Page 6 of Chaos Claimed

Jacob lingered on the porch, that filthy rag still pressed to his bloody nose. Santiago didn’t miss the smile beneath it. The bastard was hoping for chaos, and probably praying someone would give it to him.

Why hadn’t he taken off when he saw me come outside? Why stick around, even after I broke the bitch’s nose?

Gilmore had shown up too damn fast.

This was a setup.

It clicked. Jacob had insulted Percy on purpose. He wanted Santiago arrested. Out of the way. Santiago was the only person standing between Jacob, Percy, and Macey.

But why provoke Santiago now? What was the lowlife planning?

If things went sideways, Santiago needed Diablo there to keep an eye on the mates, and on Macey.

Mates.

One of whom was his. Santiago had been feeling the vibes with Percy from the moment they’d met, but his wolf had ignored the human. Honestly, he hadn’t thought it ever would. A shifter’s wolf was very selective.

He could’ve fallen hard, devoted himself fully, and still had his wolf dismiss Percy like it meant nothing. Just a fleeting infatuation.

“Don’t move a fucking muscle.” Santiago pointed at Jacob, moving closer to Matias. “Twitch the wrong way and you’ll need a dozen more of those filthy rags.”

A glance at Gilmore confirmed he wasn’t reaching for his gun. He was going for his cuffs. “Are you pressing assault charges, Mr. Weaver?”

“Yes, I am,” Percy’s father said, smug as hell.

?Two more patrol cars pulled up, parking diagonally in the middle of the street. Neighbors trickled out onto porches and lawns, craning their necks to see what was going down.

Three more deputies approached, one of their radios erupting with garbled police chatter.

Santiago glanced around, spotting children in their yards, their curious gazes pointed toward the unfolding scene. A pregnant woman on her porch, her husband behind her, his hand on her stomach. Deputy Folger was among the cops, a decent guy who actually cared about the law. Married, two young kids.

Matias was deadly calm as he slipped off his leather. Santiago would stand with him, fight beside him, die for him if it came to that. But this had to be stopped before the entire neighborhood saw them shift.

Before the street ran red.

“I’ll go,” he said to Matias. “I owe you for what you’re about to do, but we both know this is a can of worms we can’t afford to open.”

One of the kids squealed in delight, unaware of the wolves standing right across the street, pack justice, willing to stand up against corruption.

Fuck. Santiago couldn’t become their worst nightmare if they saw him and Matias shift into their third forms. Their beasts, the ones they never let humans glimpse.

He couldn’t have that on his conscience. He couldn’t allow their secret to get out because he couldn’t control his temper when it came to Percy. One satisfying punch wasn’t worth their exposure.

Matias’s nostrils flared, eyes glowing faint amber. If he lost control, the cops, Jacob, and every nosy neighbor in range would end up dead.

Then the rumble started.

Eight motorcycles thundered down the street, driving onto Percy’s and Santiago’s lawns, Diablo leading the pack, every inch the chaos he’d been named for.

If Matias didn’t order them to stand down, there would be a bloodbath right in the middle of his and Percy’s neighborhood.

“I can handle human cops,” Santiago said, voice low, meant only for his alpha. The deputies were getting twitchy, fingers edging too close to their service weapons.

“Cuida de mi compañero. Su padre está tramando algo,” he said to Diablo. Take care of my mate. His father’s up to no good.

Every pack eye turned to him. No one had known Percy was his mate. Surprise. Not how he’d wanted to announce it, but he needed them to know how deep it went with Percy. How serious it was to keep him protected at all costs. The human was no longer just someone Santiago wanted to get to know better. He was now Santiago’s life.

“No one will get to him,” Matias snarled. “You have my word.”

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