Sitting between two equally attractive and powerful men, whom were both producing pheromones of varying degrees, was a dizzying experience.

With each breath he took, Adrian was exposed to the subtle pheromones of Levi and Darius, never overpowering one another but mingling in an potent mixture.

Even with elevated emotions, the cooks knew exactly what to do with agitated shifters ; stuff them so full of food, that they'll fall asleep before they can even think of starting a fight.

And judging from the heaping plates in front of their noses that all three shifters struggled to work through, they succeeded.

Adrian and Darius' plates were mostly carnivorous, meat piled up high both cooked and nearly raw. Stews, ribs, smoked meats and several bones awaited them.

Meanwhile, Levi's plate was exclusively herbivorous, showing off a display of several vegetables, vegetarian meat substitutions and even several vegan dishes, like a vegetarian Thai curry.

It made Adrian curious, as he could clearly see the natural muscles on Levi's body, yet the man wasn't eating any meat, or fish, yet he was fit.

Levi didn't seem to care that there wasn't a single piece of meat on his plate, instantly digging into his meal. Adrian and Darius followed suit, enjoying their own heaping pile of food.

Neither predator failed to notice the bones filled with marrow that were added to their plates. Adrian looked up as he heard Levi chuckle, the elephant's eyes flicking between the two raptors.

"You two are adorable, you know that? Visibly drooling as soon as you spotted those thighbones." Levi pointed out, making Adrian close his mouth and Darius audibly swallow.

Both shared a look before snorting, realizing that their mouths were a mess. The different kinds of marinade used for the meat was coating their lips, jaw and when Darius reached out and wiped over Adrian's nose, he let out an amused thrum.

A deep, amused rumble vibrated through the air as Levi shook his head good naturedly. Fingers raising to offer them both a napkin with a smirk on his lips.

Adrian accepted it, cleaning the mess from his face and sucking the sauce from his fingers. Not wanting to waste a single drop of the delicious, meaty sauce.

His nostrils flared when there was a spike in pheromones at the gesture and he curiously lifted his gaze to the others.

Both Darius and Levi were staring at his lips, still wrapped around his finger. As Adrian removed his finger from his mouth, he was slightly confused at the reaction easily smelled in their pheromones.

Especially so when his tongue flicked out to trace the trail of sauce around his finger.

Levi was the first to shake himself out of their shared stupor, physically shaking himself before he snorted. "I'm willing to bet he has no idea what he just did." The elephant muttered.

Darius mumbled his own agreement, forcing himself to look away from Adrian and sighed loudly. A chuckle sounded behind them, making the group turn around to watch Charles walk into the room while waving his hand through the air in front of his nose.

"You guys have been in this room for less than ten minutes and already I've been summoned to deal with your pheromones." The anaconda spoke jokingly, eyes flitting over the group before nodding at Zev, who eagerly bolted out of the room.

The honey badger stumbled past their table with an annoyed rattle, snorting to clear his nose before he disappeared from view.

Adrian frowned, sniffing the air and himself before focusing his gaze back to Charles. Sure, the other two were producing a decent amount of pheromones and there was that random spike earlier...

Charles chuckled, tapping against the side of his nose. "The larger and more dangerous the animal, the more potent their pheromones. Given the fact that your group consists of two very powerful predators and a herbivore that is one of Africa's Big Five, most shifters will be overwhelmed in an instant."

"Agreed, so if you three can tone it down a bit until we've at least finished our meal, that would be great." Zuri's voice sounded muffled, nasally and when Adrian turned, he spotted the matriarch firmly pinching her nose.

A few distressed cackles only reaffirmed her spoken words, several other hyenas at the table following her example while others had their foreheads pressed against the table.

But all of them were visibly flushed, a few even panting as they kept their noses covered to the best of their capabilities.

Adrian had the good grace to at least feel somewhat embarrassed. He clearly remembered the time where that lioness in heat had been blatantly spreading her pheromones around and his utter dislike for the entire situation.

Forcing others to sit in his own pheromones and endure it was not something he intended to do. So the young raptor closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths in order to calm down.

His eyes snapped back open when a finger pressed against his nose and Levi snickered. "You're adorable, trying to force your pheromones into submission, but it's not going to work."

"A valiant effort though. But besides separating you three, nearly overdosing on suppressants or giving in to your needs, there's hardly anything you can do." Charles agreed with a soft, amused hiss.

Darius turned his attention towards Levi with an arched brow. "You're certainly not worried about intruding on personal space or pushing Adrian's buttons."

Levi's eyes flickered with a spark of amusement as he hummed in agreement. "I'm not like you, Darius. Standing on the sidelines, calculating and wondering what the best time is to make a move. It's commendable that you're willing to let Adrian explore and see what he wants before you shoot your shot."

Adrian's eyebrows rose in surprise, nose twitching at the hint of embarrassment that colored Darius' scent. The Utah raptor uncomfortable shuffled his weight, clearing his throat in the process.

After all, the man did do all that. Even if his instinctive attraction to Adrian had made him handle subconsciously, he still had done his best to give the younger Raptor all the time and space he could offer.

"Us elephants tend to make our presence known. I rather go with the flow and go after the ones that have peeked my interest, even if that means pushing some buttons." Levi spoke, finishing his sentence with another poke to Adrian's nose.

Only this time, the young Feral was prepared, teeth playfully latching onto the offending finger with a slight smirk and a low, throaty growl.

A smirk that disappeared into a confused purr when Levi's finger sensually pressed down onto Adrian's tongue with gentle pressure. Setting off another bout of pheromones along with a sharp heat that sparked through his loins.

"Alright, break it up you two. Enough, before I'll call in the others to have the three of you sedated and shoved back into isolation." Charles voice snapped through the heated silence, forcing Levi to slowly withdraw his finger from Adrian's mouth, eyes heated and focused on the raptor's tongue that flicked out on reflex.

The table groaned in protest as Darius' claws sank into the wood, gritting his teeth slightly. "Perhaps Fiona could give us another dose of suppressants."

Charles snickered as he typed away on his cellphone, pocketing the device after a moment. "She's been notified and had already received said suggestion from other coworkers."

"I'm surprised you're not acting on your urges." Levi murmured while observing Darius closely. "I mean, you're just as influenced by our pheromones as we are."

Darius snorted, the sound more animalistic than human. "What kind of councilor and teacher would I be, if I act on instinct and desire alone?" He argued, brushing a shaking hand through his hair.

"Predators are always under higher scrutiny because they're deemed more dangerous than most herbivores. More likely to act on instinct. Imagine what the students and teachers will say if I were to act before I think?"

Adrian pursed his lips thoughtfully, finally understanding why Darius had always held back with their encounters. Even though the keen interest had been there, the slightly older raptor had been more sophisticated, elegant in his approach.

It wasn't that Darius wasn't interested. There were rules, a process that needed to be followed if Darius didn't want to be targeted by potential punishment.

During his time in the compound, Adrian had been taught about the Council of supernatural creatures. A Council that made sure their subjects followed the rules, didn't rampage through the world on a killing spree, nor tormented the mortals.

The teachers at the compound were placed under heavy scrutiny and while some chemistry was expected within a society of Feral shifters, it had limitations.

Adrian didn't know, but Willem had been repeatedly warned in the past and had even received punishment from the Council members when he once lost control over his shift due to another polar bear shifter challenging him to a dominance fight.

The younger polar bear survived.... Barely.

But it had made the Council come over to the compound and make a public example out of Willem's punishment. Imprinting it into the brains of every shifter present that the Council would not hesitate if one of their kin stepped out of place.

Darius had still been in his early teens but had learned the lesson demonstrated to them all. The Council was always watching and it would retaliate with force if you broke their rules.

Adrian licked his lips before sighing, focusing back on the remainder of his meal. He would be glad if the suppressants arrived, simply so he could clear his mind of the growing haze.

He didn't want to be put back into solitary confinement, even if it was for his own good, so he distracted himself with the meal as best as he could.

In doing so, he realized that his own scent seemed to grow slightly less potent than before. Levi and Darius followed his example, settling as much as their bodies allowed them.

Their interest in one another remained, but all three Ferals realized that they needed to give their bond time to develop.

No matter how much the initial lust and interest pushed them, they needed to learn if they were truly compatible before considering a bond between them.

Another shiver darted over Adrian's spine before he ducked his head to hide the growing smile on his lips. The young raptor was quite eager to see where all of this would lead to.

He might not be experienced in what a mating bond entailed but the pleasant shivers that coursed through his body, made his shift snort with eagerness.

Anticipating what could blossom if they all decided to further develop their bond.

The low, steady thrum that subconsciously rumbled through Adrian's throat was soon responded by two other voices. All of them communicating without words that, yes, each individual within this forming bond was very interested.