Chapter 72 #2
I shook my head. “No, nothing like that. When I went to my parents’ place the other day, I noticed the town was busier than normal.
It seemed a little odd, and I thought I’d maybe missed a date in the calendar or something.
” I tried for levity, but Ty wasn’t in the mood.
I was only delaying the inevitable. “So, anyway. I went to the office, and while I was in there, a couple of people outside came up to the windows. It looked like they were trying to get photos of me with their phones. Jamie and Robin kept me safe, saw them off. That’s all. ”
“That’s all?” Ty lowered his voice. “You should’ve told me, Liza. For that matter, your fucking security detail should’ve reported the incident. I’ll have to speak to Isaiah about it.”
“I thought it was a strange fluke. Just some teenagers doing weird teenage shit. I suppose it makes sense now. Look, I know I should’ve said something sooner,” I said, feeling a spasm of guilt. “But I’ve had a lot on my mind lately.”
Not that I could tell him exactly what had been on my mind—or would that be in my mind, imaginary people, and voices?
I know in my heart they were real. Ty already knew about the figure I’d seen in the trees, but the thought of telling him about what happened in the garden… Something else I hadn’t told him.
“I understand,” Ty said, but I heard the irritation in his voice. “We can’t let stuff like this fall between the cracks again. I get it’s not been easy, Liza, but this is your safety we’re talking about. You’re my top priority.”
Frustration and confusion consumed me. By some weird twist of fate, I’d been born an omega—something that people thought was a mythical beast, like a unicorn—and now I was at the center of a media circus that threatened to spiral out of control.
I’d wanted to get in front of the rumors when I’d made the announcement, but I hadn’t known I was digging my own grave.
“Look, let’s just focus on getting these people off our property,” Ty said. “We don’t know what they’re capable of, or what their true intentions are. We need to handle this carefully.”
Just as I was about to say something, Persephone’s high-pitched voice reverberated through the house. My in-laws had arrived. Dominic’s demanding tone cut through the air like a knife as he stormed into the room. “What the fuck is going on out there, Tyson? Who are all those people?”
“Have a look at this.” Ty gestured for his parents to come over and examine the screen.
Lowering his voice, he explained the situation, “Apparently, they’re all here to catch a glimpse of the first known omega.
Isaiah said there isn’t a hotel room to be had for miles, but it’s not just strangers.
I recognize people from the pack out there. People who’ve known Liza for years.”
Persephone gasped and covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh my gods.” The shock in her voice mirrored the disbelief still coursing through me.
“Can you believe it?” I tried for sarcasm, but fear laced my words. The whole thing was like a twisted nightmare. The thought of others wanting to see me when I’d walked amongst them as a regular, middle-class member of the pack only a few months prior was mind-boggling.
As we continued to watch the crowd, my phone rang. The caller ID showed it was my parents. Gods, I hadn’t even given them a single thought. Were they in danger?
“Hey, Mom, Dad. Are you okay?”
“Liza.” My dad’s voice trembled, which immediately put me in fight-or-flight mode. “There are people outside our house wanting to see you. They’re chanting the word omega, and they are not responding to the security guards. We don’t know what to do.”
My stomach clenched. Panic bubbled up inside me, but I forced myself to keep it together for their sake. “It’s okay, Dad. Just stay inside and keep the doors locked. We’ll get them off your property as soon as possible.”
“Okay, sweetheart, stay safe,” Mom said, then added, “Please be careful.”
“Of course, Mom. Love you both.” My hands shook so hard, I struggled to press the end button on my phone screen.
“I’ve called the police. They’re on their way to your parents’ place now,” Ty said as he put down his phone. He must’ve overheard my conversation. “Our team will take care of the people at the gates.”
“Thank you,” I said, trying to find comfort in his words, but the situation was far from resolved, and I wasn’t convinced the people could be taken care of—as Ty had put it. They wanted to see an omega. Just how far were they prepared to go in order to see one?
We huddled together, discussing plans to disperse the crowd. My frustration threatened to boil over. How dare they demand to see me? Whatever happened to respecting someone’s privacy? Especially the alpha’s mate?
“Look,” I blurted, pointing to the screen. I chewed nervously on my lower lip as everyone watched some of the people trying to climb the gate. Their desperation was evident in their frantic movements and determined expressions.
“Can you believe this?” I asked shrilly.
“They’re actually climbing the gate just to get a glimpse of me.
Should I just go down there so they can see me?
Would that help? If they see me, maybe they’ll go away?
” Even as the words tumbled out of my mouth, I knew it was a stupid fucking idea, but desperation and fear were leading me now.
“Absolutely not,” Ty said, his eyes never leaving the screen. Persephone and Dominic both agreed it would be too risky for me to approach the mob.
Even the security guard seemed compelled to weigh in. “I don’t want to butt in, Mrs. Keller, but going down to the gate is a terrible idea. We can’t be sure that everyone’s intentions are pure. Someone in that crowd could be there to hurt you.”
They were right, but the thought of all those people putting themselves in danger just to see me sent bile rising up my throat. What had my life become?
I slapped my hands to my mouth as a few people toppled from the top of the gate.
One fell headfirst onto the ground, pulling another person with them.
The entire ordeal lasted a split-second, but they seemed to move in slow-motion as I watched.
Shocked screams from the crowd traveled all the way to the estate.
It didn’t stop more people from attempting to scale the fence.
I swallowed hard, trying to keep myself from vomiting.
Ty pulled my frozen body out of the security room and away from the monitors.
We all retreated to the movie room, seeking refuge from the chaos outside in the soundproof room.
But as we turned on the enormous screen to watch something, anything to take our minds off the sights from the estate’s security monitors, the news came on.
There would be no escaping the world’s obsession with the first omega born in centuries.
“Seeing the omega would be like seeing a real-life entity. Like Big Foot, or an alien or something,” one woman gushed during an interview, her eyes wide with excitement.
She went on to share the tales of omegas and their supposed supernatural powers, stories that were quickly becoming all too familiar.
“An omega’s powers are so much stronger than that of a normal shifter.
Their powers are supernatural. They’re like a super shifters or something. ”
“Omegas can cure diseases, like the most incurable of diseases, with just a single drop of their blood,” another one added eagerly. “And they say that omegas also have the powers of an alpha, that they can actually be stronger than an alpha.”
Yet another came on. “Omegas were known to have the strength of the gods. I want to see her powers for myself.”
I scoffed at the screen. Did they actually believe the bullshit they were spouting? What would they want from me? Instead of cooking, I should have bottled my miracle cure Omega blood? The absurdity of it all was too much to bear.
“Enough,” I muttered, pacing the room. “Turn it off, please. Some of them are not just here to see me. They want to see me to perform some type of damn miracle, to prove I truly am an omega. I’m not some performing animal in a circus, and I sure as hell won’t dance simply because people want me to. ”
“Of course not.” Ty lowered his head and made eye contact with me as he rubbed my arms. “You absolutely don’t owe anyone anything.”
“Listen,” Dominic said, breaking into my thoughts. “We need to get these people out of town soon. Fanatics can get crazy, and we don’t want you or anyone close to you in danger.”
“How do you propose we do that?” Persephone crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair. “These people are hyper-focused on Liza. Even if we run these ones out of town, more will follow.”
“Well, maybe we can distract them,” I suggested. “If they’re so fixated on me performing some type of miracle, why don’t we give them something else to watch? We could create a spectacle or something, I’m sure there are plenty of entertaining things that would keep their attention away from me.”
“Maybe.” Ty frowned. “But a distraction would only work for a short amount of time. You heard what Isaiah said. News of an actual omega has traveled all across the country. Mother’s right. More will come.”
“Is your new informant formulating a plan? That’s what you hired him for, so make sure he’s doing his job. This shouldn’t be on your shoulders, Ty.” Dominic narrowed his gaze at his son. “Decide what you can do to keep Liza safe and then work with your men to come up with a long-term solution.”
“Right now, Liza is on lockdown,” Ty said, his jaw ticking.
My frustration reached its peak, and rage burned through every cell of my body.
I hadn’t had an outburst since Ty and I mated, but this was too much.
I wanted nothing more than to be the mate to the alpha that everyone expected, and that everyone deserved.
I wanted to run my catering company and create delicious food people wanted to eat.
Now, through no fault of my own, I was being punished, put on lockdown yet again, to keep me safe.
It wasn’t fair. I felt like a child being punished for being born.
Having the freedom to come and go as I pleased was important to me. I needed my space and couldn’t be cooped up here no matter how big the estate was. The intense pain in my head blurred my vision, and I struggled to maintain my focus.
I shut my eyes as the ringing in my ears got so loud I couldn’t hear myself think. When I finally opened them, I looked around the room at the shocked and scared faces of my in-laws. Were my powers stronger than I realized?
Even Ty took a step away from me, his head cocked to the side and a curious expression on his face. He finally moved closer and took my hand, squatting down slightly until he was at my eye-level.
Placing my hand on his chest, he took in a slow, deep breath. “Liza, breathe in with me.” I did. “Good. Now let it all out slowly.” Beneath his hand, I felt the strong, steady beat of his heart.
It took several rounds of calm, steady breathing, but eventually, my vision returned to its normal state.
“I promise the lockdown is only temporary until Isaiah and I can figure out how to handle this situation swiftly and safely. I need you safe and sound, not being trampled over by psychotic extremists. The last thing I need is for more people getting hurt on our property and turning around to sue us.”
I nodded. I understood, I did, but that didn’t take away from the overwhelming reality of it all. As the adrenaline rush subsided, my body slumped, and my shoulders drooped in exhaustion.
Dominic stepped forward, his expression mirroring Ty’s, full of curiosity. “Your aura, Liza... I’ve never seen anything like it on a female shifter before. When you were angry just now, it resembled that of an alpha. Maybe there’s more to your abilities than we know.” He studied me carefully.
I didn’t like the way he was looking at me, and I certainly wasn’t a fan of the attention I’d garnered simply because I’d come clean about my true identity. Now, the entire world wanted to study me under a microscope.
As if I needed more crazy added to my plate.