Page 41 of Their Marked Mate

“Our prowess in bed hasn’t been enough to sway you,” Alex told her with a good-natured grin. “We thought David’s culinary skill might convince you to accept our claim.”

She took a bite and closed her eyes as she savored the complex flavor. “The joselle is excellent, but it’s making me want to bond with David, not you two.”

Nate laughed, but Alex was not amused. He stared at her silently, his gaze boring into hers.

They ate for a few moments in silence, then Nate asked, “Were you able to determine what caused the mutated cells?”

“It’s an educated guess, but I made a small adjustment that should prevent it from happening again.” She took a sip of wine before broaching the topic she’d been dreading ever since she left the lab. “Is there anyone in the lupine village with medical training?”

Alex paused with his next bite halfway to his mouth. “Why?”

“I’m relatively sure that the cells were not a serious complication, but I’ll feel much better about progressing if a doctor or nurse verified my conclusions. I’m a geneticist. I really shouldn’t be attempting this on my own.”

The males exchanged looks, but said nothing out loud. Luna had no doubt they were debating the issue telepathically.

When the tense silence lengthened, she said, “The easy answer is to let me contact Heather.”

“The birds have joined forces with the cats,” Alex said firmly. “I have someone else in mind.”

“Who?” Even though Heather was mated, Luna had been relatively sure that she would not reveal the fact that Luna was making changes to the formula. Anyone else would likely expose her deception.

“One of Soko’s advisors is a doctor,” Alex told her. “It will cost us more females, but it’s probably wise to involve them more directly at this point anyway.”

Luna fought back her panic. She’d asked for this, and more important, it was something she needed. It was irresponsible and unethical to risk the safety of the volunteers. Babcock had focused on progress at the expense of the ‘test subjects.’ Luna was determined to follow a different path. She’d just hoped to be further along before Alex discovered what she was trying to do. “If Soko’s advisor is willing, I welcome the help.”

“Good,” Alex said as he started to eat again. “I’ll speak with Soko in the morning.”

The rest of the meal was quick and pleasant. They shared a little bit of village gossip and Nate described Shadow City in more detail. Few of the women even knew there was such a place and Luna was fascinated by the mysterious fourth village.

They finished the meal and were sipping wine when Alex returned to the original topic. “It has been three weeks, Luna. According to my own rules, I must allow other alphas to approach you at the end of one month.”

“It’s a silly rule,” she objected. “You’re village alpha. Change it.”

“I can’t.” He paused, waiting until she looked at him to add, “With so few females, we must find potential mates as quickly as possible.”

Luna tensed. By Rydarian standards, Alex and Nate had been incredibly patient with her, but she still resented the pressure. It was this sort of situation that fueled her determination to shift control to the females.

“Do you still have concerns about Nate and me?” Alex asked, his features locked in an expressionless mask.

“Any human female will have concerns after only three weeks,” she stressed. “One month is not enough time to make a permanent decision.”

“Let us form a transfer link,” Nate said, his tone quiet yet intense. “Deception is impossible with telepathic exchanges. You would see us exactly as we are.”

Luna licked her lips and averted her gaze.

“Your anxiety just shot through the roof,” Alex grumbled. “Why does the idea upset you?”

“I know numerous women who allowed a transfer link before accepting the claim of the males who were courting her. Each time the link convinced her that the males were her true mates.”

Alex and Nate exchanged confused expressions. “Why is that a problem?”

“It’s statistically improbable. If deception is impossible, why hasn’t a transfer link ever shown the female that the males are total dirtbags?”

“The transfer link is part of mating fever,” Nate explained. “All the affected individuals were genetically compatible.”

“That just means that they are capable of creating offspring, not that they will live happily ever after,” Luna argued.

“Are you sure about that?” Nate challenged with a sexy smile. “Bonding fever is metaphysical. It can’t be quantified.”