“Fuck off! No way do I need to spend three days in bed.”
“Another day in bed, and then two days not lifting anything or making any sudden movements. I want you here where I can keep an eye on you.”
Adri rolled his eyes. “We all want things we can’t have. I’m not staying a minute longer than I need to.”
He had obligations back home—young fighters he needed to ensure were safe. Especially now. They’d be freaking out after what happened. The problem was that he had no idea if Rafe’s demands were reasonable or not. Adri had ended up adopted by his human dad’s sister as a baby when his parents died. Jaguars were notorious loners, and his mum’s family, if she even had any, had never come looking for him. Thanks to the Supernatural Council’s strict rules about exposing their kind, his aunt and uncle had been oblivious to their sister-in-law’s shifter nature. They’d raised him as their own, but he’d grown up knowing nothing of the rest of the supernatural world until he was kidnapped and trafficked by the Cruor Coven at eighteen.
If it weren’t for the whole indentured cage-fighting thing, he almost would’ve been grateful to discover he wasn’t alone in the supernatural world. All that meant he’d never seen an injury like the one he’d sustained, and he didn’t have the benefit of growing up in a shifter family to know what was normal in terms of healing. He had no idea how much he’d be risking if he left.
“What will it take to get you to rest for once?” Rafe asked, his eyes flashing gold with frustration.
Adri reached out to grab his jaw, forcing the older man to look at him. “I’m sure you can figure something out.”
Rafe huffed a laugh. “If you’re a good kitten and eat your lunch, I’ll think about it.”
Fuck that. As soon as Rafe disappeared down the hallway to deliver on his promise of food, Adri turned onto his good side and dragged himself upright and out of bed. Black spots floated across his vision as he stood swaying against a tide ofwrongradiating from his abused shoulder joint. His forearm and fingers appeared normal at a glance, but they were void of sensation, totally numb. He was sure that wouldn’t last. He wanted to be back in his den before the full brunt of the pain bowled him over. His apartment wasn’t much, not with how much money he poured into paying off the debts of his fellow fighters, but it washis.
He made it halfway to the dresser before the room tipped sideways, and he found himself up close and personal with the wool carpet. Polished leather shoes filled his vision as he tried to figure out how to push himself back to his feet without twisting his body or using his right arm.
“Do I need to handcuff you to the bed?” Rafe growled from above him.
Nothing about the way Rafe picked Adri up off the ground hinted at the frustration he’d heard in his voice. A gentle hand stabilised his injured arm as Rafe lifted him from the floor like he weighed nothing before depositing him back on the bed, this time with a few extra pillows propping him more upright.
“I was going to let you feed yourself, but it looks like you decided to use all your strength falling over instead,” Rafe said, moving to fetch something that smelled divine from the hallway.
Adri winced. “I can manage.”
Rafe ignored him, scooping up a forkful of salmon and rice and holding it to his lips. “Let me take care of you. Please.”
Too tired and sore to keep fighting, Adri opened his mouth and let the doc feed him. It didn’t mean anything. And that definitely wasn’t a purr of contentment rumbling in his chest.
Adri jerked awake to the sound of raised voices from somewhere below. Night had fallen, but he had no idea how long he’d been out. Adrenaline surged through him at the thought of someone getting aggressive with Rafe. No way was that fucking happening.
The food and sleep had helped, because this time when he hauled himself upright, he only swayed for a moment before staggering his way across the room. He was still naked, but he didn’t have time to stop and find something to wear. Rafe needed him.
Prowling like the jaguar that lived hidden inside him, he slipped down the stairs, pausing in the shadows just before the open door that led to the waiting room of Rafe’s clinic.
“This is the third time this month, Doc! I know you know more than you’re telling me. Let me take care of it.” The Lunetti Pack Alpha’s voice was deep and commanding, tinged with a growl of frustration.
“I deal with a lot of vulnerable, upset people, Marco. This isn’t pack business. I’ve got it covered,” Rafe replied, voice calm.
Adri could hear a rustling of movement, like the doc was moving supplies around as they talked. What was going on? Everyone knew Rafe’s loyalties lay with the Lunetti mafia family. Why was he refusing his Alpha?
“Carter, stop lurking in hallways when you’re injured! Get your ass in here,” Marco called to Adri, making him flinch. Dammit. Of course, the Alpha shifter had sensed his presence.
A low growl left Rafe’s mouth the second Adri stepped into the well-lit room. The doc became a blur of motion as he grabbed a towel and shoved it at him. Adri was too distracted by the mess of his clinic to respond. Someone had trashed the place. Wooden chairs lay in splinters, medical supplies were scattered everywhere, and the door to his examination room hung off its hinges.
“What the fuck happened here?” Adri snapped.
“Put the damn towel on before I lose my shit, kitten,” Rafe shot back.
Adri’s head jerked toward the doc in surprise, and he finally noticed how his eyes glowed gold as his fangs lengthened. Rafe’s eyes dropped to Adri’s exposed semi-hard cock and back up again, jaw clenched tight as his body blocked Marco’s view of him.
Oh.
Adri’s eyes narrowed as he grabbed the towel and wrapped it around his waist. It wasn’t his fault adrenaline got him going, especially with Rafe’s enticing scent permeating the space.
“I thought shifters didn’t care about nakedness, especially doctors.”
