Page 39 of Tender Wild

Since Jared’s car was still down, Miguel would have to ride his elegido on the back of his motorcycle.

Matias poured himself a coffee, the rich aroma filling the kitchen. Miguel was apprehensive about the trip. Meeting parents wasn’t something he’d ever done before.

“Can I ask you something?” He picked up an apple from the fruit bowl, turning it in his palm.

Matias nodded.

“Am I supposed to bring a gift? At least the mom?” Miguel leaned against the edge of the counter, wondering if he could just mail his mate home.

When Jared said he needed to smooth things over with his mom and dad in person, Miguel had immediately started sweating.

Matias paused mid-sip, brow furrowing slightly. “Nobody explained the dowry to you?”

“Dowry?” Miguel’s eyes widened, heart racing. “How much are we talking?”

His mind raced through every conversation he'd ever overheard between mated wolves. Not once had anyone mentioned payments or dowries. Was that really a thing? How much would it cost?

He had savings—not much, but enough to cover basic expenses and emergencies.

Kia, Jared’s cousin, was raised by their alpha. Had Suero paid Xavier?

What if Miguel couldn’t pay? His wolf snarled at the thought of Jared’s parents forbidding him from seeing his mate.

“Fuck,” he muttered. “How much am I looking at? A few grand? More?”

Matias’s expression remained neutral, but something flickered in his eyes. The barest hint of amusement. Just a quirk of his lips, there and gone in an instant.

“You’re fucking with me.” Miguel’s heart finally restarted.

“Keep your head on a swivel.” Matias patted his shoulder, the rare physical contact startling in its casual warmth. “Xavier’s still on edge after Kia.”

“Our animals chose, not the person.”

Matias drained his coffee and set the mug in the sink. “Just bring your ass back in one piece. And try not to start a war.”

Thirty minutes later, Miguel and Jared were cruising down the country road, the roar of his and Suero’s motorcycles the only sound for miles.

Jared’s body was pressed against him like a comforting weight, his fingers tracing the abdomen under Miguel’s shirt.

As soon as they approached the boundary line, Suero shot in front of them, taking the lead. The male had free passage, so it only made sense he enter first.

Still, it didn’t set right with Miguel. Jared was his mate, which should give him certain freedoms on cheetah land.

Kia and Jared were free to come and go as they pleased. No wolf would mess with them. Not when the coalition knew fully well who they were and that they were mates to wolves.

That’s why Miguel hated politics so much. He never understood the whole “passage” requirement. As long as no one stirred up trouble— He stopped his thoughts in their tracks. If cheetahs strode into Sin & Steel…

Nah, fuck free passage for everyone.

Up ahead, Suero eased off the gas as the four of them rolled into a neighborhood lined with manicured lawns and homes that looked like magazine covers. The kind of place where sprinklers whispered over grass that had never browned, and every porch had matching lanterns.

Blackthorn had houses like these too, but only on the ritzy side of town, where a guy like Miguel would get side-eyed for parking too long. And this neighborhood gave off that same snobbish vibe, loud and clear.

Please let us be passing through instead of going to.

Jared tapped Miguel’s shoulder and pointed at a two-story Victorian, navy blue with crisp white shutters and gingerbread trim so perfect it looked Photoshopped.

Neatly trimmed hedges hugged one side of the house, running flush against a wide wraparound porch. Colorful plants hung from the eaves in woven baskets, swaying lazily in the breeze like they had all the time in the world.

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