Page 8 of Chaos Claimed

They stopped short just outside the kitchen as Percy hurled a pot of pasta at the wall. The noodles splattered and stuck to the surface with a wet smack. The pot bounced off the fridge with a metallic clang before spinning to a stop.

With a furious slap, he overturned the tray of garlic bread. Pieces flew, scattering across the room. Percy smashed the tray against the edge of the stove, over and over. Then he flung it with a grunt. It soared past the window, missing the glass by inches.

Matias didn’t stop him. Just watched, jaw tight.”

A forceful sweep of his arm cleared the counter as a choked scream ripped from his throat as a bottle of dish soap hit the floor with a dull thud. Its plastic cap shot off like a popped cork, thick blue liquid oozing out to create a glossy, slippery mess.

Elijah rushed forward, desperate to reach his best friend, but Matias lifted a hand, halting him.

“He needs me,” Elijah snapped.

“He needs this.” Matias tipped his chin toward Percy just as the human yanked a chair from the table, sending it crashing to the floor.

Santiago’s arrest hadn’t triggered this alone. Matias doubted Percy had ever truly faced the trauma of his abduction or how close he’d come to death.

Elijah clutched his arm, grief lining his face as Percy tore the room apart. The pack stood still, a wall of silent strength in case he needed them.

If Santiago’s mate wanted to swing, they’d take the hits. If he needed space to destroy something else, they’d move aside.

Whatever he needed—they’d give it. He was family now, and family was protected.

Santiago had been ripped from the very moment he’d started to find peace in Percy. Their connection had taken the hit, but no one could convince Matias it wasn’t real.

They’d been circling each other for two months, Santiago treating Percy like breakable glass. But their eyes said everything. Every glance gave them away.

If they ever got their act together, Santiago and Percy just might reach a place where healing could finally begin.

Percy collapsed to his knees, flushed and sweating, his breath ragged. Tears hovered but didn’t fall as he looked around the wrecked kitchen, then buried his face in his hands, shoulders trembling.

Matias stepped aside, nodding for Elijah to go to him.

“No fucking way this is right,” Suero muttered. “Santiago shouldn’t be separated from his mate. His elegido needs him. Percy is delicate right now.”

Delicate? Matias nearly laughed. “You clearly haven’t spent much time around him.”

Suero frowned, dead serious. “He’s human, Matias. Fragile. He needs his wolf.”

“Fragile?” A flicker of pride stirred in Matias for Percy. “He’s stronger than you think. We’re wolves—we fight to release our stress. Percy and Elijah? They break shit, hurl sarcasm like weapons, and use their size like it’s a tactic.”

Matias’s muscles coiled tight, his claws unsheathing, when the screen door creaked open.

“Oh my.” Macey stood just inside the entrance, her silhouette framed by the setting sun behind her. Big blue eyes that mirrored her son’s stared back at them, slightly wide, somewhat curious.

Matias stepped forward, giving her a soft smile. “This is quite a scene to come home to.” He gestured toward his pack, but maintained eye contact. “We were helping with… an incident.”

He lifted the paper grocery bag from her arms and handed it off to Suero, who quickly accepted it.

“Is Percy okay?” Her golden hair swayed slightly as she shifted her weight. “I got a flat and had to wait for a tow truck.”

“Physically, yes.” Matias now knew what had kept her. Over the past two months—since Santiago had become her neighbor—Matias had had the pleasure of speaking with her on occasion. She’d even invited him to dinner twice. He’d accepted both times.

“Where is he?” She kept glancing at everyone warily, probably wondering if they were the cause of whatever problem had occurred.

“Kitchen,” Suero answered, shifting the bag to his other arm. “I’ll take you there.”

Like she didn’t know where her own kitchen was located. Matias watched as Suero held out his arm, but didn’t touch, as he coaxed her forward.

The pack stepped aside, clearing a path for her. Macey moved through the center like it was the most natural thing in the world, though her eyes flicked nervously from one massive man to another. She didn’t flinch, but her fingers trembled slightly at her sides.

---