They reached the basement, where multiple workstations hummed with activity.Anders led Conall to a quiet corner, away from the other pack members working at their stations.
Sometimes the strongest bonds can be challenged when unexpected connections form,Anders said.Even twin bonds can be tested when a mate bond appears.
Conall froze.What are you suggesting?
I know what it looks like when a shifter meets their mate,Anders said mildly.That glazed expression.The constant distraction.The way your scent has changed subtly since yesterday.
I don’t know what you’re talking about.
You don’t have to tell me who it is,Anders said.That’s your business.But take it from someone who recently went through this—fighting the mate bond only makes it harder in the long run.
There’s nothing to fight.
Anders raised an eyebrow but didn’t push further.If you say so.Just remember, some connections are meant to challenge us.To help us grow beyond what we thought possible.
Nothing could ever come between me and Quinton,Conall said firmly.We’ve been each other’s whole world since birth.No other connection could change that.
Sure.But in my experience, the universe has a way of shaking up even the most established relationships when the time is right.
Conall thought of Nadine—her fierce eyes, her hatred of his pack, her absolute conviction that he and his twin were traitors.
Nothing about their connection feltright.It felt like a cosmic joke, a cruel twist of fate designed to torment them both.
Let’s just focus on the security footage,he said, turning toward the nearest workstation.We need to identify those operatives.
Anders allowed the subject change, but as they settled in to review the previous day’s security data, he left Conall with one last observation.
Change is inevitable, Conall.The question isn’t whether your relationship with Quinton will change—it’s whether you’ll both adapt and grow stronger through that change, or let it break you apart.
Conall said nothing, but the words echoed in his mind as he forced himself to focus on the security screens before him.
In the back of his mind, his wolf paced restlessly, yearning for a connection he refused to acknowledge, even as it etched itself deeper into his soul with each passing hour.
CHAPTER 4
NADINE WOKE TO DARKNESSand the taste of copper in her mouth.
Silver burned like acid in her veins.
For one disorienting moment, she didn’t know where she was.Then memory crashed back—the chase, the tactical team, the bullet.
Conall Stewart.
Pain lanced through her leg as she shifted position, the silver wound throbbing with unnatural heat.The shallow cave she’d crawled into sometime during the night offered minimal protection—just enough to keep predators at bay while she’d surrendered to exhaustion.
Sweat slicked her skin despite the predawn chill.Silver fever, getting worse.
Damn it,she growled, her voice rough from thirst.
She forced herself upright, ignoring the wave of nausea that followed.
Weak light filtered through the cave entrance, just enough for her to examine the wound.The angry red gash across her hip and thigh had developed silver-blue lines extending outward like lightning strikes beneath her skin.
Classic silver poisoning.
Nadine pressed a hand to her forehead.Burning up.
She’d die here if she didn’t get to her supplies.
