Page 51 of Conall
Two hours to Roswell, maybe three if we hit traffic,Anders continued, already shifting into planning mode.We leave at dawn, secure the evidence, and return by noon.
Nick,Larissa cut in,set up the guest apartment for Ms.Torrance, please.Nadine, it’s above the Sunburst Diner.You’ll be safe there.
Everyone else,Malcolm added,enhanced security protocols remain in effect.We have enemies moving against us, but we don’t know who or why.Stay alert.
Conall watched Nadine absorb the arrangements being made around her, noting the way she tracked every detail while maintaining an emotional distance.Still thinking like someone who might need to run at a moment’s notice.
The council will reconvene at two p.m.,Larissa announced.Once we have the full scope of evidence, we can properly assess the threat and coordinate our response.
When do Conall and I start our investigation?Nadine asked.
After the council meeting,Malcolm replied.Every hour we delay gives the conspiracy more time to cover their tracks, eliminate witnesses, and carry out whatever they’re planning.But we need to understand what we’re really dealing with before we commit resources.
Conall found himself nodding, though part of him chafed at the delay.The mate bond whispered urgency—find Gregory’s killers, eliminate the threat to Nadine, protect what mattered most.But the logical part of his mind recognized the wisdom in Malcolm’s approach.
Going off half-informed was how good people got killed.
Tomorrow, then,Conall said, his gaze finding Nadine’s across the room.And we will get justice for your father.
Something flickered in her expression—surprise, maybe, at his certainty.Or perhaps recognition that he truly meant it, that her quest for answers had become his as well?
Malcolm and Larissa stood, signaling the council’s dismissal.
As the meeting began to break up, pack members filing out to return to their duties, Conall found himself caught between conflicting impulses.His wolf wanted to follow Nadine, to ensure her safety in unfamiliar territory.His human half knew she needed space to process everything that had happened.
And underneath both ran the growing awareness that his relationship with Quinton needed attention before it fractured completely.
As if drawn by Conall’s thoughts of him, Quinton approached Conall one last time.
His twin’s presence felt different now—familiar but somehow foreign, like looking at his reflection through rippled water.
This is a mistake,Quinton said without preamble.She’s going to destroy us.
Probably.
The mate bond was already fracturing the foundation of everything Conall had built his life on.
Maybe,he agreed.But it’s my mistake to make.His words cut through thirty years of shared identity.For the first time in their lives, they were truly separate.Truly alone.
Be careful,Quinton said quietly, his anger temporarily set aside in favor of genuine concern.I know you think you can trust her, but—
She’s not the enemy,Conall interrupted.
Maybe not,Quinton conceded.But she’s changing you.Changing us.And I don’t know if that’s for the better.
With that, his twin walked away, leaving Conall standing beside Nadine in the suddenly empty meeting room.The silence stretched between them, loaded with everything they hadn’t said, everything they couldn’t acknowledge.
He’s right, you know,Nadine said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.I am changing things between you.
Some things need to change.
She turned to look at him directly, her gaze searching his face for something he wasn’t sure he was ready to reveal.Do they?Or are we just telling ourselves that because it’s easier than fighting what’s happening between us?
Conall didn’t know anymore.Didn’t know where the mate bond ended and his own choices began.Didn’t know if he was following his heart or just following biology.
All he knew was that standing here beside her felt right in a way that defied logic.And walking away—returning to the simple, uncomplicated life he’d lived before she’d slammed her way into it—felt impossible.
You realize this changes nothing,she said when he didn’t answer.Working together doesn’t make us allies.It doesn’t mean I trust you.
