Page 22 of Chaos Claimed

“What if… what if he comes back?”

Santiago’s eyes flew open as he growled. “He’s never coming back. I made damn sure of it.”

After dragging Tito from the hospital room, Santiago had lied, telling him he had to pack his shit and leave town. It was the only way to ensure Tito didn’t make a scene.

But instead of heading to Tito’s place, Santiago had driven them to a remote spot in the forest, shifted into his lycanthrope, and torn the son of a bitch apart.

Afterward, he’d gone home and showered before returning to Percy’s bedside, where he’d remained until his mate’s discharge.

“You killed him,” Percy whispered.

“He hurt you,” he said, needing Percy to understand that Tito would never return and that his mate was safe now. “You almost died because of him.” Santiago stepped closer, locking eyes with his mate. “I will destroy anyone who harms you, Percy. You’re mine to protect, and he nearly made me fail you,” he said gently.

Percy’s bottom lip quivered as he ran into his arms, tears brimming in his eyes. Santiago held his elegido close, breathing in his scent, finding his own calm while providing Percy the support he needed as his mate cried, finally acknowledging the damage Tito had caused.

“Can we use a code word?” Percy mumbled against Santiago’s chest. “So I won’t be deceived again.”

Santiago rested his cheek on his mate’s hair. “That’s actually a brilliant idea, Percy.”

“Cabra morada,” Percy suggested.

“What is it with you and purple goats?” Santiago grinned. “Is this some kind of secret obsession I should know about?”

Percy shoved at him, causing Santiago to reluctantly release him. “I’ll answer you, if you tell me why Sully called you wolf.” He stood with his hands on his hips, eyes narrowed. “I’m not clueless, Santiago. I’ve noticed things.”

He wasn’t about to confess to anything until he knew exactly what “things” his mate was referring to. “Like what?” he asked playfully, though he was sweating bullets. He wasn’t sure if Percy could handle the truth in his fragile state.

“You growl an awful lot,” Percy noted. “So did a lot of the guys at the tavern.”

They were wolves. It was natural for them.

Percy looked down, lips pressed together. Santiago waited patiently, giving his mate time to process whatever he was grappling with. “He said his pack wouldn’t understand right before he locked me inside the shed.”

Another gut punch. “Nobody would understand.”

Anyone decent would think Tito was deranged for what he had done.

His mate looked up from beneath thick, golden lashes. “What are you, Santiago?”

His heart thundered as he stood there, torn between revealing the truth or dismissing his mate’s question as nonsense.

Their eyes locked. This was it. Either Percy would accept the truth, or he would walk away. “Are you sure, cariño? There’s no turning back.”

“It’s already too late for me,” Percy admitted. “My reaction to your arrest said everything, zorrillo de peluche.”

Santiago’s lips curled into a slow smile as they continued to gaze at each other cautiously. “I’ll be your teddy skunk.”

Percy narrowed his eyes. “Stop stalling, and you know damn well I called you teddy bear.”

He loved how Percy was convinced that his Spanish was flawless and thought Santiago was just messing with him. If anything, it only made his mate more endearing.

“Last chance,” Santiago warned.

“Swear to pedicures and lattes, if you don’t tell me, I will unleash full bitch mode on you,” he growled.

Santiago’s humor vanished as he realized they had reached an irreversible moment. “Wolf.”

Percy’s gaze swept over him, his brows knitting together. “I would’ve bet everything you were about to say bear. That’s why I called you teddy bear. I was cleverly telling you that I already knew,” he huffed.

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