How much more advanced?she asked, her husky voice cutting through the morning stillness.
Years beyond my prototype.Chen highlighted sections of the interface schematic.Neural pathway integration, memory suppression protocols, behavioral modification subroutines—this represents a complete evolution of the technology.
Conall felt his wolf stir restlessly beneath his skin as Nadine shifted position, her scent drifting across the small space.
For him, three days of forced proximity, of trying to maintain professional distance while the mate bond trembled between them, was driving him slowly insane.
The question,Anders interjected from his position near the secure communications array,is whether we can use that evolution against them.
Use what against whom?
But then Conall caught the meaningful look Anders directed toward him and Nadine, clocked the slight emphasis on the worduse.
The mate bond?Was Anders suggesting they leverage their connection for tactical advantage?
That’s not happening,Conall said flatly, before Anders could elaborate further.
Nadine’s head snapped toward him, eyebrows raised.What’s not happening?
Heat crawled up Conall’s neck.He’d reacted too quickly, revealed too much.Nothing.Anders was just—
I was observing,Anders said mildly,that some mate bonds create unique communication advantages.Enhanced emotional awareness, instinctive coordination, shared sensory experiences under stress.Some mates can even communicate full ideas, almost as if they’re communicating verbally.In an investigation like this—
No.Conall’s voice carried more force than he intended, drawing curious glances from across the room.Through the twin bond, he felt Quinton’s attention sharpen from where his brother worked at a terminal near the window.
Quinton had been struggling since Nadine’s arrival.Not openly—his brother was too professional for that—but Conall felt it through their connection.
The constant low-level tension, the way Quinton’s jaw tightened whenever Conall and Nadine worked closely together, the distance he maintained from both of them.
An entire lifetime of being each other’s primary connection, and now there was this—an unwanted bond with a woman who’d accused them of murder, who represented everything that threatened their world.
The bond doesn’t factor into our investigation,Conall continued, aware of how his voice sounded strained even to his own ears.We work with the intelligence we can verify, not—He gestured vaguely between himself and Nadine.Not whatever this is.
Nadine’s expression shifted to something unreadable.This being the mate bond you keep pretending doesn’t exist?
Direct.Confrontational.Everything he expected from her, and it still caught him off guard.
I’m not pretending anything,he said.I’m prioritizing mission objectives over biological impulses.
She barked out a harsh laugh.Right.Because acknowledging basic shifter biology would compromise your objectivity.
The mate bond responded to her challenge with heat that made his skin feel too tight.Even now, when she was deliberately provoking him, his wolf wanted nothing more than to close the distance between them.
Can we focus on the actual investigation?Quinton’s voice cut through the tension, carrying an edge of frustration.Dr.Chen was explaining how the neural interfaces work.
Quinton’s irritation traveled through their bond—not just at the mate bond complications, but at being relegated to observer status in an investigation that should have involved both twins equally.
Hell, twin bonds functioned much like mate bonds—and the Stewart brothers had years of practice using their bond.
But the coalphas had specifically requested Conall and Nadine work with Chen, leaving Quinton to coordinate intelligence analysis with Anders.
Of course,Chen said smoothly, either oblivious to the undercurrents or choosing to ignore them.The key insight is that these new interfaces don’t just suppress memories—they create new ones.False narratives designed to guide behavior in specific directions.
Nadine straightened, attention fully focused now.Gregory’s hatred of the Sunburst Pack?His stories about saving shifter cubs?
Potentially, yes.If your father had an interface implanted during his time with Vincent’s regime, his perceptions could have been systematically altered over years.Chen pulled up a new schematic showing neural pathway modifications.The subject would experience genuine emotions—real anger, authentic grief, sincere conviction—but directed toward manufactured targets.
The implications hit Conall all at once.Gregory Torrance’s alliance with Vincent, his daughter’s hunt for revenge—all of it potentially orchestrated by an enemy they still hadn’t identified.
