Chapter 47
TY
The days following Castro’s bell tower fiasco were more than stressful. There was a lot going on at Keller Enterprises, and though I wanted to shut it all out and focus solely on Castro, I couldn’t.
Everyone looked to me for final decisions when it came to negotiating deals. In one of our board meetings, I’d found myself in the middle of a heated power struggle between Bryce and the owner of a company we were in talks with.
The owner was well past the age of retirement and had no children or grandchildren to whom he could leave his business. Instead, he’d reached out to Keller Enterprises, hoping we could come to some sort of agreement.
Every time we had a meeting and it looked like we’d come to an agreement where we were prepared to sign on the dotted line, the owner backpedaled and changed the terms of the contract.
Bryce’s hair was sticking up all over his head from running his hands through it so often. He looked awful. “If you don’t want to make the deal, then why are you wasting our damn time?”
I held up a hand to shut Bryce up before I had to ask him to leave the room.
“You don’t really want to sell your company, do you?
” I said, calling the man’s bluff. “At our last meeting, you told me you were anxious to move forward with the next chapter of your life and enjoying the fruits of your labors on some private island.” I scoffed.
“This doesn’t sound like the same man who swore he’d never sit in on another board meeting. ”
He glared at me from across the table. “Tyson, you don’t know what it’s like to build something from the ground up.
Not everyone in this world gets their fortune handed to them on a silver platter.
We have to earn our keep.” He stood and walked to the window, leaning against the wall.
To the casual observer, he appeared indifferent, but I knew he had a bad knee and couldn’t put his weight on it for long.
“Do you trust Keller Enterprises to continue your legacy?” I ignored the asshole’s rude comment about me not having to work hard for anything. If he only knew. “I’ve even offered for you to stay on the board of directors. What more could you ask for?”
Bryce, who’d sulked in the corner long enough, said, “I may be biased, but there’s no one else in Texas—the entire country, for that matter—that I’d trust handing my business over to than Ty Keller.
He works his ass off day and night to ensure his companies not only stay afloat, but surpass everyone’s expectations. ”
I nodded at Bryce, silently thanking him for his kind words and, more importantly, for taking the time to calm the fuck down before he lost his temper completely and said something that sunk the deal.
By the end of the day, we acquired the company, but it hadn’t come easily. We’d spent several hours going over every detail of the contract for what felt like the hundredth time.
As I drove to the estate, my mind went back to Castro, like it always did when I had a minute alone. The burden of work wasn’t the only thing that left me feeling drained. Castro was due to send us another clue at any second, yet he left us to wring our hands and jump at every unusual sound.
Liza seemed to sleep better now that she knew I wouldn’t leave her side. I hadn’t slept at the estate for several nights, and I was getting used to Liza’s warm, soft body, and her gentle breathing that lulled me to sleep.
All my pent-up nervous energy needed to be released. I had to run. Thank the gods it was a full moon and the pack would be gathering.
But first, food. The meeting to acquire that company had run through lunch. Now, though, my stomach growled, reminding me I needed sustenance to fuel me for the long night of running ahead.
My mother was in the kitchen, supervising the chefs preparing tonight’s feast. It was a long-standing tradition for the alpha’s family to provide food after a pack run, and it created a cohesive family feel.
“What’s on the menu tonight?” I slung my arm around Mother’s shoulders, making her jump.
“Ty!” She turned and slapped my shoulder. “You know never to sneak up on me like that, you turd.”
I chuckled. “If I can’t scare you from time to time, what fun would life be?”
Her smile quickly faded as she turned back to her duty as the alpha’s wife, coordinating the meal, ensuring there was enough food and drinks for everyone.
She scowled as she went over her checklist, avoiding my gaze.
“Hey.” I snatched the clipboard from her and tossed it onto the counter. “What’s wrong? Is Dad okay?”
She sighed. “Your father is perfectly fine, Ty.” Her lips were still pursed, so I grabbed a bag of chips from the pantry and popped one into my mouth as I studied her face.
Mother looked tired, but she also seemed extremely frustrated over something. “Then, what is it? Something’s bothering you, I can tell.”
Grabbing my arm, she pulled me out of the kitchen and into the dining room, away from the chefs.
“If you must know, Ty, I’m feeling a little left out.
” She crossed her arms and huffed like a child.
“Your father isn’t telling me anything about this mess with Liza’s psycho ex. And, quite frankly, I don’t like it.”
My head jerked back. What the hell? “Let me correct you on one detail: Castro isn’t Liza’s ex. Apart from in his delusional mind, they were never together. Are we clear on that? He’s just a psycho who’s obsessed with her.”
Mother mumbled something under her breath, then raised her voice a bit so I could hear her. “That’s what I meant.”
“So, you’re saying Dad’s intentionally keeping you in the dark?” I had no idea she was so interested in the shit we’d been dealing with.
“I’m out of the loop, Ty. Even the staff have noticed. You all gather in your father’s office and have your little secret talks, and I’m stuck out here doing stupid tasks to keep the house running. I have no clue what’s going on.”
I pursed my lips. I’d never known how to approach Mother when she started pitching a fit like a toddler because she wasn’t getting her way. “Have you told Dad how you feel?”
She nodded. “Of course. He waves me off as if it’s not a big deal and then tells me not to worry because he’s handling it and has it all under control, but I’m not a fucking idiot, Ty.
I have two perfectly good ears and a great set of eyes.
I don’t need to be cosseted or handled. Something’s wrong, and I wish you all would just tell me. ”
I shoved a handful of chips into my mouth to buy myself some time. She would keep going till she ran out of steam. Maybe if I kept food in my mouth and just let her speak, she would spit out whatever it was she felt the need to say, and we could all move on with our day.
As expected, she spoke up again. “I’ve noticed Liza is always present at those important meetings. I understand that Liza will be the new… mate to the alpha, but until you take the seat of power, I am still the queen of this castle, and everyone should be damn well mindful of that fact.”
With that, Mother turned on her heels and stormed up the stairs. I shoved another handful of chips into my mouth as she slammed her bedroom door.
Yep. That was the temper tantrum I had expected. My mother was an amazing woman who could be depended on for anything, but she took first prize in being high maintenance.
I took a seat at the head of our large dining table and finished off the bag of chips.
Her confession of feeling left out had quickly turned into an attack on Liza.
If I didn’t know better, I’d say my mother was jealous of Liza and was worried about her stomping over her territory as the alpha’s mate.
But why was she so upset? Was there more to it than just Liza being included in the meetings concerning Castro?
I thought back to her words and realized that she was probably feeling left out because of all the time Dad had been spending with Liza—time he used to spend with Mother.
What Mother didn’t realize was that we weren’t only trying to save Liza but our entire pack. I was certain Dad wanted to protect Mother from knowing the truth, and I fully supported him in that decision.
Mother wouldn’t be able to handle the stress that came from knowing. Of that much, I was certain.
After grabbing a soda from the fridge, I went up to Dad’s office.
“How’d the acquisition go today?” he asked when I sat down.
“It almost didn’t happen. That motherfucker tried to pull out at the last second again, but I finally convinced him Keller Enterprises was his best bet.”
Dad rolled his eyes. “Nothing can ever be simple, can it?”
“Absolutely not.” I looked down at my feet as I wondered how to broach the subject of my mother with him. Better to get it over with. “Speaking of things not being simple, I just had an interesting conversation with Mother.”
“Oh, yeah?” Dad raised his eyebrows and sat back in his chair. “What about?”
“She doesn’t like being left out of our meetings.” I cleared my throat. “She is also under the impression that Liza is getting special treatment, even though she’s not the mate to the alpha yet. I think she’s jealous of Liza and feels like her position as queen is being overrun prematurely.”
“Shit.” Dad sighed. “Persephone is overreacting, which comes as no shock. I mentioned something to her the other day, and I’m afraid that’s what’s gotten her all riled up.”
“Are you going to tell me or just leave me hanging?” I fidgeted with the round attachment on the back of my phone. Why would Dad say anything to piss Mother off? I thought he knew better than that.
“I brought up the fact that we’d be moving to the family home once you took over. I suggested we should start packing up some of our personal things and begin moving things over there now so that when the time comes, it’s an easier transition for everyone.”
“Oh. Fuck.”
“Fuck, indeed.” Dad huffed. “She didn’t take it very well and said that she was being pushed out of her home when she hadn’t even lost her place yet.”