There it was—her scent, fresh and real and utterly unmistakable, with undertones of healing herbs and something darker, a scent like silver and pain.
She was hurt.
His protective instincts flared at the realization, despite everything logical telling him she was his enemy.
She’s not your enemy, his wolf insisted.She’s our mate.We must protect our mate.
But she thought he’d killed her father.That made them enemies, regardless of what biology dictated.
Didn’t it?
Conall shifted back to his human form, standing naked in the desert moonlight, torn between approaching and retreating.The smart thing would be to go back, report her location to Anders.Let the pack handle this professionally.
Instead, he took a step toward where her scent was strongest.
Then another.
The scent trail led him deeper into the desert.Every step forward sent electricity juddering through his veins.
His bare feet found purchase on rough stone as he navigated the terrain, following her essence like a bloodhound.
She was close.So close he could taste the mountain snow on the night air.
That was when he saw her.
Nadine emerged from behind a cluster of boulders, moving with that grace that had caught his attention in the ravine.But something was wrong.She favored her left leg slightly, and there was a tension in her shoulders that spoke of pain being suppressed.
Injured.The protective instinct flared so hard it nearly doubled him over.
He’d been right.She’d been hit with silver, had taken a bullet for him.
Their eyes met across thirty feet of desert sand, that catch in her breathing he remembered from before hitching in her chest.
The mate bond exploded between them—a surge of recognition so intense it stole his breath.
You,she breathed, and even from this distance he caught the smoke-and-whiskey rasp of her voice.
We need to talk,Conall called out, taking a careful step forward.
That was when the world exploded.
Tranquilizer darts whistled through the air.
One caught him in the shoulder—the same damn shoulder as before.Fire spread through muscle and bone as the specialized cocktail hit his bloodstream.
Nadine spun, dropping into a combat crouch as figures emerged from concealment all around them.Six.Maybe eight.Moving with military precision that screamed professional operation.
Chimera again?Someone who’d been watching, at least.Waiting.
Run!Nadine shouted, but her voice already sounded distant as the tranquilizer took hold of his mind.
She tried.God, she tried to fight them off despite whatever injury she was nursing.Her movements were liquid violence—strikes and kicks delivered with surgical precision.
But there were too many of them, and she was already compromised.
A dart found her thigh.Then another in her back.
Conall watched her stumble, watched the fight drain from her limbs as the drugs took hold.His own vision grayed at the edges.The desert tilted sideways.
