Page 51 of Their Marked Mate

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.”