Page 112 of Conall
Conall’s arms came around her without hesitation, pulling her against his chest while she fell apart.
Through the mate bond, she felt his own pain—not just empathy for her loss, but genuine grief for the man Gregory could have been.The father who might have existed if ambition hadn’t consumed everything decent in him.
It’s okay,Conall murmured against her hair.It’s okay to mourn him.The love you felt was real, even if he wasn’t worthy of it.
I should hate him,she said between sobs.After everything he did, everything he planned to do—I should be glad he’s dead.
Maybe,Quinton said, his voice unexpectedly gentle.But you’re not him.You get to feel complicated things about complicated people.
The observation cut through her spiral of self-recrimination.Quinton was right—her ability to grieve for Gregory, even knowing what he’d become, was proof that his conditioning hadn’t taken hold completely.The capacity for complex emotions, for love that transcended logic, was exactly what Gregory had tried to eliminate from her personality.
The worst part,she said, her voice steadying slightly,is that I still remember the good times.Still remember believing he loved me.And I don’t know how to reconcile that with what I learned about who he really was.
Maybe you don’t have to,Conall suggested.Maybe the Gregory who raised you and the Gregory who became a monster were both real.People are capable of change—sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.
She pulled back to look at him, seeing understanding in his dark eyes.How do you know?
Because I saw what Vincent’s reign did to good people.He paused, smiling a little.Remember, I grew up around Gregory too.I don’t think he ever acted around us like he did around you—but I saw plenty of pack members I’d known my whole life become cruel and paranoid under Vincent’s influence.Some of them found their way back to who they used to be.Others…He shrugged sadly.Others got lost in the darkness and never found their way out.
Maybe Gregory started as someone who genuinely wanted to protect shifter communities,Quinton added.Maybe he really did love you, at least in the beginning.But somewhere along the way, he convinced himself that the ends justified any means.That preserving shifter culture was worth sacrificing individual shifters.
The possibility offered Nadine a framework for understanding that didn’t require her to dismiss either her memories or the evidence of Gregory’s crimes.Perhaps the father who had rescued her from foster care and the monster who had manipulated multiple packs were both authentic versions of the same person—separated by years of choices that had gradually eroded his morality.
I wanted him to be redeemable,she said.Even after finding the storage unit, even after learning about the Prometheus Group—part of me hoped that when I confronted him, he’d remember what it felt like to be my father instead of Vincent’s enforcer.
Some people can’t find their way back,Conall said quietly.That doesn’t mean they were never worth loving.It just means they made choices that led them too far into the darkness.
Nadine nodded, wiping away the last of her tears.The grief would linger—probably for years, processed in the quiet moments when she wasn’t focused on survival or missions or the complex demands of pack politics.But the crushing pain of her conflicted emotions had lifted slightly, replaced by a sadness that felt clean rather than toxic.
We should search the facility,she said, her voice stronger now.Find whatever intelligence we can about the Prometheus Group’s other operations.
Are you sure you’re ready for that?Quinton asked, genuine concern in his voice.
Nadine stared down at Gregory’s body one last time, memorizing the face that had shaped her childhood before forcing herself to look away.
I’m ready,she said.He’s gone, but his work isn’t.The people he manipulated, the assets he placed, the other facilities—all of that still needs to be dealt with.
She moved toward the computer terminals but paused when Conall caught her hand.
For what it’s worth,he said quietly,I think the man who raised you would be proud of who you’ve become.Not the weapon he tried to create, but the woman who chose to protect people instead of controlling them.
The words hit deeper than she’d expected, offering a kind of closure she hadn’t known she needed.Maybe Gregory Torrance the father would have been proud of her choices, even if Gregory Torrance the operative had seen them as betrayal.
Thank you,she said simply.
Then she turned to the terminals and began the work of dismantling the conspiracy that had cost her everything she’d thought she knew about her past—and given her everything she’d never dared hope for in her future.
CHAPTER 26
THE LABORATORY SMELLED OFdeath and burned electronics, but Conall forced himself to focus on the living.
Through the mate bond, he felt the complex storm still churning beneath Nadine’s professional mask—grief, relief, fury, and something darker that might have been satisfaction.The connection between them had blazed back to life, but now it carried undertones he was still learning to interpret.
We need to search this place systematically,Nadine said, her voice steady despite the tears she’d shed moments before.Gregory was meticulous about documentation.If there are other Prometheus Group operations, other assets still in place, the intelligence will be here.
Quinton moved to the bank of computers lining the laboratory’s far wall.These systems are still active.Military-grade encryption, but nothing Anders hasn’t taught us to handle.
I know Gregory’s methods,Nadine said, approaching a different terminal.He always used the same security protocols, the same organizational structure.He thought consistency was a strength.
