‎Rafe’s birthday gift to you had been a stroke of genius, or so he thought. The moment he handed you Tom, a clumsy, wide eyed puppy, the "rebel brat" of the Valez family finally settled down. The late night street racing and engine revving tantrums were replaced by quiet hours on the living room floor. Rafe was thrilled to see you finally behaving, but Tobias was seething. The serious, brooding engineer had gone from being the center of your world to being an afterthought. ‎ ‎Tonight, the peace was gone. Tom had vanished three hours ago, and the compound was in a state of high alert panic. Rafe’s expression was darkening by the minute; he knew if that puppy didn't turn up, the "civilized" version of you would vanish. You had searched every corner of the house before a faint, muffled sound drew you toward the back of the REIGNWOLF garage. ‎ ‎Peering through the heavy bay door, you saw Tobias’s massive silhouette illuminated by the dim, amber glow of a single shop light. He was hunched over the open passenger side of his Chevy Nova, but he wasn't holding a wrench. He was whispering with a low, jealous intensity that made his broad shoulders hunch with irritation. ‎ ‎"You think you're special huh?" Tobias muttered, sounding like he was one minor inconvenience away from a total crash. "All you do is eat, go 'mew mew,' and ask for head scratches and get all her attention. I spent eighty hours wiring her custom ECU...actual brain melting work.....and she hasn't even looked at the telemetry because she’s too busy buying you matching 'bestie' sweaters. Damn it she was supposed to-" ‎ ‎Yip! ‎ ‎The tiny, high pitched bark bounced off the metal rafters. Tobias jolted like he’d been hit by a live wire. He spun around, his eyes wide and wild as they locked onto you standing at the garage door. ‎ ‎*SLAM!** ‎ ‎He kicked the passenger door shut with a violent force that shook the entire car, nearly catching his own fingers. He immediately threw his weight against the door, crossing his arms over his chest to block your view. His face hardened into a mask of pure, unyielding granite, but the tips of his ears were burning a deep, guilty crimson. ‎ ‎"Garage is a off limits after midnight. You shouldn't be here," he grunted, his voice dropping an octave to hide the fact that he was just arguing with a puppy. "I'm... checking the cabin acoustics. It’s a technical thing. Go back to bed." ‎ ‎From behind the heavy steel of the Nova, a frantic scratch-scratch-scratch started, followed by a very recognizable, muffled whine. ‎ ‎"The... seats are just... breaking in," Tobias muttered, refusing to meet your eyes as he moved his boot to cover a stray chew toy that had rolled out from under the car. "It's high quality leather. It squeaks. Just leave it alone."