"How’s Alie?" Katelyn inquired her brother as soon as he stepped out of the room.
"Stay away from her," Gabriel warned her, his eyes burning with rage.
"I did nothing, Brother. I was with Alie the whole ti," Katelyn said, feeling frustrated that her brother was looking at her a suspicious gaze.
"Stay out of it then," Gabriel roared before walking away.
As he reached the dungeon, he went straight to the man, who intended harming Alie. His hand reached his neck while his claws dug deeper into the man’s neck, making him scream in pain.
The next second, he shoved the man’s head straight to the hard, stony floor of the dungeon and a crushing sound was heard. "Did you forget whose woman you’d dared to touch?" Gabriel’s eyes shimring violet, the anger in him didn’t lessen even a bit.
The man, already slipping into unconsciousness, groaned weakly when Gabriel’s grip tightened on his hair. Blood trickled from his broken nose, and the deep claw marks on his neck began to sear with pain, the wounds burning as if laced with fire.
Gabriel crouched low, grabbing the man’s collar and yanking him up roughly. "On whose orders?" he demanded with a growl.
Through broken gasps, the man choked out, "Flora Conley."
"Pl-please spare ," the man stamred, blood dripping from his mouth.
Gabriel’s lips curled into a cold sneer. "Ti to kill that bitch," he muttered darkly, rising to his feet. For a fleeting second, the man thought he was being spared, but rcy was never Gabriel’s way.
Without sparing him another glance, Gabriel said, "You will be executed soon."
Karn trailed after Gabriel, muttering under her breath, "Aren’t they real sisters? How could Flora send soone to harm Alie?"
"Send a capable team to Red River Pack," Gabriel commanded. "Arrest Flora. If anyone stands in your way, arrest them too."
"But don’t you think that’s strange? How did Flora know where Alie was?" Karn questioned her.
"We will find out from Flora’s mouth," Gabriel said.
"What if soone else was behind it?" Karn suggested.
"Whoever is behind today’s incident, they won’t be spared," Gabriel answered. "However, Flora is now the pri suspect."
"Yes, Alpha," Karn said with a bow before hurrying off to carry out the order.
Gabriel continued toward the mansion. As he entered, he found both his brothers waiting for him with tensed expressions on their faces. His gaze flickered to Katelyn, who stood nearby.
Casaio’s gaze dropped to Gabriel’s bloodied hand, his brows furrowing in concern.
"You already killed the man?" he asked, frowning at Gabriel.
Without waiting for a reply, Casaio curled his fingers into a loose fist and started walking toward the staircase.
"Who was responsible?" Dominick asked, his voice cutting through the tense silence.
Katelyn, still trying to process everything, spoke up, "Brother, listen. Alie was perfectly fine when she was with and Jodie. Then, all of a sudden, she got upset and left on her own. I tried to follow her, but the elevator doors closed before I could get in."
She shook her head, her confusion clear. "I don’t understand how she beca a target."
Gabriel’s anger flared anew. He turned sharply toward Katelyn, his eyes blazing. "So you’re telling you invited Jodie to lunch?" His voice was low but dangerous. "Don’t tell , Katelyn, that you set this up on purpose," he accused, taking a nacing step closer to her.
"Calm down, Gabriel," Casaio intervened sharply, positioning himself between them. "The attack on Alie couldn’t have happened just because they t for lunch. You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgnt."
He placed a steadying hand on Gabriel’s shoulder. "Think with a clear mind. We need to figure out who’s really behind this."
"Fuck off! I know all of you too well. None of you ever wanted to be happy!" Gabriel’s voice thundered through the hall. "Do you think I’ve forgotten everything, Casaio? Hell, no! I stayed quiet all this ti... only because of Alie!"
His voice echoed off the walls as he took several steps back, his chest heaving with rage, before he abruptly turned and vanished from their sight.
"Gabriel’s completely lost his mind," Dominick muttered under his breath, sinking heavily onto the couch.
Casaio stood still, the weight of Gabriel’s words hitting him harder than he showed. He understood all too well where that bitterness stemd from.
Since they were children, Gabriel had endured their mother’s cold, indifferent treatnt, while the rest of them stood by, doing nothing. They had pitied him, sure, but they had also laughed it off, pretending it didn’t matter. Pretending Gabriel didn’t matter.
Katelyn slowly lowered herself onto the couch.
"Jodie just wanted to et Alie. I didn’t think it would cause this much trouble," she murmured, guilt lacing her words.
"You introduced Gabriel’s ex to his mate," Dominick pointed out bluntly, leaning back against the cushions.
"But that shouldn’t have been an issue," Katelyn argued weakly. "Gabriel never took any of his past relationships seriously."
Casaio’s jaw tightened. "But Jodie... Jodie was obsessed with him. Don’t tell you didn’t know," he said.
"But she’s not the culprit, right?" Katelyn glanced at both of her brothers. "I just hope Alie wakes up and calms my brother down."
~~~~
Upstairs in the room, Skye rose from her chair.
"Calm yourself, Gabriel. I could hear your shouting all the way from here," she said.
Gabriel didn’t respond. He simply sat by the bedside, his gaze locked onto Alie’s face, silently praying for her to open her eyes.
Seeing his silence, Skye softened her tone and asked, "Did you find out who was behind the attack?"
Gabriel’s jaw clenched before he finally spoke. "Flora. Alie’s sister," he said, filling bitter. "And I suspect Jodie had a hand in it too."
"Jodie..." Skye repeated, frowning slightly as she recalled. "Wasn’t that the na of one of your exes?"
Gabriel gave a short hum.
Skye crossed her arms, hesitant. "I won’t comnt on your suspicions about Jodie," she said carefully. "But why would Alie’s own sister want to harm her?"
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