Chapter 30 Liza
LIZA
Stone’s question rang in my head as I tried to focus on the memories. I compared them to my dreams, the recurring ones I’d had since I was a young child, and the nightmare I’d had a few nights ago.
My dreams had always been a bit distorted, fuzzy, and out of focus. The ending had remained the same, though. The boy took my hand and led me into the forest… but there was another part I’d never dreamed about. Suddenly, it was clear as day to me.
My parents had never liked Castro. There was something different about him.
.. something off. One time, they found him in the woods completely covered in blood.
He had killed a deer, which was normal for wolves.
The difference was that he did it for fun, just because he wanted to.
I had overheard my parents talking about the way they’d found him, his hand gripping the deer’s neck and blood dripping down his face.
He was in human form, not even attempting to eat the deer meat, just ripping the carcass to shreds for the hell of it.
His eyes had been wild, and it had stirred something inside my mother.
After that, they never left me alone with Castro. I’d see him multiple times a week, but my parents assigned one of the household employees to keep watch over us as we played in our large backyard or in the playroom that was filled to the brim with toys.
Castro’s parents came over to our house unexpectedly one evening for a visit.
They talked with my parents about their concern for Castro.
They questioned why he was the way he was, and they admitted to being afraid of him.
I couldn’t remember the details of that conversation but knew his parents had laid out multiple examples of Castro doing inappropriate things or saying hurtful words to them.
By the time Castro reached the age of twelve, most of the pack was afraid of him. They avoided him like the plague because he was unpredictable and couldn’t be controlled.
Not me, though. He went out of his way to be nice to me, doting on me, bringing me gifts. I remembered him being mean to the other kids. He would beat up the boys who got too close to me, and be hateful to the girls who played with me.
Before I knew it, I didn’t have any friends except Castro. I was so young that I didn’t think much about it. After all, when I was with him, we had a great time. He always made me laugh and played with my dolls, making funny voices, and creating silly scenarios that left me in stitches.
His bullying became too much for the families of Heather Falls, though. Within a year, they left out of fear for their children’s lives.
It was confusing for me because even though I heard what people said about Castro, his actions toward me didn’t match up.
One night, I’d snuck out of bed and stood at the top of the staircase, clutching my stuffed bear to my chest while I eavesdropped on my parents.
My father told Castro’s parents that they no longer felt Castro was suitable to be my future mate, even though we had been betrothed since the day I’d been born.
His parents sobbed and pleaded with my parents, promising them that Castro could change and that they could crack down on his behavior and whip him into shape.
But my parents stood firm in their decision to protect me from the boy they believed to be a crazed, erratic, unstable shifter.
Castro’s parents finally admitted that they understood and that they would have done the same thing in my parents’ position.
My parents loved me above all else, and they only cared about keeping me safe. They felt Castro was a danger to their daughter—their princess.
After a long discussion, my father asked Castro’s parents to leave the pack and take Castro far away from me.
My mother apologized profusely and held Castro’s mother as she sobbed.
They had no choice, though. My father was the alpha, and his final decision was law.
They couldn’t stay in Heather Falls, and they could never come back.
My memories of the night of the attack had been distorted, and I suddenly realized how the brain had a funny way of protecting a person from the trauma they’d experienced. Now I could see everything clearly, and it had me shaking down to my bones.
I tried to steady my breathing, but my teeth chattered as the truth came rushing back to me.
Ty held me close, his strong arms only bringing me a minuscule amount of comfort. There was a war raging in my mind as the past and present collided, leaving me to reconcile fact from fiction, true memories from reimagined scenarios.
“What’s wrong, Liza? Talk to me,” Ty asked.
I stared at the monster who stood only a few feet from me. “Ty, your father might have killed my pack, but he didn’t kill my parents because they were already dead when he got to them. Weren’t they, Castro?”
Ty stiffened and held me at arm’s length. “What are you talking about?”
Castro’s eyes narrowed on me. He no longer tried to hide his true personality, and his kind smile contorted into a sly grin that made the hair on the back of my neck rise.
Fear consumed me. Castro was a sick bastard, and there was no telling what he’d do to get what he wanted. In this case, he wanted me.
I clutched my chest, gasping for air. Another panic attack tried to pull me under. I closed my eyes, attempting to focus on my breathing and not allow Castro to dictate my emotions.
My true memories came to the surface, my wolf whining and whimpering. She tried to comfort me and calm down my racing heartbeat, but it was no use. It was as if I had just lost my parents all over again, and the grief threatened to consume me.
Ty squeezed my shoulders gently, pulling me out of my head. “Liza, what are you talking about? Please. Talk to me.”
My eyes burned with tears, though I wasn’t sure how I had enough water left in my body to cry anymore.
“Castro came to my house covered in blood. He said his parents were dead. That bad men had gotten into the house and killed them. We could hear the noise coming from the other houses and smell the smoke in the air.”
I took a breath, trying to process the memories before I spoke them out loud. Thinking of them was one thing, but putting them out into the universe was another. I had to be sure that I was getting it right.
“My dad cursed and told Castro not to worry. He said our family would protect him, keep him safe. He told us to stay put while he handled the situation. I hid behind my mother’s legs while my father made a phone call.
He said that the pack was being attacked and instructed his army to make a move immediately.
” I looked up at Castro and forced myself to recall the worst moment of my life.
“I hadn’t seen it until it was too late.
Castro had a gun. My mother had turned the corner, her eyes wide with panic.
She asked my father what they needed to do because they had to keep me, their princess, safe. .. no matter the costs.”
I stopped talking, closing my eyes as I remembered that moment, the scene playing out in front of me like a movie.
“You all need to go to the boats. Wait for me there,” Dad instructed us from across the room, his face flushed with apprehension. “I’ll take care of everything. Don’t worry.”
But we wouldn’t make it to the boats. Not because the bad men had arrived at our front door, but because Castro had shot both of my parents.
I looked down and saw Mom on the floor, trying to cover her stomach wound as she bled out. “Run, Aliza!”
She wanted me to run from Castro, to run for my life. So, I did.
I ran. My heart broke, and fear consumed me, but I ran as fast as my short legs would carry me.
Branches smacked me in the face as my tears distorted my vision.
The screams of our dying pack members rang in my ears, and all I could see were my parents dying on the floor of our living room in the home that used to bring me such a sense of security.
It was the only home I ever knew, and I could never go back.
Instead, I ran for my life.
Glancing over my shoulder, I caught a glimpse of Castro as he closed the gap between us. He was much older and taller, so it didn’t take him long to catch up to me.
He grabbed my hand, holding it so tightly that I didn’t stand a chance of pulling away from him. We both ran, attempting to outrun the bad men who seemed hell bent on killing every person in Heather Falls.
Castro’s ankle didn’t break by accident.
I saw an opportunity and I took it. Even at the age of four, I knew I couldn’t hesitate when an opportunity presented itself.
I let my instincts guide me when I noticed a hole in the ground.
With every ounce of energy in my tiny four-year-old body, I shoved him toward it.
He stepped in and twisted his leg, immediately falling to the ground and crying out in agony.
He was so angry at me, cursing and yelling, “You are mine, Aliza! Come back!”
I ran, never looking back, as far as I could, finally hiding in the brush when my body gave out from sheer exhaustion.
I opened my eyes and stared up into Ty’s face. “Castro killed my parents, then tried to take me as his own.”
Ty’s eyes widened. “Are you sure? Dad never mentioned that.”
I shook my head. “He probably thought one of his men got to my parents before he could.”
I’m sure Ty was relieved that his dad hadn’t killed my parents, but if Castro hadn’t shot them, someone from Dominic’s army would’ve taken them out. They never stood a chance.
Castro grunted and started slow clapping, shifting his weight from one leg to the other.
“I’m surprised you remember so much, Aliza.
You were only four at the time. I’d always wondered how much you would actually recall from that night, seeing as you were practically a toddler.
But when you didn’t instantly recognize me that day at the farmers’ market, I figured you had no memory of what happened, which was good for me. It made my plan so much easier.”
I pulled myself from Ty’s embrace and stood tall, staring at Castro.
I willed my body to stop shaking, pulling the blanket tighter around my naked body.
Now that the initial shock had worn off, I needed to show him that he couldn’t scare me with his words.
He couldn’t intimidate me. I was no longer the scared little girl, powerless and small in comparison.
I was a fucking omega.
Castro looked at me and raised one eyebrow but continued his rant.
“I had hoped when your wolf fully awoke that your omega powers would lead you to your heart’s desire.
And they did. They led you home, and I was waiting with open arms just as I promised you I would be.
The one snafu in my plan was that I didn’t expect you to remember every little detail, Aliza. ”
His face twisted as anger overtook him. “Your sudden burst of memory throws a bit of a wrench in my plans, but there’s no need to worry.
I’m not the least bit concerned. I don’t need you to love me, Aliza.
It is your duty as the princess of the Wylde pack to restore the pack to its former glory.
It’s our duty as the only survivors to bring forth a new generation and honor our ancestors. ”
Castro’s eyes were wild as he took one step closer.
“My father told me it was my duty. I’d grown up hearing my parents discussing my rightful place at your side, the one who would bring forth a new generation.
Then my father took all of that from me the night he told me we were leaving Heather Falls for good.
He said I’d no longer be able to see you, Aliza. It was a permanent move.”
Castro paced back and forth, cracking his knuckles, breathing rapidly.
“I was out when the attack happened. I knew we were all about to die, but I couldn’t stand the thought of my precious Aliza dying.
I didn’t want to leave you. I refused. So, I did what had to be done.
I killed my parents. For you! With them gone, they couldn’t take me from you.
I killed your parents for the exact same reason.
And now, I’ll do the same to your mate, and anyone else who gets in the way of us achieving our dreams. Together. ”
Ty slowly pushed me behind him once more. “Stay back, Liza.” It was a command, and his aura was so strong that I nearly folded from the force of it.
Castro narrowed his eyes on me. “You will be mine, Aliza. I just need to handle this pest first.”