CHAPTER 10
THE FIRST SIGHT OFSunburst territory in the predawn darkness should have brought relief.
Instead, tension coiled tighter in Conall’s gut as he watched Nadine navigate the stolen Jeep down the familiar desert road, her knuckles white against the steering wheel.
The mate bond vibrated between them—a constant reminder of everything that had changed in the span of a few hours.Nadine’s scent filled the enclosed space, now undercut with something sharper.Fear?Determination?The silver wound that was still healing?
Impossible to tell.
This is bothering me,Nadine said quietly, breaking the silence that had stretched between them since they’d cleared the facility’s perimeter.Her fingers drummed against her thigh—a nervous habit he was learning to recognize.It was too easy.
Conall’s hands clenched in his lap.He’d been thinking the same thing, but hearing her voice the concern made it feel more real.More dangerous.
The escape?he asked, though he already knew what she meant.
All of it.She shifted in the driver’s seat, and he caught the slight wince as the movement pulled at her injured leg.Three guards to secure two shifters?Keys left in an unlocked vehicle?No pursuit?
Conall nodded, and Nadine let out a low growl.Either our captors are incompetent, or—
Or they wanted us to escape.Conall finished the thought she didn’t want to voice.Wanted us to come here.
The implications twisted in his gut.
If their escape had been orchestrated, if they’d been allowed to flee, then they weren’t survivors—they were weapons.Guided missiles aimed directly at the heart of Sunburst Pack territory.
We need to turn around,Nadine said suddenly, her voice sharp with rising panic.She started to slow the vehicle.Right now.
Don’t.If we’re compromised—if we’re carrying tracking devices or if this vehicle is bugged—then running will only delay the inevitable.My pack needs to know what’s coming.
Her hands tightened on the steering wheel, but she kept driving forward.
Your pack.She practically spat the words, and through the mate bond he felt her fear crystallizing into rage.The ones who killed my father.
Heat flared in his chest.Dammit, Nadine.We didn’t kill Gregory.We’ve never even—
Save it.She stared out at the desert landscape.The familiar landmarks that meant home to him clearly read as enemy territory to her.I’ve heard enough lies tonight.
The accusation stung more than it should have.Not too long ago, they’d fought side by side to escape that concrete hellhole.
She’d watched his back, trusted him enough to follow his lead.Now she was retreating behind walls of suspicion again, treating him like the enemy.
You’re scared,he said quietly and felt her shock ripple through the bond.
I’m not—
You are.You’re terrified that you’ve been manipulated into walking straight into the hands of the people you think murdered your father.Conall kept his voice level, nonthreatening, even as his protective instincts screamed at him to reach over and comfort her.And you’re scared because part of you is starting to believe I might be telling the truth.
Her breathing had changed, becoming more controlled.Deliberately calm.Like she was fighting not to hyperventilate.
That doesn’t change anything,she whispered.
Doesn’t it?
Through the windshield, the lights of Sunburst town appeared on the horizon—scattered and warm against the vast darkness of the desert.His home.The place he’d sworn to protect with his life.
But seeing it through Nadine’s eyes, through the mate bond that carried her growing dread, those welcoming lights looked different.
Like the eyes of predators watching from the dark.
