And her father’s real killer was still out there.
The thought made her hands clench on the steering wheel hard enough to hurt.
Even if that’s true,she said,it doesn’t explain why you came looking for me tonight.Why you left your pack, your territory, everything safe and familiar, to track down someone you thought wanted you dead.
Silence stretched between them, loaded with everything he wasn’t saying.She could feel the mate bond sparking, an electric awareness that made every breath feel charged with possibility.
You know why,he said finally, voice rough.
That’s not an answer,she whispered.
It’s the only answer that matters.
Her chest tightened.Because he was right, and she hated that he was right.The mate bond was the reason she’d protected him in that ravine.The reason she’d led those operatives away instead of letting them take him.The reason some part of her had suspected, even while she was accusing him of murder, that he was telling the truth.
But she wasn’t ready to admit that.Not to him.Not to herself.
The lights of Sunburst appeared on the horizon.Seeing them should have made her tense, prepared for battle.Instead, there was something almost welcoming about them.Like coming home after a long journey.
Not home, she reminded herself firmly.Enemy territory.
But her traitorous heart didn’t seem to care about the distinction.
My pack can protect you,Conall said quietly as they approached the outskirts of town.Give you medical attention.A safe place to recover.Resources to help figure out who’s really behind your father’s death.
And what’s the price?she asked, because there was always a price.Always a catch.
No price.He paused.Just give us a chance to prove we’re not your enemies.
Us.
The word shouldn’t have stung, but it did.
A reminder that accepting his help meant facing his twin, his pack, his entire world.A reminder that whatever connection existed between them, she would always be the outsider.
The silver wound throbbed as if to remind her how limited her options really were.
Conall was right.She needed medical attention.Needed time to heal.Needed resources she didn’t currently have.
And despite everything, some part of her trusted him.
Temporary alliance,she said finally.Until I’m healed, and we figure out who’s really behind this.
Temporary alliance,he agreed, but there was something in his voice that suggested he didn’t believe it would stay that way.
Neither did she, if she was being honest.
No matter how hard they both fought it, no matter how much they told themselves this was just cooperation, the connection grew stronger with every shared glance, every moment of working together, every small act of protection and trust.
She could tell herself she was going to Sunburst territory to recover and investigate, to find the truth about her father’s death and bring his real killers to justice.
But deep down, in a place she wasn’t ready to acknowledge, she knew she was going because Conall had asked her to.
Because something about the way he’d offered protection without conditions, partnership without price, made her want to believe that not everyone who carried the Sunburst name was her enemy.
Even if admitting that felt like betraying her father’s memory.
Even if it terrified her more than any paramilitary team or mysterious facility ever could.
