Not in the main territory.Conall grabbed his jacket, already moving toward the door.Outside the perimeter.Watching.
Con, don’t.Quinton blocked his path, face tight with concern.This is exactly what she wants.To draw you out, away from pack protection.
Maybe.The mate bond thrummed insistently, pulling him eastward like a physical force.Or maybe it’s time to get some real answers.
This is insane.She tried to kill you once already.
No, she didn’t.The words surprised them both.She saved my life.Led those operatives away, and I’m pretty sure she took a bullet doing it.
After accusing us of murder!
After someone else tried to kill us both.Conall met his gaze directly.Think about it, Quin.Why would Chimera target both of us if she was working with them?
Uncertainty flickered across Quinton’s features.The logical holes in Nadine’s accusations had been bothering him too.
Even if she’s not Chimera,he said slowly,that doesn’t make her safe.The mate bond could be affecting your judgment.
My judgment is fine.But even as Conall said it, he wasn’t sure it was true.The pull toward her had been growing stronger by the hour, clouding any rational thought with a desperate need.
Then why are you about to go chasing after a woman who wants you dead?
Because I need to know the truth.About her father, about the accusations.About this impossible connection that was turning his world upside down.
Fine.Then I’m coming with you.
No.The refusal was automatic.This is something I have to do alone.
Quinton’s expression shifted to hurt, then anger.That’s not how we work.
This is different.
Because of the mate bond.
Yes.Conall couldn’t deny it anymore.Because of the mate bond.
For the first time in their lives, the twin connection that had defined them felt secondary to something else.The realization terrified Conall.
This is going to destroy us,Quinton said quietly.
No, it’s not.But Conall wasn’t sure he believed his own assertion.
He left Quinton standing in their apartment.His twin’s shock and hurt radiated through their connection.
Each step away from Quinton felt like betrayal.But Conall’s attraction to Nadine—the pull he felt toward her—was stronger than anything he had ever experienced.
That pull drew him eastward, outside of town—beyond the security perimeter.
His wolf form emerged as he shifted seamlessly, dark brown fur melting into the desert shadows.The scent trail grew stronger with each stride—definitely her, definitely close.
He found her scent concentrated near the abandoned miner’s cabin, faint but unmistakable.
She’d been here recently.Very recently.
But as he circled the area, searching for a more current sign of her presence, he began to doubt himself.Was he following an actual trail or just wishful thinking?The mate bond made everything about her seem more intense.More immediate.
Maybe Quinton was right.Maybe this is just the mate bond affecting my judgment.
Then the wind shifted.