are going just fine, someone has to ruin my sense of safety.”
He glared at Camerion.
“This isn’t over,”
Cameron managed, voice cracking.
Miguel’s muzzle pulled back into what might have been a smile. Hell if Jared knew. “It can be, if you’re smart.”
Fuck giving Cameron multiple warnings. After fighting and killing that hyena, Jared was so over today. Twice now Miguel’s life had been threatened. And for the second time, Jared was putting an end to the threat.
“Screw playing telephone.”
He snatched his phone from his pocket and called his uncle.
“ Ciao ,”
Xavier said when he answered the phone. “I heard your visit with your parents went well, piccolo .”
Jared had no idea why his uncle still called him little one. He was also surprised his alpha was okay with Miguel being in Riverside. “Thanks, and yeah, it did. But I’m calling you about a serious issue.”
Cameron took a step forward, murder burning in his eyes. Miguel snarled, the deadly sound causing Cameron to ease back.
It seemed he wasn’t a complete idiot.
“What is it, Jared?”
Xavier’s voice filled with concern.
“On our way back to Blackthorn, this truck tried to run me and Miguel off the road.”
“Where are you!”
Xavier snarled, then asked in a softer tone, “Are you hurt, piccolo ?”
“Miguel’s expert driving skills saved us.”
Jared didn’t think he could love his mate any more than he did right now. “Apparently, Cameron, Doug, and Richard have an issue with wolves and cheetahs mating and decided to confront us about it.”
“Are they still there?”
his uncle asked in a deadly tone.
“Yes.”
“Put me on speaker, Jared,”
Xavier ground out.
He did as his uncle demanded. “You’re on speaker.”
“ Voi tre siete morti per me. Non fate più parte di questa coalizione. Avete esattamente un'ora per fare le valigie e lasciare la mia terra prima di essere giustiziati .”
The only time Xavier exploded in Italian was when he was beyond pissed off. “Could you repeat that in English?”
Jared asked politely. “They’re looking at each other with confusion.”
“You three are dead to me. You are no longer a part of this coalition. You have exactly one hour to pack your belongings and leave my land before you are executed.”
Suero smirked. “I think everyone understood that.”
“Suero?”
Xavier groaned. “ Sei una spina nel fianco della mia esistenza .”
The wolf scowled. “What did he say?”
Kia patted hsi arm. “I’ll tell you later.”
Jared doubted it. His cousin wouldnt tell Suero that Xavier said the guy was a pain to his existence.
“My enforcers are on their way,”
Xavier continued as if he hadn’t just insulted Suero. “Jared, ping me your location.”
“Just sent it. We’re heading home. Hopefully we don’t get run over, shot, or clawed up by a psycho cat before the night is over.”
He was so over today. Miguel might think he needed to protect Jared, but his wolf was his entire world, and he would do whatever he had to in order to keep his mate safe. Because Jared wanted to enjoy the ride that was their life together for many years to come.
* * * *
Miguel woke to cold sheets and too much silence.
His arm stretched out, hand brushing empty space where Jared had been curled up just hours ago. No warmth. No rustle. No smartass commentary about Miguel snoring.
He sat up, blinking against the bright light filtering through the blinds. The house was still. Too still. He swung his legs over the side of the bed, every muscle stiff from last night.
The floor creaked under his footsteps as he moved down the hallway.
Then he froze.
In the middle of the living room, sprawled on the floor like it owned the damn place, was a cheetah.
Not a threat. Only his mate in his cat form.
Just a lean, golden shape with wide amber eyes, tail flicking like a heartbeat.
Psycho inched forward, one slow paw at a time, ears alert, body low but not hostile. Her eyes stayed fixed on cheetah, even as she grew close enough to sniff it. Then, just like that, she flopped onto her side and rolled onto her back, exposing her belly.
Miguel leaned against the archway, arms crossed. He didn’t say a word.
Jared let out a low yowl like it was a victory cheer.
He shifted back into his human form, just skin where fur had been, legs tucked under him, dark hair a wild mess.
“You see?”
Jared whispered, eyes wide as he cradled the cat like she was made of glass. “I told you that you can trust me.”
He gently stroked Psycho’s fur, like this was the first honest approval he’d earned from her in weeks.
Miguel chuckled, making Jared’s head whipped around. He didn’t look guilty for being caught naked with a cat in his arms. Just smug.
“Told you,”
Jared said with a wink. “I knew she’d like me once she gave me a chance.”
Miguel watched him, still sitting there on the rug, grinning like a kid who’d just been handed proof that the world wasn’t as cruel as it pretended to be.
He thought about the cheetah who’d driven to Blackthorn with a single purpose in mind. The same one who’d gotten caught in a damn ambush, had taken on hyenas and still didn’t back down. The one who challenged wolves, snuck behind his own family’s back, and broke whatever speeding laws, just to get here. Just to stay.
Maybe Jared had been chasing more than a place to land.
And maybe Miguel had been waiting for someone like him without even knowing it.
Two shots of whisky that led to one disastrous omelet that led to their very first kiss.
He glanced at the room which was nothing like Jared’s parents’ house. The scarred floors, dented walls, and a cat that didn’t trust anyone, that now melting into the arms of a naked cheetah shifter Miguel loved with all his heart.
It wasn’t about the house, but who you let inside.
THE END