A gentle press of lips against his forehead drew Adrian from his slumber. The young raptor blinked before yawning, barely managing to raise his head to look at Darius.

The Utah raptor smiled sadly from where he sat on the bed, fingers gently brushing through Adrian's hair. It took him a moment to realize Darius was fully dressed.

Confusion and sleep addled Adrian's mind as he struggled to wake up more. Making a move to get out of the bed, only to be stopped by Darius gently setting a hand on his hair.

"I have to get back to work, there have been a few issues that need to be resolved. But I'm leaving you in very capable hands, sweetheart."

A purr slipped from Adrian, arms trembling as he reached up to give Darius a kiss, which his mate gladly accepted. Behind Adrian, Levi hummed and pulled the young raptor closer, enveloping Adrian in strong arms that fit just right.

"Don't worry boo, I got him." Levi teased half-heartedly, leaning over Adrian to accept his own kiss before giving Darius a gentle shove. "Go on. The faster you leave, the faster you can come back."

Darius sighed, giving both another languid kiss before reluctantly pushing upright. Even then, he observed the barely awake Adrian and Levi for a moment before he sighed once more and forced himself to leave.

Adrian hummed, turning in Levi's arms before burrowing his face against his mate's throat. Letting out a happy sigh after taking in a few whiffs of the man's pheromones.

A lazy glance at the alarm made Adrian groan and snuggle further against Levi, even if that was barely impossible. It was way too early to be awake, let alone to even think of getting out of bed!

Levi's chuckle was deep and heavy with sleep, causing a tingle of awareness and a delighted shiver to dart down Adrian's spine. "I agree. Way too early to even move." The elephant gave Adrian a sleepy pat on his back, as if soothing an upset child. "Just, a lil bit longer..."

There was not a hint of protest on Adrian's mind, intertwining their legs before resting his head on Levi's pec. Levi barely responded to the gesture beside a sleepy noise of approval before his breathing deepened once more.

The soft, steady breathing underneath his ear and the gentle warmth from Levi aided Adrian into falling asleep once more after nuzzling impossibly closer.

It was a few hours later that Adrian woke up as Levi moved. His mate was seated on the edge of the bed, assumably about to head to the living area to prepare some breakfast.

Adrian crawled out of his comfortable nest of blankets to plaster himself against Levi's back. Hooking his chin on the man's shoulder as he let out a sleepy hum in greeting.

"Morning darling." Levi hummed, turning his head to the side just as Adrian looked up, nuzzling their noses together for a moment.

Adrian purred sleepily, whining when Levi stood up causing the young raptor to flop onto the bed. Levi chuckled, looking over his shoulder in amusement.

"How about you get a nice, refreshing shower while I make us some breakfast?" Levi said before laughing as Adrian groaned and flopped back on the bed, not caring that his ass was out for the world to see.

Though Adrian quickly jolted when two hands slapped on his ass, making him squeak in surprise before purring when Levi's weight settled on his back.

"You are temptation incarnate darling. A shower first so you have more time to heal and I promise you, once breakfast is over and done with, I'll ravish you."

The promise made Adrian wiggle his behind, making Levi hiss before a hand sifted through Adrian's hair. The young raptor didn't protest when Levi's grip tightened, gladly accepting the hungry kiss as he was slowly devoured alive.

Darius was wrong. Some herbivores know exactly how to maul something.

Their kiss ended after a moment, a string of saliva connecting their lips before Levi sighed and leaned back.

"Shower. I'll be in the kitchen." He gave another slow, satisfying kiss before reluctantly getting off the bed.

Adrian watched Levi's nudity shamelessly as his mate got dressed, gave Adrian a wink over his shoulder and headed around the partition.

Adrian dropped back in the bed for a moment, body slowly calming down after that heated moment. Arousal was still pumping heavily through his system, but that was to be expected.

After all, they were freshly mated. Their bonds still had to settle and in a grace period of a few weeks, they were bound to mate multiple times. Further strengthening their bond with each mating, each mark left behind.

As if to react to his thoughts, Adrian's marks tingled on each side of his neck. A dull throb like a heartbeat, making him shiver and kick off the bedding from his body.

Giving the young raptor a reminder that they all were still in their rut. With their instincts yearning, screaming to fulfill their burning desire.

To mate. Consummate their bond over and over again.

Adrian had done a bit of research behind the Ruts and Heats in an attempt to properly understand why there was such a burning need.

It basically came down to pure animal instinct. The more often one mated with their bonded, the more likely they would produce offspring.

Their bodies didn't care that they were unable to conceive young. All it cared about, was the deep-seated biological instinct to breed and reproduce.

Even freshly matured shifters, whose bodies were nowhere near prepared to bear a child, would go through their Heat and Rut cycles regardless of fertility or age.

With a frustrated groan as Adrian's body refused to completely relax, he heaved himself out of the bed and headed for the bathroom.

The heat of the water clattering against his muscles made Adrian sigh and relax, enjoying the heat that slowly seeped within his skin. It proved to release some tension as the young raptor washed up quickly, avoiding the stronger smelling soaps.

Thanks to his natural healing abilities and the additional rest, Adrian barely felt any aches after their last mating. Though perhaps his body was slowly getting used to the new sensations he experienced the past few days.

It made Adrian smirk, letting the water pour over his head as he was eager for more. He shivered, remembering Levi's teasing touches, Darius' firm grip and their combined warmth as they had shared a bed.

When he was squeaky clean and flushed from the shower heat, Adrian quickly dried off after picking up a mouthwatering scent.

Adrian eagerly slid in his seat as Levi chuckled, placing down a steaming plate in front of him. "It's a farmer's omelet. Potatoes, bacon, onion, tomato, bell pepper and cheese, all wrapped in a fluffy omelet."

Levi had his own plate without the bacon and more veggies, making Adrian smile before he dug into his own meal. They devoured their breakfast quickly though there was a little bit of a struggle on Adrian's end.

Not at all because he wasn't hungry, or that the food tasted bad. No, the young raptor was rather distracted by Levi's fingers gently caressing his thigh from time to time, or the man's widening smirk.

By the time that Adrian gulped down the last mouthful of fluffy eggs and delicious bread, he was more than ready to jump Levi.

So imagine Adrian's frustration when Levi calmly did the dishes by hand, ignoring that they had a dishwasher. Adrian was nearly salivating when Levi was finally done, only to audibly growl when the elephant turned to him with a grin and announced he was going to take his own shower now.

Adrian had half a mind to stomp after Levi and show the elephant just how frustrated he was. Instead, he took a few deep breaths before groaning under his breath when he smelled Levi's pheromones wafting down the hallway.

He followed the scent down to the bathroom, where he still heard water running, steam flowing past the partially opened door.

Adrian wanted to shove past that door and join Levi. But as his fingers reached for the doorhandle, they retracted just before he could latch on.

I don't want to intrude.

Even though Adrian wasn't used to what a mating bond entailed, what having roommates entailed, he was smart enough to know people wanted their privacy.

During his observation of the other shifters, he had seen plenty of people smile to one another while they were in a conversation. Only for their smile to turn into a grimace or sneer once the other party turned their backs.

Plus, Adrian would be disrespecting Levi by just wandering into the room whenever he pleased. It was the one thing Adrian dreaded to do ; to force his presence onto others.

So he turned away from the door with a slightly resigned thrill, only to stumble when a hand latched onto his wrist.

Levi was still slightly damp and only dressed in his underwear, making Adrian shiver in awareness. His muscles were on display and bare for Adrian's gaze to devour, tracing a few of the stray water droplets that chased down the man's pectoral and abs before being soaked in the fabric of his boxers.

The elephant chuckled at Adrian's audible gulp before he mused, "I guess I'll have to be more direct with you. I was wondering what was taking you so long."

The young raptor tilted his head in confusion, making Levi coo softly as he cradled Adrian's face. "Darling, trust me when I say that your presence here is welcomed. If we wanted to be on our own, we would certainly say so. Never fear that you cannot approach either of us."

A slight flush settled on Adrian's cheeks as he realized he had misinterpreted the situation. Levi hadn't secluded himself in the bathroom for privacy, but had rather laid out an unspoken invitation for Adrian to join him.

The subtle meaning had went right over Adrian's head, as he had taken Levi's announcement of taking a shower too literal. Adrian realized he needed to learn more about people and their double meanings beyond what they said and what they did.

Arms wrapped around him, pulling Adrian against a firm chest while Levi chuckled. "Don't worry about it too much, darling. Darius and I will be sure to guide you and teach you plenty of things."

The eager thrill that vibrated through Adrian's chest was followed by a deep, pulsing growl from Levi, as the man dug his fingers in Adrian's soft hair before he smirked.

"Now.... I'm a man who keeps my word. Let's fulfill that promise I made, shall we?"