Page 28 of Tender Wild

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.

Chapter Seven

Miguel’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as he stuffed clothes into a duffel bag. The adrenaline crash hit hard, leaving his muscles twitchy and unreliable. His bedroom smelled wrong—blood and hyena stink contaminating the space where he slept. Where he’d planned to bring Jared later.

“You got a shirt I can borrow?” Jared asked from the doorway, rubbing at a darkening bruise on his jaw. “Mine’s a little... bloody.”

Miguel handed him a faded black T-shirt, watching as Jared pulled it over his head. The fabric hung loose on his frame, collar dipping to reveal the red marks where the hyena’s fingers had pressed into his throat.

“Toss me that bag,” Miguel said, nodding toward a smaller one tucked beside the dresser. His voice sounded steadier than he felt. “Grab your phone charger too.”

Jared did as asked, movements careful, as if his body had only just realized it was injured.

“What about your cat?” he asked.

“She’ll be fine.” Miguel locked the bedroom door behind them. “She’s survived worse than this.”

Even if he could find her, she’d probably claw him to death after what happened. Giving her comfort right now would be like trying to pet Satan.

They headed into the living room, where Miguel paused.

His fingers clenched around his bike keys, metal edges biting into his palm as he watched Diablo and Santiago load the hyenas’ bodies into Santiago’s truck. Blood stained the hardwood where they’d dragged the corpses, leaving dark smears across his kitchen floor.

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