Page 25 of Tender Wild

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.

Miguel 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.”

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