11. Chapter 11
Conall
His bones shifted and realigned as fur melted back into skin.
The shift was always painful, but Conall had learned to channel it into a focused point that flashed white-hot then faded.
He drew in a deep breath through human lungs, the scent of pine and earth less sharp.
He’d needed the release, but his mind never strayed far from Riley.
Before he found her, Conall never thought much about the women he dated and fucked when he wasn’t with them. His wolf’s emotions ranged from apathetic when he was with Lexa Rowland to outright loathing at Anna. The animal chuffed at him for having ever touched that woman.
He pulled on his clothes and glanced over as a few exhausted wolves drifted out of the forest. Silence met him when he slipped inside the Pack house and padded to his bedroom suite.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he looked around his bedroom.
The space carried Riley’s scent of caramelized sugar and forest, and the suite was transformed from a dark, masculine space to a light, airy room with plants, touches of green, and natural textures.
At his wolf’s demand, he’d also replaced the bed and linens.
Pre-dawn light filtered through the blinds, softly bathing the room. There was a deep-cushioned window seat with pillows and a bookshelf already filled with the biology books and fiction novels Riley favored. Flint had helped him renovate the room.
“Details matter,” the shifter had informed him. Conall couldn’t deny he’d been right.
Riley lay curled around his pillow in the center of the bed, her dark hair and snowy streak fanning across the white sheets. She looked so young and worry-free, her blank, analytical stare absent for once. In these unguarded moments, he could almost forget what she carried inside her.
Conall moved closer, studying the delicate curve of her cheekbone and slight furrow between her brows.
Before the Pack run last night, he’d glimpsed moments of her breaking through the ice.
Her laughter with Sahara, and that snarl when Lexa had rubbed against him.
He grinned. Fuck, he’d loved hearing that unguarded, pissed-off sound coming out of her.
She was returning to Yellowstone later today. Every instinct screamed at him to keep her safe and at his side. But Riley did her job well, and it was one that aligned with her fierce loyalty and innate goodness, qualities that had first drawn his wolf to her.
The implant might make her colder and more distant, but Dr. Wharton’s advice offered a path forward. She needed strong emotional connections and experiences that triggered feelings. He could give her that. He’d give her anything. But first, she had to survive this investigation.
Langston was a question mark. Marlowe remained at large, and whoever had killed Zaria and taken Viggo was still out there. He’d bet his fortune Apex Mentis was behind it.
Conall sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of hair from her face, his thumb tracing the line of her jaw. She stirred at his touch.
Bending, he pressed his lips to her forehead. “Good morning.”
Her eyelids fluttered open as her hand came up to cover his, pressing it more firmly against her cheek. The simple gesture tightened his chest.
“You’re back. How’d it go?” Her voice was husky, her startling blue eyes heavy with sleep.
“I’m back,” he confirmed, brushing his thumb across her lower lip. “The run was good. The Pack needed it.”
“What time is it?” She glanced toward the window, noting the early light.
“Just after five.” He leaned down and kissed her properly. “Go back to sleep. There’s time.”
Instead, she shifted to make room for him, a silent invitation. He stretched out, and her body immediately sought his warmth. Her core temperature ran a little cooler since her implant.
His fingers traced idle patterns on her shoulder as she nestled her head against his chest. “I keep thinking about the coordinates and what might be out there,” she murmured.
Of course she was. No matter what was happening, her mind continued to process.
The Pack Council had called for emergency meetings, but he’d postponed them, hoping the timing would improve.
Now, with Zaria’s murder and Viggo still missing, the timing was worse than ever.
But the meetings in Washington wouldn’t wait.
“What is it? Your energy just flared.”
“I have to go to D.C. today. The Pack Council needs to convene, then hold negotiations with the Feds.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“At least a week. What about you?” He ran his hand down her back, feeling the delicate knobs of her spine through her thin sleep shirt.
“I don’t know. It depends on what we find.”
Conall exhaled and squeezed her. “The Central Government is pushing to expand mandatory registration to include shifters. They’re also proposing mandatory tracking devices for high-level Cognizants and increased oversight of shifter territories.
They say it’s ‘for our own safety,’ which is complete bullshit. ”
Riley pulled back to look at him, her blue eyes calculating. “They’re using the chaos and kidnappings they perpetrated to push for stricter laws. Why am I surprised?”
He fingered a strand of her silky hair. “The registration requirement has always been a battleground. They’re stirring up fear with the Normals. It’s terrible timing, with everything happening in Yellowstone, but I can’t postpone it.”
“Gunnar and I will be alright if you need your Betas with you.”
Conall shook his head. “Jamie and Freda are going back with you this time.”
“I won’t be sad to see Bennion go, but I’ll sleep better if you keep your best Betas.”
“Ash is coming with me, but I need to know you’re safe, especially after Zaria’s murder and Langston still sniffing around.”
She sat up, the sheet pooling around her waist. “Langston agreed to our terms. Do you think he’s going to try something else?”
“The man is a snake who only backed off because we cornered him in front of witnesses. Someone tortured and killed Zaria. I think they’re eliminating everyone connected to your father and whatever he knew.
” Riley opened her mouth, but Conall held up a hand.
“This isn’t just about protection. Jamie and Freda are familiar with your situation and can help implement Dr. Wharton’s recommendations. ”
“You’re worried the implant advances when I’m away and working.”
There was no point in denying it. “I think the investigation will put you in exactly the kind of analytical, emotionally detached state that feeds it. Jamie and Freda will help counter that. I’d send Ash too, but I need him.
He has a cool head and is my best negotiator.
The Council respects him, and the government representatives respond to him better than they do to me. ”
“Because you intimidate them.”
His mouth curved into a humorless smile. “Ash is better at hiding his disgust and rage. Do you want to take the hellhounds? Mangus gets mopey after a day or two without you.”
“You’d let me take the hellhounds back with me?”
“Let you?” He traced the line of her jaw with his thumb. “Mangus is your familiar now. No one really owns a hellhound, but he’s yours. And where Mangus goes, Athena goes too.”
She stared at him. “I’ve never heard of a Cog having a familiar. I’m not a witch.”
Conall shrugged. “There’s probably a better name for it, but you have a bond.”
“Okay, I’ll take them with me.” Riley smiled and slid her hand behind his neck, then tugged him down for a kiss, her tongue tracing his lower lip.
Conall reveled in the few times Riley instigated sex, and his beast surged forward, delighting in her taking the initiative. He ran hot after a Pack run, and before he met Riley, he’d usually find a willing female shifter to work off his aggression and lust. This was so much better.
Her fingers threaded through his hair, tugging him closer as she deepened the kiss. Then she put her hands against his chest and pushed, clearly trying to roll him onto his back.
Despite her effort, he barely moved. She pushed harder, straining against him. He smiled against her mouth.
When she couldn’t budge him, she tried a different approach, hooking her leg around his and leveraging her body weight to flip him. He stayed firmly in place.
Riley made one last attempt, her small hands planted against his chest, pushing with all her might. “Are you laughing at me?” She grunted.
“Never.” His lips twitched. “I’m just enjoying your body writhing against me.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You’re twice as strong. This isn’t a fair contest.”
“I never claimed to fight fair.” He captured her mouth, this time taking control of the kiss. His hand slid beneath her hair, cradling her head as he explored her mouth with slow, deliberate intensity. Her pulse accelerated, and he smelled her sweet arousal. Then he fell onto his back.
She stopped pushing against his chest, and her fingers dug into his shoulders. Conall gathered the hem of her sleep shirt and slid it up her body.
She raised her arms, and he pulled the garment over her head. The soft light cast her skin in gold shadows, highlighting her collarbones and the swell of her breasts. His throat tightened at the sight of her.
“Now you,” she whispered.
He stripped quickly, then rolled them over and braced himself on his elbows. Her skin felt warmer, and his wolf wanted to flip her onto her stomach, pull her ass up, and take her hard and deep from behind. But the man wanted to savor her slowly and revel in her velvet skin.
She panted beneath him, their energy feeding on their lust as he bit and sucked his way down her body. Riley reached in and took his cock, running her thumb over his tip. When she brought her finger up to taste him, his gut clenched, and his wolf preened.
He took his time savoring each sensation and her responses. When he finally pushed inside her, she was so wet and hot.
“Oh god, you feel so good,” she breathed out. He thrust into her, deeper this time, and her neck arched up. “I love… feeling you move inside me.”