Chapter 7
Gabriel felt a smile part his lips five nights later as he watched Heather embracing Claire. The females had been parted for less than a month, but the weeks had been filled with danger and conflict.
“It feels like forever since I saw you last,” Claire said, echoing his thoughts. “Has it really been a few short weeks?”
“Weeks, yes. Short, no. Everything about Rydaria is challenging,” Heather responded as she stepped back.
“Dinner is not quite ready,” Raphael told them. “Why don’t we sit down and have a drink.” He ushered them into the living area.
This cabin was identical to the one Gabriel shared with Patrick.
The bedrooms were off to one side, the main living space on the other.
A loft was situated above the bedrooms with storage shelves arranged at the far end.
The cabins had been built one after the other when the brothers decided to separate and choose their own seconds.
They borrowed chairs from the table so everyone had a seat, but they were soon arranged in a semicircle facing the fireplace. Victor passed out drinks as Raphael asked, “Has there been any response to the signal?”
Gabriel shook his head. “Not yet. It could take a while. Even if someone picked up the signal it would take time for them to respond. This planet is secluded.”
“Hurry up and wait,” Victor muttered. “That’s Rydaria’s favorite game.”
“Have you determined our exact location?” Patrick wanted to know. He sat on one side of Heather while Gabriel sat on the other.
“I’ve developed an educated guess, but an exact location requires information I can’t access.”
“The middle of fucking nowhere is where we are,” Raphael grumbled. “Dreams of being rescued are a waste of energy. Rydaria is our home whether we like it or not.”
Gabriel glared at his brother. They might have called a truce for the time being, but the fundamental disagreement remained. Raphael had accepted the inevitability of life on Rydaria, while Gabriel intended to fight against it until the day he died.
Rather than provoking Gabriel further, Raphael looked at Heather. “The past few days have been mercifully quiet, but the expanded clinic will be a godsend if we’re subjected to another attack.”
“I agree,” she said. “I’ll be the happiest woman alive if neither of those rooms is ever used. This is Rydaria, however, so I doubt that will be the case.”
“I’ve been begging for a private exam room ever since the clinic was built,” Raphael groused, but amusement shimmered in his gaze. “It was never important enough to build until a pretty woman shows up on the planet.”
“Bitch, bitch, bitch,” was Gabriel’s only response.
“So, catch me up,” Heather urged her friend. “Has anyone else been claimed? How many have agreed to be courted?”
As Claire filled Heather in on all she had missed while ensconced in the cottage, Raphael meandered across the room.
“Zion hasn’t rescinded his invitation for us to participate in the gatherings, but I would much rather bring another group of females up here.
Any ideas on how we can make that happen now that we’ve backed off from the alliance? ”
The gatherings were group social events designed to introduce the females to a variety of males.
Feline shifters could only produce offspring with genetically compatible mates, so it was not always easy to find a suitable match.
With raptor shifters genetic compatibility intensified physical attraction, but the mating bond could be formed with anyone.
Gabriel’s relationship with Heather was a good example.
Patrick’s mating instincts had been triggered by Heather, while Gabriel’s attraction to her had developed gradually as they spent time together.
When they claimed her—and he firmly believed they would—all three of them would be ready and willing to form the bond.
“If we want to maintain peace, the females need to be distributed evenly between the three villages,” Gabriel stressed. “That means the lupine village too. We can’t punish all the wolves because their leader was a psychopath.”
Raphael crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes. His tone was tense but conversational. “Even if I agree, which I don’t, Zion will never allow it.”
“Fuck Zion,” Gabriel growled as he turned his face away. “He was the first to approach the females, but he doesn’t own them.”
“I’m not sure he realizes that,” Claire interjected, clearly having heard at least part of their conversation. “Zion has acted like he owns the females ever since we agreed to the alliance.”
“Well, he doesn’t,” Gabriel said firmly. “There are three groups of hybrids, and the females should be able to choose their mates from any of them.”
“That’s different than what you said before,” Claire pointed out.
“What do you mean?” Gabriel asked, though her persistence was starting to annoy him.
“You said the females should be evenly distributed between the three villages. Not all the wolves are evil. I think we realize that. But shouldn’t the females be the ones who decide which village they want to join?”
“A lot of the women want nothing to do with the wolves,” Heather insisted. “Their attacks have been brutal and bloody. Most of us are terrified of the wolves.”
She had a valid point. Many of the females had witnessed the wolves at their most savage. And the attacks continued even after Elias was killed. Despite Gabriel’s desire for equity, the needs of the females must come first.
“Also, the various populations aren’t even.
” Patrick set his empty glass aside as he elaborated, “There are roughly twice as many wolves as there are raptors, and there are almost three times as many cats as there are wolves. If the females are to be ‘distributed’ among the villages then the ratios need to be taken into consideration.”
Heather shook her head. “The ratios are moot if the females choose which village they wish to join.”
“Then whoever treats the females better will end up with more women,” Claire concluded with a smile.
“We both know that won’t be the wolves.” Heather shuddered, then shook her head. “I have no desire to go near that village, and I’m not the only one.”
“I hate to be the hard-ass, but allowing the females to choose will encourage the ones avoiding real courtships to flit and flutter from village to village,” Victor predicted. “There has to be some sort of schedule, and a minimum stay in each village.”
The males looked at the females to see if they’d object.
Heather nodded, then Claire said, “Unfortunately, I’ve known more than one female who was intentionally prolonging the process.”
There was a long, silent pause as everyone considered the options and possible strategies.
“I don’t know how to resolve this,” Gabriel finally broke the silence. “I can’t help feeling like a lot of bloodshed could have been avoided if the wolves were included from the start.”
“That doesn’t excuse their brutality,” Raphael argued. “Elias slaughtered hundreds, and Alex is not a whole lot better.”
As if in response to Raphael’s claim, an eerie howl sounded in the distance. The animalistic cry was picked up by other wolves until the sound vibrated in the air around them.
“They wouldn’t,” Gabriel sneered as trepidation clawed through his belly. Alex promised that he had no intention of staging another attack.
“Guard the females,” Raphael told Victor as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.
Patrick was on his heels as Gabriel hurried after his brother.
Pulling on their coats, they ran toward the front of the village.
The howling continued, a mournful sound that filled the night.
Sentries and hunters rushed about with no clear direction.
The front gate was securely barred and armed guards held their positions on the walls, but anxious energy kept the hybrids in motion.
“Report,” Gabriel called out as they reached the front entrance to the village.
“We’re surrounded, sir,” one of the sentries responded. “There are hundreds of wolves encircling the village.”
“Have the eagle brothers finally arrived?” Alex’s deep voice boomed from beyond the wall. Sarcasm shaped each word, making the question disrespectful and provoking.
Gabriel rushed forward and climbed the ladder leading to the wall walk. “You had me convinced you were better than your predecessor,” Gabriel shouted. Alex stood at the edge of the clearing, his beta at his side. “I should have known better than trusting a wolf.”
“I want only what we’re due,” Alex insisted, shoulders squared, head held high. “There are roughly three hundred females. I’ve captured twenty-five. That means these attacks will continue until my wolves have secured the other seventy-five.”
“All of the women in Eagle Village have already been claimed by birds,” Gabriel lied.
“Your brother claimed one. Three are being courted. Send out the others and I’ll be on my way. There’s no need for bloodshed. Zion will give you more females. We both know he’d tell me to go fuck myself.”
With an angry snarl, Gabriel climbed back down and faced his brother. “Did you hear that bullshit?”
“We’re not giving him the females,” Raphael said adamantly.
“Never even considered it,” Gabriel assured.
“I’ll go get help,” Patrick said.
Gabriel shook his head. “It needs to be me. Zion knows damn well that I’m the one who pulled back from the alliance. If we want the cats to help us, I’m going to have to kiss his ass.”
“He’ll make you pay, but not tonight,” Raphael countered. “Let Patrick go. He’s faster and I need you here.”
Reluctantly, Gabriel agreed. He looked at Patrick and instructed, “Fly up the mountain then circle around. Alex will have archers in the trees.”