Cross Timbers Pack confirmed their asset this morning,Anders told them, his voice cutting through the aftermath of Quinton’s accusations with military precision.Female, mid-thirties, veterinary assistant.Medical access, perfect cover.
The news made Nadine’s stomach clench.Another pack compromised.Another sleeper agent positioned for maximum damage when the Omicron Protocol activated.The scope of Chimera’s infiltration was even worse than she’d feared.
Assets aren’t gathering intelligence anymore,she said, forcing her voice to remain steady despite the growing horror of what they were facing.They’re positioned for maximum damage when activated.
Her assessment aligned with everything they’d discovered in Gregory’s shrine—this wasn’t about espionage anymore.This was about positioning weapons inside pack territories, ready to detonate when Chimera gave the signal.
Anders’s expression darkened as he absorbed the implications.What else have you found here?
Nadine hesitated, her hand hovering over one of the evidence boxes.What she was about to reveal would make their situation exponentially worse, would confirm every paranoid suspicion about infiltration and betrayal that had been eating at the pack’s foundation.
The storage unit contained psychological profiles on current pack members,she said finally.Behavioral patterns, personal weaknesses, relationship dynamics.
She pulled out the thick folder with hands that barely trembled, opening it to display files that made everyone present go rigid with shock.
Conall’s psychological profile stared back at them—a clinical dissection of his fighting capabilities, emotional triggers, and absolute devotion to his twin brother.The analysis was disturbingly accurate, mapping his mental landscape with the precision of someone who’d been studying him for years.
Detailed analyses of pack hierarchy filled the pages, noting which members could be manipulated, which relationships exploited, which loyalties turned into weapons.Malcolm and Larissa’s coalpha dynamic was dissected with surgical precision.
Anders’s emotional detachment was cataloged as both strength and vulnerability.Even Quinton’s protective instincts toward his twin were identified as potential leverage points.
Conall’s shock mixed with her own growing horror as they both recognized the scope of the betrayal.
Someone’s been feeding Chimera our psychological vulnerabilities for years,Anders said, his voice deadly quiet.
The lead guardian was clearly processing security breaches, identifying how such detailed intelligence could have been gathered without detection.
But Nadine was thinking beyond the immediate implications—if Chimera had this level of psychological intelligence on the Sunburst Pack, they likely had similar profiles on every pack they’d targeted.
The question is whether our traitor knows they’re compromised,she said,or if they’re being manipulated through neural interface technology.
It was a crucial distinction that could mean the difference between hunting an enemy and helping a victim.
Does it matter?Quinton’s voice cut through her analysis like a blade, carrying an edge that made every instinct she possessed scream danger.Compromised is compromised.
His gaze found hers with uncomfortable intensity, and Nadine’s wolf’s hackles rose at the threat implicit in his posture.
Our response should be eliminating the threat,Quinton continued, his meaning unmistakable,not making excuses based on theoretical neural manipulation.
The words were ostensibly about unknown assets, but Nadine could hear the deeper accusation.
Quinton wasn’t just talking about pack security—he was talking about her.
About eliminating the threat she represented to everything he’d built with his brother.
About eliminatingher.
She kept her voice level despite his obvious hostility.Understanding the method helps us identify other potential assets—
Maybe we should question everyone who’s shown up recently with convenient explanations,Quinton interrupted, his meaning crystal clear.The words were aimed directly at her, but his eyes never left Conall’s face.And God knows your judgment’s been questionable since she arrived.
Heat flooded Nadine’s face—not embarrassment, but anger at the public attack combined with recognition of the truth underlying his accusation.Conall’s judgment had been compromised since her arrival.The mate bond, whether real or artificial, had reshaped his priorities in ways that were obvious to everyone present.
Through their connection, she felt Conall’s shame and frustration, his inability to deny his twin’s charges completely.But she also felt something else—the way his protective instincts flared every time Quinton attacked her, the automatic response that put her safety above everything else.
Including his relationship with his twin.
Guilt overwhelmed her.
