It’s rare that a group of tigers would band together. In the wild, a tiger was known to be a solitary animal. But in the shifter world, it was quite common for the tiger shifters of the world to work together for the goodness of their wild counterparts. That was where SPAT came in. The Society for the Protection of Amur Tigers was an organization that was funded and ran by shifters.

The shifter world was a secret society that humans weren’t aware of, and that’s the way shifters liked it. Humans would not be able to handle the fact that they were not the only ones living on Earth.

“Have a good evening, Mr. Rogavac,” the doorman, Jeffrey, called out as he held the door open for West.

“Have a good night, Jeffrey. Check at the desk, I left you a little gift.” West smiled as he walked to the waiting dark sedan.

“Thank you, sir!” Jeffrey called out behind him. West knew that tomorrow was Jeffrey’s birthday, and was an avid fan of the Cleveland Cavaliers. So West took it upon himself to leave two floor side tickets to tomorrow’s game for the doorman.

Weston Rogavac may have grown up wealthy beyond anyone’s imagination, but he had always remained grounded. “Treat your employees as you would want to be treated, and they will be loyal forever” was drilled into his head by his late father, Novak Rogavac.

“Mr. Rogavac,” his driver Mason greeted him.

“Evening, Mason.” West nodded to his driver as he unbuttoned his suit jacket before settling into the plush, luxury sedan. The shutting of the door cut off the noise from the street, leaving him in a comforting silence.

West glanced up at the building that his family built from he ground up. His family’s building was located in the heart of downtown Cleveland. The building stretched high into the clouds, with Rogavac Industries plastered across the front of it. Pride filled his chest as he thought of what the building stood for. The Rogavac family was one of the wealthiest shifter families in the world.

Rogavac Industries was the powerhouse in the biomedical engineering field, with their hands in all the latest medical technologies. His company was involved in many projects that would change the future of medicine, everything from advanced medical machines for physicians to diagnose the latest diseases, to designing state-of-the-art artificial limbs. Their latest advancement would be announced—the first artificial kidney—within the next year or so.

His family’s name would go down in the history books, but as a human owned company. The general public would know of their work and accomplishments, but never know that it was shifters who developed the technology.

“Home, sir?” Mason’s deep voice floated through the partition.

“No, take me to The Deck,” West instructed, speaking of the trendy bar that he had begun to favor recently. It was located on the bank of the Flats, an up-and-coming area in Cleveland, located on Lake Erie. “I’m meeting Luka for drinks tonight.”

“Yes, sir.”

Luka Batalo and West had been friends since they were cubs; their families longtime friends. It was only natural that both tiger cubs would grow up and stay close friends. In college, West studied business at one of the most lucrative schools in the country, while Luka studied biomedical engineering. It was a no-brainer for Luka to come work for West.

The sound of a phone ringing gained West’s attention from the passing city scenery. He pulled his cell phone from his inner jacket pocket and checked the screen.

His mother.

“Evening, Mother,” West answered.

“Why so formal, Weston?” the musical voice of his mother, Inez Rogavac, came across the line.

“No reason. Just now leaving the office,” he replied, a small smile appearing on his face. He rubbed his jaw and winced from the stubble that covered his skin.

“You sound tired. Don’t be out too late. Your plane leaves early in the morning,” Inez reminded him. He smirked, thinking that no matter how old he was, she would always try to mother him.

“I’ll be fine, Mom,” he chuckled. “Luka and I are just stopping for drinks and to discuss a little informal SPAT business.

“Well, you know how you boys are.” His mother laughed. “The city better watch out if Luka Batalo and Weston Rogavac are hitting the town.”

“I promise not to get into too much trouble tonight,” he promised, knowing that Inez Rogavac was the only woman in the world that had him wrapped around her little finger.

It really wasn’t a bad idea. His tiger sat up a little at the thought of finding a beautiful woman tonight and taking her home with him.

Not a bad idea at all.

“It’s about time you showed up,” Luka said, standing from his chair in their private VIP section of the nightclub. Luka stood at the same height as West, at six foot three. With his dark blond hair and amber eyes, few would know he was a tiger shifter.

“Well, some of us don’t get to play in the lab.” West smiled as reached his longtime friend. He slapped him on the back and gestured for him to sit back down. “Some of us have to play adult and meet with board members that keep our company afloat,” he joked, taking his own seat.

“Hi, handsome.” A soft voice appeared at his side. The waitress was dressed in the standard uniform of the nightclub—a low-cut shirt and tight jeans that looked as if she had to be poured into them. She was pretty, but did nothing for him or his tiger. “What can I get you?”

He knew that his mother was right about him and Luka, and decided to play it safe. “I’ll take a Godfather,” he answered, turning back to his friend.

“Good choice! I’ll take one too,” Luka said with a devilish smile before he turned back to West. “So, are you ready for the trip tomorrow?”

“Of course. You sound just like my mother,” West mumbled as he turned to stare at the patrons of the club. It was a Friday evening, and he knew that the normal crowd would be showing up soon. This was one of the more popular places for the over thirty crowd, and would soon be packed.

“Mother knows best,” Luka joked, tossing a balled-up napkin his way.

“Fuck off.” West laughed. “So what information have you gathered about our trip?” he asked, switching to business. SPAT meant everything to him, and if traveling around the world to help with one of the largest natural habitats was the plan, so be it.

As a member of the most prominent tiger shifter family, it was his duty to help see that their wild counterparts survived.

“We’re headed to the Four Corners,” Luka drawled, switching over to business as well. He reached over to the empty chair next to him and pulled some papers from his briefcase, then handed a few to West. “The Russian government is calling in leading experts to help with preserving the rainforest and mountainous regions of Far East Russia.”

“Siberia?”

“Yes, the motherland,” Luka noted with a nod of his head.

West’s tiger began to pace beneath his skin. His animal would have a field day running through the mountains with other tigers.

“Who are the experts that they called in?” West asked, browsing through the papers.

“All the usual ones, but I found it interesting that this time, they’ve called in Dr. Charlee Black from Eastern State University as the senior species specialist.”

West’s ears instantly perked up at the mention of Dr. Black. He had certainly heard of her. She was a well-known wildlife biologist who was sought after for many speaking engagements, and for her research regarding the Amur tigers.

Just thinking of the good doctor had his tiger purring. Yes, he knew exactly who she was. His organization had donated plenty of money to her research foundation under the disguise of another organization. She was a brilliant scientist that had most certainly captured his tiger’s attention. Her image was burned into his memory. Her curvy frame, and that thick, dark hair. His fingers craved to pull it in the heat of passion. Her slightly slanted eyes captivated him in every picture he had seen of her.

“Dr. Black’s team will be leaving tomorrow as well.” Luka’s voice broke through West’s thoughts. He shifted slightly, trying to adjust his hardening cock, hoping that his friend hadn’t caught on that he was attracted to the doctor. Very much attracted to her. What West found crazy was that he had this reaction just by thinking of her. What the hell would his body do when they finally met?

“Here you go,” the waitress announced, gently placing their drinks down in front of them on napkins.

“Thank you, pretty lady,” Luka said with a wide smile. West held back a roll of his eyes.

“Can I interest you gentlemen in a little food?” she asked with a flirtatious smile. She tucked her hair behind an ear as she focused her gaze on Luka.

“Sure, why not?” Luka laughed, rattling off his order. They had both been to this bar so many times, they each had the menu memorized.

“What about security?” West asked after he placed his order. He repeated himself again to get Luka’s attention, who was staring off after the waitress.

“The Russian government has agreed to provide security for the trip.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want any of the poachers interfering with the mission. It’s too important.” West took a sip of his drink as his thoughts turned to the trip. Should they really trust the Russian government?

Fuck no.

“Call in Drago. Make sure that he comes. I want him and his men on this trip.” West turned back to Luka.

“It’s last minute, but I’m sure he’ll come,” Luka said.

The main reason that SPAT would be there was because of the increase in poaching. Someone had to deal with the illegal poachers. The government always stated that their hands were full, or that they never found any traces of the murderers. West and his people would go and handle the poachers. They didn’t need any assistance from the government to handle them. They would take matters into their own hands.

“Well, I say we finish this business discussion tomorrow on our very long plane ride and take advantage of the lovely ladies in this club.” Luka motioned with his glass to the throng of women standing by the bar.

West barked out a laugh at his friend and shut the file. He was right. They had a long flight ahead of them, and would have plenty of time on his private jet to discuss business. He would be flying off to the other side of the world tomorrow. Tonight, he could take the time to relax with his friend and enjoy his evening.