Around the table, pack members watched the exchange with varying degrees of discomfort, witnessing a fracture in what had always been the most solid relationship in their community.
Conall met his twin’s gaze directly, seeing his own features reflected back at him—identical in every way except for the hurt and betrayal that had taken root in Quinton’s expression.
I don’t know,he admitted.
Something shattered behind Quinton’s eyes.
Right,he said flatly, taking a step back.The physical distance felt like a chasm opening between them.Good to know where your priorities lie.
That’s not fair—
Isn’t it?Quinton’s laugh was dry, splintered, and not at all amused.You disappeared without a word, Conall.Left me to wonder if I’d lost the only family I’ve ever known.And now you’re telling me you might do it again.
The mate bond pulsed with Nadine’s discomfort at being the cause of their conflict, but Conall couldn’t find words to reassure either her or his twin.Because Quinton was right—the mate bond had changed his priorities in ways he was still struggling to understand.
Enough.Malcolm’s alpha voice cut through the tension.We don’t have time for this.There’s a security breach in our pack, unknown operatives targeting our people, and a murder that needs investigating.
The coalpha’s gaze swept the room, making contact with every pack member present.Personal conflicts will have to wait until the immediate threats are neutralized.
Larissa leaned forward, already moving past the interpersonal drama to strategic considerations.Anders was already putting together a team to track the false Nadine before we knew about the broader conspiracy.Now that we understand she’s connected to these operatives, finding her becomes even more critical.
She could lead us to whoever’s behind all this,Nadine added, speaking for the first time since Quinton’s emotional outburst.Her voice was professional, but Conall could feel her guilt through the bond.She blamed herself for the rift between the twins.
Exactly,Anders nodded.Which is why your investigation into Gregory’s death and our search for the impostor need to be coordinated.She clearly had detailed information about his murder—information that could only have come from someone who was there.
Malcolm’s expression hardened.If that’s true, if Gregory’s death is connected to these broader attacks on the packs, then we’re not just hunting a murderer.We’re looking at a conspiracy to destabilize the entire shifter community.
What had started as a simple murder investigation had evolved into something far more dangerous—a threat to everything they’d built, everything they’d sworn to protect.
We’ll need to move carefully,Larissa said.If there is a traitor in the pack, if someone helped the false Nadine escape, then traditional security protocols may be compromised.
Which means the investigation team needs to be small,Anders concluded.Limited to people we absolutely trust.
His gaze moved to Conall and Nadine.You two will handle Gregory’s death and the connection to these operatives.I’ll lead a separate team to track the impostor’s escape route, see if we can pick up her trail.
Coordination will be key,Malcolm agreed.But we keep the details compartmentalized.No one outside the investigation teams knows what we’re really looking for.
Quinton shifted position, and Conall felt his twin’s struggle through their bond—the desire to be involved warring with his current anger and hurt.
What about Quinton?Conall asked, voicing the question his twin was too proud to ask.
I’ll be fine,Quinton said curtly.Clearly you don’t need a partner anymore.
The words stung.In the space of a few days, the mate bond had done what nothing else in their lives had managed—it had driven a wedge between them that felt impossible to bridge.
You’ll be working with my team,Anders said to Quinton, his tone gentle but firm.We need your tracking skills to follow the impostor’s trail.
It was a diplomatic solution—keeping the twins separated while ensuring both felt useful.But it did nothing to address the fundamental rift that had opened between them.They’d always worked as a unit, had never been assigned to separate missions.
Malcolm and Larissa exchanged one of those silent communications that came with their coalpha bond.Conall felt a stab of something that might have been envy—the easy understanding, the seamless coordination.Everything he’d thought he had with Quinton before the mate bond had complicated everything between them.
Anders,Malcolm decided,you and Nadine will retrieve the evidence first thing tomorrow morning.
I could handle the drive myself,Nadine said quickly, having apparently been considering her options.
Not happening.Anders cut her off, his tone carrying the same authority that made even alphas listen.We don’t know if any of Gregory’s associates are watching the bank, waiting for you to return.You go alone, you’re walking into a potential ambush.
Through the mate bond, Conall felt Nadine’s flash of irritation at being protected, followed immediately by her recognition that Anders was right.Professional assessment overriding personal independence.
