Page 142 of The Hyena’s Guardian

Matt pulled back just enough to look at him. The shower light caught the water beading on his lashes, the faint flush warming his cheeks.

“You don’t have to do anything,” Matt said softly. “Just stay.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s everything.”

Theron stared at him. The words reached somewhere nothing else had. He had spent centuries learning how to leave before loss could find him first, convincing himself that distance hurt less than attachment. Staying was harder. Staying meant trusting that tomorrow would still exist, that the ground beneath him would not disappear the moment he allowed himself to want it.

Matt brushed his thumb lightly across the corner of Theron’s mouth. “We can stand here as long as you want.”

The offer eased something ancient inside him. Theron exhaled, feeling the rigid knot between his shoulders begin to unwind.

“You make this very difficult,” he murmured.

Matt smiled. “Making things difficult for stoic werewolves is my specialty.”

A laugh escaped Theron before he could stop it. Real. Unpracticed. It echoed softly off the tile, startling him almost as much as the warmth blooming through the bond.

Matt’s smile gentled. “There it is.”

Theron shook his head, unable to suppress the answering smile tugging at his mouth. “You’re terrible.”

“And yet,” Matt said, amusement warming his voice, “you keep kissing me.”

“I do.”

The quiet admission lingered between them, carrying more weight than either of them tried to explain.

Theron slipped his hand into Matt’s damp hair and drew him closer, brushing a slow kiss beneath his jaw. Matt shivered beneath the touch, his fingers tightening instinctively against Theron’s shoulder.

“This okay?” Theron murmured.

Matt turned just enough to meet his eyes. “More than okay.”

That was enough. Theron stayed exactly where Matt had asked him to, holding him while the steady rhythm of the shower softened everything else. The water drummed against their shoulders, steam curling lazily around them until the silence between them no longer felt like something waiting to be broken. It simply existed, warm and peaceful, asking nothing of either of them.

Only when the water began to cool did Theron finally rest his forehead against Matt’s.

“We should get out before we freeze.”

Matt smiled, his nose brushing lightly against Theron’s. “Getting cold, big guy?”

“Getting worried about you.”

Matt’s smile widened. “You’re a terrible liar.”

Theron held his gaze for a long moment before answering, “No. You are.”

Matt laughed, the sound low and content, then reached behind Theron to shut off the water.

Theron stepped from the shower first, reached for a towel, and wrapped it around Matt’s shoulders instead of his own.

Matt looked up at him, surprise softening his expression. “You keep doing that.”

“Doing what?”

“Taking care of me.”