But could she control her temper and ignore Patrick’s provocations?
If she became the perfect willing submissive, would Patrick lose interest? The possibility was surprisingly upsetting. She wanted to resolve the conflict raging between them, but she didn’t want him to walk away.
All she knew for certain was that defying him accomplished nothing good. When they returned, she would do what she was told without argument or hesitation. She wasn’t sure how long she could keep up the obedient act, but she was determined to try.
“This is a waste of time,” Patrick grumbled. He stood beside Gabriel in another featureless cavern, the fourth they’d encountered so far. The guards who had accompanied them stood across the room quietly speaking to each other. “There’s nothing here but endless tunnels.”
Gabriel paused to look around before he responded. “It makes no sense. The environment can’t be real. There’s no reason to tunnel through half the planet without extracting anything.”
That caught Patrick’s attention. He examined the cavern more closely, running his hands over the roughhewn stone. “It feels real to me.”
“So did the rock formation blocking the entrance to the tunnels near the feline village,” Gabriel reminded. “Yet it was deactivated and disappeared.”
Before Patrick could reply, Raphael and Victor entered the chamber. Both appeared tense and frustrated.
“Did you find anything?” Gabriel asked as the other two approached.
Raphael shrugged. “Same as you. Long winding tunnels and nothing else. However, Victor has an idea, and I think he’s onto something.”
“The tunnels are disguised?” Gabriel predicted. “We were thinking the same thing.”
“They’re likely using the same tech the cats discovered,” Victor said. “A combination of holographic projection and matter generators.”
Gabriel nodded, then released a sigh. “Which means we need one of the wolves to cooperate with us, or we have to locate the power source.”
“And we both know which is more likely.”
Gabriel’s lips thinned as he heard the disapproval in his brother’s tone. “They might be more willing to cooperate than you think.”
“And why is that?” Raphael muttered.
Gabriel glared and took a step toward Raphael. “I sent a message to Alex assuring him that we have no intention of retaliating. I told him that I felt like he was entitled to one third of the females and that I intended to bring my concerns to the cats.”
Raphael’s jaw dropped, his shock obvious. “You did what? We are allied with the cats, and the cats are at war with the wolves.”
Patrick tensed. The argument was quickly escalating, and he wasn’t sure how to calm them down. Should he even try?
“Elias started the war and Elias is dead,” Gabriel insisted. “Alex needs the opportunity to choose a different path. I intend to make sure he gets it.”
“I don’t believe this,” Raphael snarled, throwing both his hands up as he shook his head. “Have you lost your fucking mind? Alex is just as vicious as Elias. Wolves were bred to be killers. It is literally in their DNA.”
“We are all apex predators.” Gabriel raised his chin and squared his shoulders. “You never should have interfered. You created this mess, not me.”
Raphael threw the first punch. It snapped Gabriel’s head to the side and he immediately retaliated. He punched and kicked, his movements a storm of anger-fueled violence.
But Raphael was skilled and had a lifetime of fighting with his brother. He threw Gabriel over his shoulder, slamming him down on the floor of the cave. Gabriel swept Raphael’s feet out from under him. Raphael landed hard on his ass then dove on top of Gabriel.
Patrick, Victor, and the guards watched the fight for a moment longer, unsure if they should get involved.
Then Patrick shook his head and shouted, “Enough!”
One of the guards helped him drag Gabriel away from Raphael, while Victor and the other guard dragged Raphael across the room.
Raphael wiped his bloody lip on the back of his hand as he panted out, “This is the most asinine thing you’ve ever done and that’s saying a lot.”
“Fuck you.” Gabriel twisted out of the restraining hands and stomped off along one of the tunnels.
Motioning for the guards to stay behind, Patrick quickly followed. “Do we need to reschedule with the wolves?” Patrick asked as they emerged from the tunnel. He blinked several times waiting for his eyes to adjust to the midday sunlight. “You can’t negotiate if your emotions are tied in knots.”
