Chapter 34 Liza #3
Ty scoffed and ran a hand through his hair. “You’re in danger, and I need to know where you are at all times just in case something happens. I’d feel better knowing where you are so I can better protect you.”
“You already have a personal security guard following me.” I pointed out the door at the men who’d arrived to install the cameras around the perimeter of my house. “Don’t you think the tracker is overkill?”
Ty wouldn’t hear any of it. He held up his hand and narrowed his eyes at me.
“As your mate, it’s my duty to keep you safe, and this is how I’m keeping you safe.
I know you don’t like it because you’re used to having all of your freedom with no strings attached, but it’s a dangerous time.
If I have to go overboard to protect you, then so be it. ”
I clenched my jaw. I couldn’t argue with his logic. As much as I didn’t like it, Ty made a valid point. “Fine. But I’m letting you know that I’m not happy about it.”
That evening, we ate dinner and snuggled up on the couch to watch a romantic comedy. I’d insisted we didn’t watch anything stress-inducing, even though I really wanted to finish a true crime show we’d been streaming.
By the time we crawled into bed, we both crashed, completely exhausted from the stress of the past day.
Ty pulled me into the classic spooning position and draped his arm over my waist. His warm body pressed against my back, and the rhythmic sound of his breathing almost lulled me to sleep, but my wolf was too restless to settle.
After what seemed like a solid hour, I finally drifted off to sleep and straight into a gruesome nightmare.
I suddenly found myself back in the dark depths of my past, reliving the unthinkable tragedy that had shattered my world.
My adoptive parents, the only family I had known since I was four years old, stood before me, their faces etched with fear.
I watched in horror as the scene unfolded before my eyes, mirroring the night that had scarred me for life.
Castro, the dark figure who had always been lurking in the shadows my entire life and who had torn my biological parents away from me, loomed over my mother and father.
The cold steel of the gun clutched in his hand glinted ominously in the dim light.
His lips curled into a twisted smile; a chilling reflection of the pleasure he took in causing unimaginable pain.
Mom and Dad were bound and gagged, staring at me with wide eyes, pleading for me to do something.
My heart raced as Castro’s words, venomous and filled with sickening satisfaction, sliced through the air.
“Come to watch, have you, Liza?” He spoke with an eerie calmness, taunting me.
“I’ll take everything from you until you have no one left but me.
” Each word struck me like a blade, penetrating the depths of my soul.
He reveled in the power he had over me, relishing the opportunity to snatch away everything I held dear.
As the nightmare played out, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over me.
I was powerless to protect the ones I loved.
I tried to move my feet, to run at Castro and knock the gun out of his hands.
I knew he’d never shoot me if I made a move, but my feet wouldn’t budge.
Try as I might, I couldn’t do anything to stop the inevitable.
My precious adoptive parents, who had showered me with love and care, were now at the mercy of the very same monster who had taken my biological parents from me.
Time seemed to stretch and warp in the haunting dream. Every second was like an eternity, as if I were trapped in a never-ending cycle of anguish and despair. The weight of the past bore down on my chest, the crippling fear that history would repeat itself suffocating me.
Tears welled up in my eyes, blurring my vision as I pleaded with fate to spare my parents, but my desperate cries fell on deaf ears.
The nightmare held me captive, its grip unyielding.
The piercing sound of the gunshots reverberated through my being as I watched the life drain from my adoptive parents’ eyes.
A searing pain etched itself deep into my bones.
As abruptly as it had begun, the dream shattered.
I jolted awake, drenched in sweat, trembling and gasping for air.
My heart pounded as the echoes of the horrifying nightmare still lingered in my mind.
I could hardly catch my breath as I tried to make sense of the vivid images that had upset my wolf.
She shuddered and moaned as I clutched my throat.
The terror clung to me like a heavy cloak, refusing to dissipate. My body ached from the residual fear that coursed through my veins.
The nightmare had unearthed a raw truth that resided in the depths of my heart.
The possibility of Castro exacting his sadistic revenge and leaving me with no one but him was a haunting reality I couldn’t dismiss.
His capacity for cruelty was unfathomable, and the nightmare had only amplified my fear of him.
As I lay there in the stillness, paralyzed by the remnants of my dream, I realized the depth of the scars Castro had left upon my soul.
The wounds had been ruthlessly torn open, exposing the vulnerability I had tried so desperately to shield.
In my heart, I knew I couldn’t underestimate the darkness that lurked within him.
He was evil.
All possibility of sleep erased, I sighed and sat upright, trying not to wake Ty. The nightmare had reminded me of the battles I faced and the demon I had to confront.