Chapter 6 Rafe #2
Following a trail of footnotes led him to one such study.
The researchers had been using MRI scans to establish which part of the brain the ferality affected.
Already under pressure from the Council ethics committee because of the risk involved, they’d been shut down when one of their subjects got loose while being scanned and spread the condition to a lab assistant.
Three scans before that had shown a consistent pattern of activity in one of the glands unique to shifters.
Rafe’s instincts were screaming that this study was important in some way.
Which was all very interesting, but didn’t get him any closer to understanding exactly how one might trigger ferality in a shifter at a specific time and location, like had happened to Adri’s opponent, let alone how to stop it.
Given another decade and a team of specialists, he could probably figure out how to use some combination of magic, drugs, and technology to stimulate that section of the brain in the right way, but it would be beyond unethical to even attempt it.
How had the D-2S managed it without anyone noticing?
Glancing at the clock, he realised he needed to get going if he was going to feed his mate before the fight.
Now that he had a place to start, he could send Luca in the right direction to hunt through the city’s records.
Especially if they focussed on the period when the MRI study was shut down.
Typing out an email that included the names of the relevant scientists, the date at which the study had come out, and notes of what to look out for, Rafe sent everything he had to the pack’s hacker before heading to shower and change.
Once he got back, he’d give Bella’s wife a call as well.
She was a brain surgeon at the local hospital, and might have some insight that he’d missed.
Rafe might not have seen Adri in over a decade, but he’d learned everything he could about him, nonetheless.
He knew the jaguar shifter had a weak spot for a particular sushi restaurant that was a little too far away and too expensive for him to visit frequently.
Viviana had told him Adri devoured it whenever she brought it in for celebrations at the gym, but never sought it out himself.
His interest in the jaguar was the worst-kept secret in the pack, and they all tended to feed him bits of information like that.
Placing an order for all of Adri’s favourites, Rafe dressed down in slacks that hugged his ass a little too well to be polite and a collared shirt he left several buttons open on.
He wasn’t above luring Adri closer with the sexual tension constantly thrumming between them, and he really hoped his jaguar might cave and let them play a little tonight.
The wool peacoat he grabbed before heading down to the pack SUV Marco left at the clinic for him to use would stand out at the gritty fight, but he wasn’t about to pretend to be something he wasn’t.
There were certain expectations that came with his position with the Lunettis.
The vehicle was also stocked with everything he could need in an emergency—a rolling pharmacy and field hospital. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be needed.
He was right on time when he knocked on Adri’s door, bags of food in hand. His jaguar’s reaction when he opened it was worth the detour out of his way. Annoyance turned to surprise as Adri drew in a deep breath and smelled the food. For once, his kitten seemed lost for words. It didn’t last long.
“How did you know that’s my favourite?” he asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion.
“I pay attention.”
“Stalker.”
Rafe shook his head. “That’s Rocco. I don’t peer in your windows or follow you through town. I just make it my business to know how to please you. Are you going to let me tonight?”
A predatory thrill had his wolf perking up inside him as Adri’s pupils dilated and his heartbeat sped up.
The intoxicating perfume of his mate’s arousal bloomed around them as Adri subtly shifted his weight, leaning closer.
The moment was broken when Adri snatched the bag away from him, placing it on the coffee table nearby before heading to the kitchen to grab chopsticks, plates, and a bottle of whiskey.
Rafe unbuttoned his coat and placed it carefully folded over a chair as he tracked Adri’s movements setting everything out on the table.
His mate might be playing aloof, but choosing to eat in the living area rather than at the tiny dining table meant they’d either be pressed in close together on his small couch or sprawled out on the floor.
Either option sparked a wealth of fantasies in his mind.
As Adri straightened from his task, Rafe reeled him in, gripping behind his neck to pull him close and nuzzle into his neck, reinforcing his scent.
He was forced to jerk his head away as Adri snarled and snapped at him with lengthened fangs in response, but in typical cat fashion, his mate almost immediately changed tack to butt his head against Rafe’s jaw instead.
Squeezing his fingers tighter, Rafe started kneading the muscles in Adri’s neck, massaging out the ever-present tension there.
Adri groaned in pleasure, relaxing as he leaned into Rafe’s body.
Desperate to draw out more of those noises, Rafe wrapped both arms around his mate, shifting his attention to his shoulders and working out each knot with firm strokes.
Their position had their chests pressed together, and the vibration of Adri’s involuntary purr against his heart was the sweetest reward for his efforts.
Another moan escaped his mate as his hands dropped to his lower back to keep working him over.
Pausing when his hand reached the edge of Adri’s T-shirt, Rafe ran his nose up the shell of his ear.
“This okay?” he asked, teasing up the fabric.
Adri huffed. “Yes. How did you turn me into a fucking kitten in less than five minutes?”
Rafe chuckled when his mate froze, clearly realising he’d accidentally used Rafe’s nickname to describe himself.
“Not that kind of kitten, Doc,” Adri snapped.
Rafe was still nuzzling into his neck, and Adri’s warm skin brushed across his lips as he smiled.
“What time do you need to get to the fight?” Rafe asked, sliding his hand under Adri’s T-shirt until he could brush his fingertips over the hot, taut skin of his back.
The vibrations of Adri’s purring grew even louder.
“About half an hour. I’ll help them set up and then run through a warm-up with the fighters.”
“We should eat, then,” Rafe said, using his touch on Adri’s back to direct him toward the food before pulling him down between his legs on the floor.
“There’s plenty of space. We don’t need to sit on top of each other,” Adri complained.
Rafe kept an arm wrapped around his waist as he reached out to grab the chopsticks and collect a piece of tuna. Adri grumbled under his breath when he held the morsel out to feed him.
“Open, kitten,” Rafe ordered, making his mate turn rigid in his arms.
“I’m only doing this because I’m hungry,” Adri said, snapping his teeth around the food.
Rafe smirked as he reached for a bite for himself. Adri easily could’ve picked up his own chopsticks and ignored him. Just like he could’ve moved out of his embrace. Cat shifters could be so contrary, but they also couldn’t help but love to be indulged.
Neither of them spoke as the act of Rafe alternating feeding them both became almost meditative.
He was just enough taller than Adri that the jaguar could nestle into his body perfectly when they sat like this.
With his mate’s shaved head, there was no danger of stray hairs in his food as he pressed his face in close.
He couldn’t resist the urge to nip at Adri’s jaw as he chewed another mouthful.
If only there were time to strip his shirt off him so he could nip at every enticing inch of his skin before they left and leave a trail of his scent across his mate’s torso.
“Now who’s a kitten? Are you going to chew my face off?” Adri joked.
“I told you I want to devour you,” Rafe said, his voice rumbling low as he tried to keep himself in check. They didn’t have time for all the things he wished they could do.
“Why?”
Rafe paused, tilting his head to the side as he pondered how much his mate could hear without being scared off. “Because you’re mine.”
“I was bought and sold once. I don’t belong to anyone, and I never will again.”
“I don’t want to own you like that, kitten.”
“What other type of ownership is there?”
“The type where I belong to you as much as you belong to me—with me. Would that be so bad?”
“You’re a wolf. An alpha wolf. That’s not how that works.”
Rafe nipped at his ear in annoyance, sparking a yelp.
“With all due respect, you didn’t grow up with shifters, and none of the wolves you’ve trained with have grown up as part of a pack.
Your experience of the supernatural world through your trainees and friends has only been with the outcasts and loners.
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Are alpha shifters usually more dominant?
Yes. Because we’re stronger. More able to channel the shifter magic we all contain.
Do you know why? It’s so we can care for our pack, our chosen family. We’re protectors. Providers.”
“I don’t need your protection.”
“I didn’t say you did. I said I need to provide it. If you decide to let me one day, that will be you taking care of me. Giving me what I need. A partnership.”
“And if I wanted to leave? Do you expect me to believe you’d let me go when you’re part of the fucking shifter mafia?”
“I’d make sure you never wanted to,” Rafe promised.
Adri twisted in his lap, snapping at his face, fangs lengthened.
Rafe ignored the threat and reached up to cup his jaw, stroking his cheekbone with his thumb. “You’re so beautiful like this—wild—letting shifter instinct and the magic running through your veins guide you.”
Adri’s head cocked in surprise, the murderous look in his eyes fading. “Why don’t you ever try to overpower me when I threaten you?”
“You’re a cat. You’re going to lash out at me sometimes without provocation. It’s part of your charm. If I’m lucky, it’ll leave a mark,” Rafe said, shifting his hips a little so Adri could feel just what effect his little outburst had.
What his mate hadn’t yet understood was that his snippiness was just another demonstration that he was becoming more comfortable with Rafe.
Not only had he let Rafe feed him and hold him, but he felt safe enough to relax into his truest self.
Cat shifters didn’t feel the potential bond the same way, but they felt something.
They could get there eventually. It gave Rafe hope for the future.
He wasn’t going to risk scaring Adri away just as they were getting somewhere by pointing out what they could be, though.
“So you’re fine if I claw and bite at you, but not if I’m rude?” Adri said, his brows furrowing in confusion.
Rafe smiled, brushing his fingers across Adri’s forehead to smooth the lines away. “I’m fine with whatever you want or need, kitten. My point was only that rudeness will get a very particular response from me, so you should be sure that’s what you want before you go that route.”
Adri’s tongue snuck out to lick his lips, and his eyes dropped to Rafe’s mouth. “It’s like magic the way I fall under your spell when you’re near.”
Rafe’s fingers tightened on Adri’s face as the scent of both their arousal grew stronger. “I swear I’m not using a drop of my power … but I could be. If you want.”