Chapter 3
THREE
“ W hat?” Alora straightened, all traces of playfulness vanishing. She pulled up a new document, fingers flying across the screen. “Send me their data. Have you noticed any pattern in who’s being affected? Age? Gender? Time since their first shift?”
“That’s just it,” her mother cut in, appearing beside her father. “The virus seems to be targeting younger shifters now. More aggressive progression too. One student went from first symptoms to complete shift suppression in under forty-eight hours.”
Stripes chose that moment to knock over a stack of papers, sending them fluttering to the floor. Without missing a beat, Alora caught them mid-air and pulled up her research diagrams on the main screen.
“Look at this,” she said, sharing her screen with her parents. “I think the virus is mutating, adapting to attack the genetic markers that allow tiger shifters to transition between forms. It’s not just blocking the shift anymore; it’s severing their connection to their inner animal completely. See these protein structures? They’re actually rewriting the genetic code that controls transformation.”
“Be careful, sweetheart,” her father warned, leaning closer to the screen. “Your work could save lives, but some people won’t want you meddling in shifter biology. The politics around genetic research in the shifter community?—”
“Dad, I’m not meddling – I’m solving. Big difference.” Alora’s tablet filled with incoming data from the university cases. “These new cases could help confirm my latest theory about the mutation rate. If we cross-reference the progression speed with the genetic markers for age and shifting frequency?—”
A piercing alarm cut through her words. Red warning lights flashed as the lab’s security system activated. Stripes darted under a counter with a startled yowl, knocking over another stack of papers in the process.
“What’s happening?” her mother demanded through the video call.
Alora rushed to her security console, Maya close behind. “Someone’s approaching the lab.” She pulled up the camera feed, her breath catching at what she saw.
Two figures moved through the corridor. One with predatory grace, each step measured and purposeful. His broad shoulders filled out an impeccably tailored charcoal suit, and even through the security feed, his presence commanded attention. Amber eyes seemed to glow faintly in the dim light, marking him as a shifter. His dark hair was styled to perfect professional precision, not a strand out of place.
Maya leaned closer, her own shifter instincts recognizing a powerful alpha. “Looks like your new boss has arrived,” she said, her tone mixing amusement with warning. “Rehan Kedi himself along with his beta. And may I say, your mother understated the intense part.”
“So this is the famous Rehan Kedi.” Alora studied his approach, curiosity overriding her initial nervousness. Everything about him radiated control and authority, from his confident stride to the slight predatory tilt of his head as he surveyed the corridor.
“He’s intense, all right.” Maya smirked. “Bet he doesn’t do spring rolls. Or tiger puns. Or lab coats with dancing cats on them.”
“Should I change?” Alora glanced down at her colorful attire, then at her lab – the tiger-themed decorations, the scattered papers, the half-eaten Thai food. Her organized chaos suddenly seemed very... chaotic. “I have a plain coat somewhere. Probably. From that one time I had to testify before the genetics board.”
“Don’t you dare,” Maya said firmly. “He’s getting brilliant scientist Alora Sky, tiger puns and all. Besides,” she added with a wicked grin, “his expression when he sees all this will be priceless.”
Alora straightened her lab coat, fingers brushing over the embroidered tigers dancing across the pockets. “Well,” she said, squaring her shoulders as Rehan reached her lab entrance, “I hope he likes chaos.”
The security panel beeped, announcing an authorized entry attempt. Alora took a deep breath, preparing to meet the man whose funding – and from the look of him, exacting standards – could shape the future of her work.
“Good luck,” her father called through the still-active video chat. “And Alora? Remember what I always say?—”
“Science isn’t just about being right,” she finished with him, managing a smile despite her nerves, “it’s about being right for the right reasons.” She ended the call and turned to Maya. “Ready to meet an alpha tiger?”
Maya’s eyes gleamed with mischief. “Oh, this is going to be fun. I bet he tries not to smile at least three times in the first five minutes.”
“I bet he doesn’t know what to do with Stripes.”
The lab door slid open with a soft hiss, and Alora straightened her spine. Behind her, Stripes emerged from his hiding spot to investigate the newcomer, his tail held high like a furry question mark. Time to show Rehan Kedi that brilliant science could come with a side of tiger stripes – whether he liked it or not.