“Who’s messaging at this hour?”
Rafe laughed and kissed his head. “It’s ten in the morning already, sweetheart.”
“Fuck. I need to tell Vee where I am. I’m usually there to help coach.”
“Marco will have taken care of it already. Pretty sure she knows it’s up to you when and how much you want to work now.”
Adri stiffened and tried to pull away, but Rafe wouldn’t let him go. “What the fuck did I say about not controlling my life, Doc?”
Rafe put the phone down and turned to face him, tilting his chin up and pressing a hard kiss to his lips that Adri did his best to resist, but found himself caving and opening up to regardless.
“You can keep doing exactly what you have been if you want. We made it so that you could control your lifemore. So no one can tell you where to be except you… and Marco when he needs you.”
Adri rolled his eyes. “He’s not my damn Alpha.”
“So you don’t want in on scoping out the location your friends from last night ended up at? It’s a pack-only operation.”
Adri scowled at him. Opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off. Thought better of it.
“Are you going?” he asked.
“Yes. Marco needs me to look over any medical equipment and wants me on hand in case we end up facing someone feral again.”
Adri shivered. His memories of the fight were still a bit scattered, but he could remember looking into eyes with no humanity as his arm started to tear away from his body.
“Then I’m going, too. Someone needs to watch your back, and I might recognise any fighters there.”
He really hoped he didn’t, though. What if all the fighters he’d helped move on from the ring had just ended up in a warehouse somewhere being experimented on? His emotions must’ve beenshowing on his face, because Rafe pulled him close, wrapping him back in his arms.
“It’ll be okay,” Rafe murmured. “And if it isn’t, we’ll fix it together.”
In all his years working for the Lunettis, Adri had only visited the pack lands a handful of times, and he’d never stepped much further into Marco’s mansion than the front entryway and reception room. Rafe led him confidently through the front door, not bothering to knock, and directed him through to a study with a gentle hand at the small of his back.
The rest of the room was already full when they arrived. Marco was on a call behind his desk, his facial expressions giving nothing away. His cousin Emilio was perched on the edge of the desk, talking to his husband, Rocco. Silas, Marco’s second, was deep in conversation with Luca, the hacker, over on one of the couches. A flash of movement caught his eye when they stepped inside as Bella waved a hand at him in greeting, keen interest in her eyes as she watched the way Rafe’s arm snaked around his waist as they headed to the only free seat.
“You take it,” Adri said.
He might have met most of these people before, but they were still a dangerous bunch. He’d much rather be upright and able to move if he needed.
Rafe raised an eyebrow at him before dropping into the seat and pulling Adri along with him. He was so caught by surprise thathe fell right into Rafe’s lap, exactly where the irritating doc had meant for him to be. Twisting, he snapped his teeth at Rafe’s throat as his strong arms wrapped around his waist, sparking a soft laugh from the doctor.
“I’d be thoroughly distracted if you were standing beside me with your fly right next to my face. This is much better,” Rafe whispered in his ear.
The ridiculous statement somehow made him smile and shake his head instead of rage. He could feel the bulge of Rafe’s cock against his ass where he sat on his lap, so he knew for sure this was going to bewaymore distracting. For both of them.
“Oh shit, did you finally lock down your jaguar, Doc?” Silas called from nearby, which of course had everyone turning to look at them.
Adri stiffened and opened his mouth to swear at the asshole, but Rafe snuck a hand under his shirt, stroking his skin. A gentle reminder that here, of all places, he needed to keep a civil tongue.
“If anyone locks him anywhere, I will make them die a very slow, very painful death,” Rafe replied, voice dry.
“Alright, Doc. Message received,” Silas said, smiling as he held his hands up in surrender. “Welcome to the family, Adrien.”
Adri’s scowl deepened, and Rafe pressed a kiss to his neck. “Play nice, Adri,” he murmured.
“Sai, stop pulling the jaguar’s tail just to see what he’ll do,” Marco said.
Silas smirked before turning to his Alpha, inclining his head. “What’s the plan?”
