Page 29 of Conall (The Sunburst Pack #3)

In either case, it unnerved her to realize that someone was still watching his grave.

H ALFWAY BACK TO S UNBURST , their backup team got through to Conall.

Their comms were jammed, he said after he finished talking to their leader. No idea how.

Chen nodded grimly. Do you have a communications expert to deal with that?

Conall shrugged. Anders does, I’m sure. I’ll talk to him tomorrow.

By the time they reached town, the adrenaline from the firefight at the mine site had faded, leaving Nadine hollow.

Learning her father had been Chimera’s puppet, that her hunt for the Sunburst Pack had been orchestrated lies—the knowledge pressed down on her as she gathered equipment from their vehicle.

Nadine. Conall’s voice carried that careful tone he’d been using since their kiss in the archives—professional distance with an underlying current she refused to acknowledge.

She looked up to find him standing a few feet away, his dark hair still disheveled from their retreat, his expression unreadable in the fading desert light.

What? The word came out sounding stark, harder than she intended.

There’s a pack gathering tonight. On Sunburst Mesa. He gestured toward the sacred site visible in the distance, where scattered lights already dotted the landscape. Anders and Etta’s official mate recognition ceremony.

Nadine’s wolf twitched restlessly beneath her skin at the mention of mate recognition, responding to both the concept and Conall’s proximity with an enthusiasm that made her teeth clench.

Congratulations to them, she said, turning back to her equipment. I’ll be in my apartment if anyone needs me for the investigation.

You should come.

The suggestion stopped her cold. She straightened slowly, meeting his gaze with what she hoped was cool professionalism instead of the confusion that was eating her alive.

That’s not a good idea.

Why not? His tone carried genuine curiosity, as if he couldn’t fathom why a woman who’d spent weeks hunting his pack for murder might feel uncomfortable at their gathering.

Because I don’t belong there. Because half your pack still thinks I’m a threat, and the other half is only tolerating me because you vouched for me.

That’s not true.

Isn’t it? She shouldered her bag, using the movement to create distance between them. Your brother can barely stand to be in the same room as me. Anders watches me like I might bolt or attack at any moment. And the rest of them… She shrugged. They’re polite because their alphas ordered them to be.

Conall stepped closer, and her traitorous senses noted the way the desert heat had intensified his masculine musk.

You’re not giving them enough credit, he said quietly. And you’re not giving yourself enough credit either.

I’ve helped with one investigation, she said, forcing her voice to remain steady. That doesn’t make me part of your pack.

Doesn’t it? His dark eyes searched her face with uncomfortable intensity. You’ve shared intelligence that could save lives. You’re putting yourself at risk to help us identify the real enemy.

I’m protecting my own interests.

Is that all? He moved closer still, close enough that she could see the flecks of gold in his brown eyes, feel the heat radiating from his skin. Because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been protecting this pack from the moment you led those operatives away from me in the ravine.

That was different, she said weakly.

Was it? His voice dropped to that rough whisper that always made her wolf surge forward with desperate need.

The space between them seemed to shrink without either of them moving, the air growing thick with possibility and the dangerous pull of recognition.

This is exactly why I shouldn’t come tonight, she managed to say. Because every time we’re alone, this happens.

Maybe that’s not entirely bad.

It is when your brother thinks I’m manipulating you through an artificial mate bond.

Conall’s expression shifted, something like pain flickering across his features. Quinton’s concerns aren’t—

Aren’t what? Valid? She laughed, but there was no humor in it. He’s trying to protect you from someone he sees as a threat. That’s exactly what a good brother should do.

You’re not a threat.

How do you know? The question came loaded with all her own doubts, all the fears that had been eating at her since Dr. Chen’s revelations about neural interface technology. How do either of us know what’s real anymore?

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The mate bond vibrated between them, insistent and warm and impossible to ignore, but underneath it ran currents of uncertainty that made her throat ache.

Come tonight, Conall said finally, his voice gentle but determined.

Conall—

One night, he continued, cutting off her protest. Let yourself be part of something good for once instead of always fighting alone.

The words hit deeper than they should have, touching places she’d forgotten existed. When was the last time she’d celebrated anything?

I don’t know how to do this, she admitted quietly. I don’t know how to be around people who aren’t trying to kill me or use me.

You don’t have to know. You just have to show up.

Her inner wolf paced, yearning for the pack connection she’d never allowed herself to want. The belonging that came with shared territory, shared purpose, shared celebration under the desert stars.

If I come, she said, it doesn’t mean I’m accepting the bond or staying permanently or—

I know. But something in his expression suggested he hoped otherwise.

Okay. One night, she said finally.

One night, he agreed.

Just one night , she told herself again as they walked toward the lights of the mesa together.

What harm could one night do?

The sound of laughter drifted down from Sunburst Mesa, and Nadine felt her stomach clench with familiar wariness.

Pack gatherings.

Gregory had taught her to view them with suspicion.

But as they reached the summit, and Nadine took in the scene, she had to admit that Sunburst Pack didn’t look like monsters hiding behind false smiles. They looked like people.

Families clustered around fires, conversations punctuated by children’s laughter. Nothing like the militaristic hierarchy Gregory had described.

Nadine! Sarah’s voice carried genuine welcome. I wasn’t sure you’d come.

Seemed like good intelligence gathering, Nadine replied, then winced at how clinical that sounded.

Sarah’s laugh was understanding. I prefer to think of it as getting to know your neighbors.

Sarah’s son, Javier, barreled toward them, launching himself at Nadine’s legs with three-year-old enthusiasm.

Hey there, she said, crouching to his level. What’s got you so excited?

Mama said you fight like the wolves in stories. Will you show me?

Fighting isn’t a game, Javi, Sarah said.

Your mama’s right, Nadine said. It’s something we only do when we have to protect people we care about.

Like Mama and Daddy?

Like your mama and daddy, she confirmed, surprised by how easily the words came.

Javier beamed and scampered away again, leaving Nadine facing the assembled pack. Instead of hostility, she saw curiosity. Interest.

Good answer, Malcolm’s deep voice rumbled behind her. Children see truth more clearly than adults sometimes. Javier’s already decided you belong here.

Nadine smiled nervously, uncertain what to say.

Malcolm’s voice dropped lower. I guess the question is whether you’ve decided the same thing.

Belong?

I don’t belong anywhere, she said finally.

Everyone belongs somewhere, Larissa approached. Sometimes it just takes time to find the right place.

Before Nadine could decide how to answer the coalphas, they had moved on, talking to other pack members.

The next hour passed in unfamiliar sensations. Sharing meals with people who didn’t expect her to prove her worth with every interaction. Watching Conall interact with pack members who’d known him since childhood.

It made her chest tighten.

You’re thinking too hard, Conall observed eventually. They’re not what Gregory told you to expect, are they?

She glanced around again, noting details that didn’t fit Gregory’s narrative. Children playing freely. Adults in friendly debate. Genuine laughter.

Maybe Gregory didn’t know them as well as he thought he did, Conall added quietly.

And I definitely didn’t know him… Her voice trailed off, and she cocked her head to one side.

Oh, now you’re definitely thinking too hard. Conall leaned in closer. What is it?

We should go, she said suddenly. I need to check something.

Now? Before the mate ceremony? What could be that important?

Gregory’s financial records. I never checked them. But there could be information about where to find more details. Records of… I don’t know. Safe deposit boxes. Storage units. Something like that.

Conall gave a short nod.

Okay. Let’s go.

Back in front of her computer in the converted newspaper office, Nadine pulled up the files of Gregory’s financial records, studying them intently.

Dammit, I was right, she said, pointing to a series of monthly charges. Self-storage facility in Roswell. Started eight months before Gregory’s death.

Unit 127. You never checked it?

I didn’t know it existed.

Well, now that we do know, Conall said, we should go check it out.