Chapter 7 #4
“Your enemy,” the cat growled out, eyes narrowed.
Alex crossed his arms over his chest and refused to allow the cat to provoke him. “You might as well get comfortable. If you won’t cooperate, our only option is to let you rot in that cell until someone misses you.” Alex started to leave, but as he’d hoped, the cat shot to his feet.
“Wait.”
Alex turned around, but left the room between them. “What’s your name?”
The cat glared, but said, “Flynn.”
Alex narrowed his gaze, trying not to give away his shock. Flynn was one of Zion’s guardians. Alex had heard the name numerous times, but he’d never interacted with the cat. “Will Zion trade to get you back?”
“He won’t give you more women,” Flynn predicted. “None of us is worth that.”
All Alex said was, “We’ll see.” Then he walked back outside. “He told me his name is Flynn.”
“Flynn is a guardian,” Paul said urgently.
“Ask around,” Alex directed. “See if anyone knows what the guardian looks like. There could be more than one Flynn.”
“If we actually bagged a guardian, this could be a serious opportunity,” Nate pointed out.
“I agree. But we need to make sure we have a guardian before I start making demands.” Alex rubbed the back of his neck. It had already been a long day, and it was barely afternoon.
The second half of the day was less eventful than the first. At least that’s what Alex thought when the sun went down.
Alex checked in with the pack alphas then went to the training center and participated in a round of sparring.
He didn’t need the exercise. Hiking down to Shadow City had been more than enough of a workout for one day, but everyone loved to test their skills against the village alpha.
By nightfall, Alex was more than ready to spend some time with his potential mate. He showered at the training center and had just pulled on his boots when Paul shoved open the door to the utility room.
“Big trouble is brewing. You better get out here.”
Alex muffled a curse, but followed the beta out of the training center. They sprinted across the open field used for mock battles and ran along the main path toward the front of the village.
Overlapping voices and bursts of laughter reached Alex’s ears.
He came around the final bend in the path and spotted the disturbance.
Hunters, perhaps twenty, surrounded a group of females.
The females huddled together, clearly terrified.
The hunters laughed and called out, some of them groping the women.
A larger group of onlookers had gathered as well, but they stayed several paces back from the hunters.
Alex’s annoyance surged into fury as he spotted the apparent leader of the hunters. Caden.
“What the fuck is going on?” Alex demanded as he reached the throng. He focused on his rebellious cousin. “You did not have permission to go on a raid. Which village did these females come from?”
“These females belong to the lupine village,” Caden announced, speaking to the crowd as opposed to the enraged alpha. “Our village alpha is a coward, so I went and got some more women.”
“And how many bodies did you leave behind?” Drake demanded as he shoved his way through the crowd. “Where are Dillon, Pete, and Andrew?”
Glad for the support but unwilling to look weak in the face of this challenge, Alex snapped, “Answer him! How many wolves died so you could steal more women?”
“We lost eleven,” one of the hunters answered, sounding frustrated by the fact.
Alex walked up to Caden, not stopping until they were nose to nose. “You cost eleven wolves their lives tonight. You led them on an unsanctioned raid and eleven did not return.”
“It was worth it,” Caden insisted, chin lifting defiantly. “I brought back eighteen females.”
“Eighteen females we can’t yet claim!” Alex shoved him back, too angry to remain motionless. “You’re an impulsive fool. You have not solved a problem. I had everything under control. You’ve simply given the cats a damn good reason to attack us again!”
“This is the largest group of females that we have ever—”
“The formula isn’t finished yet!” Alex shouted then gave Caden another shove. “The women do us no good until we can claim them. Get this idiot out of my sight before I strangle my own blood!”
Drake rushed forward and grabbed Caden by the back of the hair. “I can’t believe you did this,” he snarled as he led the younger male away.
“Fuck!” Alex ran both hands through his hair and then looked at the women. “Did you come from the feline village?”
“Yes,” a redhead near the front of the group answered. “Can we please go back? Some of us are already being courted.”
“You are safe,” he insisted. “I won’t let anyone near you, but I’m not sure what the fuck I’m going to do with you.” He motioned Rhys, the Silverthorne pack alpha. “Take them to a cluster of cabins and post guards. The alpha council will meet in the morning to offer suggestions on Caden’s fate.”
“Understood, and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you.” Alex waited for Rhys to take control of the women before he headed for the stockade. He was still so angry he could hardly see straight. What the fuck had Caden been thinking? This was unbelievable.
Drake met him on the path before he reached the converted cabin. “What are you going to do with him?” Drake wanted to know.
“I have no idea,” Alex admitted with a sigh. “I knew he was frustrated, but this was just stupid.”
Drake’s expression hardened. “He’s not the only one who is frustrated by your passivity.”
Alex gaped at him, anger flaring all over again. “You agree with what Caden did?”
“I didn’t say that. Attacking Zion right now was foolish, but Caden has legitimate points and the other alphas are listening.”
Alex crossed his arms over his chest but pulled his emotions back. “The alpha council is meeting in the morning. I’ll make sure I listen.”
Drake nodded then released a sigh. “Caden needs to be humbled, but I would appreciate it if he’s still breathing when you’re finished with him.”
Alex managed to smile, though he already dreaded what was to come. “I’ll do my very best to accommodate you.”
* * *
Aboard the Azrithal
“Does Natalie know you’re spying on her?”
Avery Collins looked up from the datasheet on the table in front of her as Fallon’s question pulled her out of the scene she’d been observing.
“This is the feed from one of Natalie’s spybots.
She gave me the access code, so yes, she knows I’m watching.
However, I’m spying on the hybrids, not Natalie. ”
Fallon chuckled, her dark eyes sparkling. “Now that’s a hobby I can get behind. Is this a hummingbird or a cricket?” Fallon sat down beside Avery and angled the datasheet so they could both see the display.
Avery had been the sole occupant of the officers’ dining hall until Fallon sneaked away from the hold. The volunteers weren’t allowed in this part of the ship, but Fallon had a habit of ignoring the rules. Avery enjoyed her company, so she never reported her misbehavior to Natalie.
“It’s a cricket,” Avery finally answered Fallon’s question. “It’s perched on a windowsill, so we have a pretty good view of the entire clinic.”
“Which village is this and why are there so many wounded?” Fallon asked, taking in the scene with rapt interest.
“This is the feline village, and the carnage is courtesy of the wolves, of course. If the scene is soaked in blood, you can safely bet the wolves are responsible.”
“Who is that?” Fallon pointed to the blonde female cleaning the gaping wound on a hybrid’s side.
“Her name is Heather and she must be some sort of doctor. Natalie just brought her down here from Eagle Village. She was claimed by Gabriel and his second.”
Fallon looked up from the screen as she asked, “Isn’t Gabriel one of the leaders?”
“Yes.”
They watched for a few moments in silence, then a hybrid walked up to Heather with a large alloy case. “Malik said you’d know what to do with this.”
Avery didn’t know who Malik was, but she knew what the case contained.
As she helped Natalie strategize a few days ago, they identified inadequate medical treatment as a serious problem in each of the three villages.
Then yesterday Natalie showed her one of the first responder kits.
The tech it contained was a vast improvement over anything found on Rydaria.
“What’s in the case?” Fallon asked as Heather lifted the lid and examined the contents.
“It’s a medical first responder’s kit, something desperately needed in all the villages. It has a scanner, an onsite printer for medications and supplies, and a tissue generator.”
Fallon’s gaze snapped to Avery’s. “A bribe from Natalie?”
“Exactly. Heather’s job just got a whole lot easier, and she has Natalie to thank for it.”
Heather didn’t pause for debate. She picked up the tissue generator and turned back to her patient. Before Natalie’s intervention, the wound would have taken weeks to heal. The tissue generator mended the laceration in a matter of minutes.
Heather moved from patient to patient, Gabriel at her side. She was efficient and focused, in a word inspiring.
“Damn,” Fallon said after the most grievously injured hybrids had been treated. “The wolves made quite a mess. What did they gain from the attack?”
“Eighteen females,” Avery admitted. “The hostilities are escalating. We got here just in time.”
Challenge lifted Fallon’s brows. “The cats might argue that we arrived one day too late.”
Avery nodded. It was a valid point. The clinic was filled with wounded, but there had doubtlessly been deaths as well.
“Where did this come from?” Heather’s question drew Avery’s attention back to the datasheet.
“Where do you think?” The male beside her nodded toward Natalie.
Avery had spotted her earlier. She stood near the door, speaking with Gabriel and Zion, the massive leader of the lions.
“I can’t help fearing that she’s a devil in disguise,” Heather said softly.
That hadn’t kept her from using the new equipment, Avery thought, but didn’t comment.