Family Ties: The Conall Clan, #2

By Donna Steele

Brent Conall, brother and Beta to Lou Conall has a mission. Find his missing brother-in-law and get back home in time to witness the mating of his brother and human Megan Sullivan.

Karen Conall, lifemate to Brent knows her brother wouldn't disappear without a trace. He'd never worry his family in that way. Now is a terrible time for Brent to be away from his brother, the formal ritual for his mating is scheduled but something has happened and it's more tangled than any of them contemplated.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steelestories
• Release date: Nov 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223651765

Donna Steele

Women strong enough for love. Donna writes science fiction, paranormal and small town romances about women coming into their strength and having the courage to find and accept love. Now that she has retired from going into an office every day, she created an office at home and writes full time. Talk about living the dream! She was the girl at the party who was yearning for the quiet corner and a book to read (go Rory Gilmore!), and has been writing in her head since she learned to read. Getting those stories down on paper (or in her laptop) has been more fun than she ever imagined it could be. The possibilities of science fiction have always drawn her and she's read them all, there just needed to be a little more romance in them. She finally got up the courage to write them herself and is delighted to be able to share these stories with you. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Chapter of RWA and the Heart of Carolina Romance Writers. She can be reached at www.steelestories.com, www.facebook.com/donnasteeleauthor, or https://twitter.com/steele_donna

Book preview

Family Ties

Book Two of The Conall Clan

By

Donna Steele

Copyright @ 2019 Donna Steele

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by an information storage and retrieval system-except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a magazine, newspaper, or on the Web without permission in writing from the publisher.

All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or name. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Cover Artist: Leslie Ray, ©2020

Family Ties

Chapter One

Brent Conall stopped at the door to his brother and Alpha's office. There was a sight he'd rarely seen on his brother's face . . . happiness. Brent knew the feeling, finding your lifemate put so many things in perspective. Lou hadn't had it easy connecting with Megan Winchester. Who knew his brother's lifemate would turn out to be human, but they had managed it.

The only change to Lou’s austere office was a five by seven of Megan’s face taken on their wedding day.

The contentment in Lou’s face was obvious.

Unfortunately, Brent was here to wipe some of that contentment away. He tapped at the door. A sign of respect, Lou was aware of his presence. I got a problem, Bro.

You are a problem, Lou responded, but grinned when he looked up. That grin faded as he scanned Brent's face. What?

Got a call from Karen's parents last night. Her brother, Marcel, is missing.

Missing?

Yeah. For a couple of days.

What does Eric say?

Brent visualized Eric Davis, the Alpha for the northeast territory of the United States. Not much. He's not worried.

Lou absorbed that but didn't state an opinion. Brent already knew how Lou felt about that particular Alpha. Eric had chosen to go into business rather than law enforcement, and that had been his choice. More than one of the Alphas had judgment around that decision, but it wasn’t expressed. Eric had a smaller physical territory than Lou, and so far the choice had worked out.

What do you need?

Some time off. Karen wants to go to her parents, take the kids. Give them something else to focus on if possible. They haven't seen Missy since she started walking. It would also give me a chance to poke around.

Lou nodded. Brent knew his absence would put a burden on Lou, but also that he wouldn't stop him. Family was more important. Franklin, Karen's father, hadn't said anything specific over the phone last night, it was the reason he’d used a phone rather than communication telepathically with them. But Brent had picked up his growing concern.

Marcel was younger than Karen, but very responsible. Brent had felt the Alpha emerging in the young man as soon as he had met him years ago. He wouldn't have done something stupid, nor would he fail to contact his parents if he were able.

Amos says he can pick up the slack.

Don't worry about that. Do you think you'll be back in time for the ceremony?

That question caught Brent off guard. Of course he would. He couldn't miss his brother's formal commitment to Megan as well as the ritual to change her to shifter.

Their cousin, Wesley, a detective in Chicago, had sent Megan to Lou to keep her safe when a stalker had targeted her. No one could have known of the connection that would exist between Lou and Megan, fate had taken a hand in sending her. Now they were together for the rest of their lives. He would not miss the ritual that was the final binding of their lifemating.

Yes. That wouldn't give him much time, but with a deadline, he'd work harder and faster.

When are you leaving?

Tonight, we need to drive while the kids are asleep. Twenty hours, hope to do it in two days. His grimace caused a chuckle from Lou.

No, you need to fly. I can have the jet set up in—

I can’t do that, Brent interrupted.

Why the hell not? It’s pack business. If you’re worried about taking the kids, the plane’s going anyway. It doesn’t matter how many are on it.

Brent still hesitated. It would be a help.

Decision made. I sure wouldn’t want to be in a car that long with a pack of cubs.

I'll revisit that in a few years, Brent chided him. A look of incomparable joy came over his older brother's face.

Lou had always been there for him. When they were just cubs, Lou had been the one to protect him. When their father had come after them, or their mother, it was Lou that had stepped in and taken most of the blows. The death of their little sister, at the hands of their father's negligence, had been a turning point, and Lou's Alpha had emerged early. Now, though he operated out of tiny little Sweetwater, North Carolina, Lou governed the shifters of the entire eastern seaboard of the North American continent. And was one of the most highly respected Alphas currently in power.

As his Beta, Brent knew the responsibility Lou felt. He'd be back at his brother's side as soon as possible.

Chapter Two

Karen tied Kent's shoes as his twin, Kurt, raced by. Don't run in the house. Kurt immediately slowed down, but Karen knew he'd be running again as soon as he got out of sight. At nearly four, the twins were always moving. She was more than grateful that Lou had offered the jet to them for this trip. She hadn’t even considered it, but Lou always thought of family first.

Four cubs in a car for twenty hours would have been grueling. Mel, as the oldest would have tried to keep peace, but the twins would have bedeviled Missy no end. They couldn’t help it. They were still pups and full of energy. She smiled down at Kent. Go make sure your brother packed his toothbrush. Kent headed off. The boys were all so thrilled to go on a plane ride it was a wonder he’d put his shoes on the right feet.

As their mother, Karen could tell the twins apart, but most people couldn’t. Their older brother, Mel looked enough like them with his dark hair and deep brown eyes to have been a triplet except for height and maturity. He was two years older, nearly six and took on a lot of responsibility when Missy had been added to the family. Karen had no doubt he would emerge at least Beta in the future, like his father. Probably become a serial flirt like his father as well.

Missy, the resident princess, might not be able to articulate her power, but she had her dad and her older brothers wrapped tight around her little finger. She looked a lot like Karen had at the same age, long brunette curls and dark eyes that Brent already worried would call to her lifemate, who would carry her away to some far flung clan to live.

Karen couldn’t disagree, the baby, finally a girl, was indeed a charmer. Until Megan had come along, she had been the only one to always wring a smile out of her Uncle Lou.

That caused Karen to think of her younger brother again, though he hadn't been far from her mind since her father's call. Marcel had been a handful as a cub but had grown into a fine young man. Brent had mentioned possible Alpha traits when they’d first met, and Karen had agreed. Turns out, Brent had been right.

So where was he? He wasn't an irresponsible kid anymore, so his disappearance was more than troubling. She and Brent had both tried to contact him last night with no response. Her former Alpha, Eric, hadn't appeared ready to pursue anything when her parents had contacted him, so she was doubly grateful that Brent had agreed to go with her to her parents' home.

Brent was her lifemate, and though he played the clown here, flirting with every woman, jesting with every man, she knew better than almost anyone what an incredible Beta and investigator he was. Part of that was the clown act. No one expected him to pick up on what was really happening. She'd seen him be underestimated so many times.

He was Lou's right hand, and Karen hated taking him away with so many visitors coming to witness the official mating ritual. She wanted to believe this would be an easily cleared up misunderstanding. Her gut told her that wasn't going to be the case.

****

Brent hadn't spoken of it aloud, not with the kids in earshot, but he'd tried to contact Marcel several times during the flight. The fact that he'd never been able to reach him was bad. Karen knew that, no reason to state it.

Brent liked Marcel. They got along very well. As a couple, he and Karen would push harder to get him and her parents to move to Sweetwater once this was cleared up. Her parents weren’t getting any younger and having them near the kids would be a win-win for both. Marcel was Alpha, so he wouldn't want to live in Sweetwater proper, but Lou would help him set up in any part of the territory Lou governed if he wished.

The kids would benefit too,