Chapter 102 Ty #2
“Like I said on the phone, it’s complicated. There’s so much I need to tell you.”
“Then, tell me.” My heart ached at the uncertainty in her tone. “I can’t help until I have all the details, and the longer you delay, the more disturbing scenarios my mind makes up.”
Before she could respond, the closing of a car door, and the crunch of gravel underfoot reminded me that Liza hadn’t come home alone.
Liam approached us, his attention locked on Liza, and she slid off my body and stood next to me. My wolf snarled, ready to defend his mate from any threat.
“Stay back,” I said, glaring at Liam as he stepped closer.
He didn’t look like the ruthless mob boss I’d heard so much about.
He was surprisingly unassuming, with a lean build and a clean-shaven face.
But I wasn’t going to let appearances fool me.
I was acutely aware of how dangerous and sinister this man was.
Liam’s expression remained impassive, but I could’ve sworn I detected a hint of sadness in his hooded eyes. “I want to help you,” he said simply. “We can put an end to the danger your pack faces, and to the danger Liza faces, if we’re united.”
“Help us?” I raised an eyebrow, my wolf growling within me at the thought of trusting him. “After everything you’ve done?”
“Your mistrust is understandable.” Liam’s tone was measured and calm. It was unnerving how he was so in control despite the precarious situation he found himself in. “But you need to understand that I would never harm my own sister.”
“Then, why did you kidnap her… hurt her mother?” I said with barely restrained anger. “Why put her through all of this?”
He pulled back his shoulders and straightened his spine. “Rory was never meant to be hurt. And I took Liza because I needed to learn the truth.”
“Your methods are twisted,” I spat, and my wolf snarled in agreement. “You could have come to us with your suspicions. Instead, you kidnapped her, terrified her, and put our entire pack in danger.”
“Ty,” Liza said softly, putting her hand on my lower back. The warmth of her touch was a calming anchor amid the storm of emotions swirling inside me. “He had his reasons.”
“That doesn’t justify his actions,” I said, but my anger had lost some of its edge. I hated to admit it, but Liam seemed genuine. It made me question if he truly was the monster my intel made him out to be.
“Perhaps not,” Liam said, his eyes darting to Liza before returning to me. “But now that I’m aware of the truth, we have a common enemy—someone far more dangerous than either of us ever thought. The only way to stop him is to cooperate and work as a team.”
“Work together?” I snorted. “Why would I trust you after everything you’ve done?”
“Because you’re going to need me if you want to put an end to Castro.” His words were as smooth and unruffled as his demeanor.
I couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that escaped me. “You expect me to believe that? After everything you’ve done to us?”
A storm raged within me. The last thing I wanted to do was to trust Liam, but Liza’s faith in him, after everything he’d put her through, gave me pause. If there was even a sliver of truth to his words, then we couldn’t afford to turn away any potential allies. Not with the stakes this high.
I fixed Liam with a glare. “Let’s say I believe you. What do you propose we do about Castro?”
Liam leaned against the car. “First, we gather information. Castro is cunning, and he’s been hiding in plain sight for too long. We need to uncover his plans and find out where he’s hiding.”
I bristled at the idea of working side by side with Liam, but my wolf was well aware of the importance of protecting our pack and, most importantly, our mate. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, as the saying went.
Didn’t mean I had to like it.
“Ty.” Liza traced comforting circles on my back. “Please listen to him. He’s telling the truth.”
“Fine.” I curled my fingers into fists to keep my claws from extending. “If you double-cross us, if you hurt Liza or anyone else in our pack, I won’t hesitate to end you. Liza’s brother or not.”
“Understood.” Liam met my eyes, and the intensity in his stare affirmed the unspoken pact between us. As much as I hated to admit it, the fire burning within told me that perhaps, just perhaps, we could find a way to work with one another for the sake of those we loved.
I led Liam, Liza, and my parents into my office, trying to ignore the suffocating atmosphere.
My wolf paced restlessly, ready to strike if the need arose.
The thought of working with Liam and trusting him set me on edge, but for now, I had no choice.
If he could help us put an end to Castro’s threat, I’d grit my teeth and bear it.
I positioned myself next to Liam as we gathered around my desk. “Tell us everything.”
We all gaped at Liam and Liza after what he’d just revealed of her past. I was struggling to wrap my head around the fact that her own father had planned to use her as a weapon. A tool for his twisted ambitions.
“Your father…” I struggled to find the right words. “He really planned to do that to you?”
Liza nodded, her eyes glassy and unfocused. “So it would seem.” Her words were barely audible. “He wanted me to be the key to his power.”
The pain etched on her face infuriated me.
The one man who should have loved and protected her had instead chosen to exploit her, to turn her into something she never asked to be.
My wolf snapped his jaws together, demanding retribution, but there was little we could do now.
Her father was long gone, and we needed to concentrate on stopping Castro.
“Are you okay?” I asked, taking her hand. She gripped it tightly, as though I was an anchor she needed to keep her boat afloat in a wild storm.
“I... I’m not sure.” She shrugged. “It’s just... it’s a lot to take in. My whole life, I always believed my father loved me. Now I’ve got to come to terms with the realization that he saw me as nothing more than a weapon. A tool to be used at his discretion.”
“Hey,” I said softly, gently tilting her chin up. “You are not a weapon, Liza. You are a strong, amazing woman, and no one has the right to judge you otherwise.”
“Thanks,” she said, a ghost of a smile flickering across her face.
“Darling,” my mother said, her voice filled with compassion. “You are not alone in this fight. We are all here for you, and we will do everything in our power to protect you.”
“Thank you,” Liza said, blinking back her tears.
Liza’s gaze shifted uncertainly back and forth between her brother and me.
She worried her lower lip between her teeth before she finally spoke.
“Castro is planning something big, Ty. He wants to use me, my abilities as an omega, to control other packs. And Liam thinks…” She cleared her throat.
“Liam thinks he might have learned the trigger word my father used on me.”
My stomach lurched, and I swallowed down the bitterness in my throat. The idea of anyone using Liza like that enraged the fuck out of me, but I forced myself to stay calm for her sake.
“Son of a bitch,” my father grumbled, and I could feel his anger radiating off him. My mother stood beside him, her face pale, and her hands shaking ever so slightly.
“Are you certain?” I growled, turning my glare back at Liam. “How did you learn about this trigger word?”
“When I came of age, a safe deposit box was passed down to me. It held the details of our father’s business empire, and a book—essentially an omega training manual.
But I was aware of the word’s existence long before that when I overheard our father talking about it, even though I may not have had the details of what the word was then. ” Liam spoke with a chilling undertone.
He paused to let the meaning of his words sink in before he carried on.
“Castro was always hanging around the house when Liza was little, so it’s only logical to assume he would have also heard Josef, and he would have definitely taken steps to ensure he learned the word.
That’s makes him a bigger danger to Liza. ”
“Speaking of danger.” I growled. “You have no proof Castro has the word. The only person we know can trigger Liza’s power is you. That makes you the most dangerous person in this room.”
Liam’s gaze never wavered as a knowing smile played on his lips. “True.” He shrugged. “But I have no intention of using this against her. We’re family, after all.”
“Family doesn’t always have each other’s best interests at heart,” I shot back, thinking of Liza’s father and the horrors he’d planned for his own child. The thought of anyone hurting her made my blood boil, and I barely managed to keep the snarl from creeping into my tone.
Liam leaned forward. “Look, we haven’t started off on the best foot, but we have a common goal: keeping Liza safe and stopping Castro. We’ll need to trust each other if we want to succeed.”
The problem was that trust wasn’t something easily given or earned, especially not between two alphas with so much at stake. Despite my doubts, I knew deep down that working with Liam was our only chance to protect Liza and foil Castro’s evil plans.
Fury coiled around my intestines—I would not let anyone use her, especially someone from her past—but I shoved my emotions down and focused on the task at hand. We needed a plan, and we needed it fast.
“So, how do we stop him?”
“First, let me assure you”—Liam’s sincerity shone through in his expression—“I have no intention of ever using Liza’s trigger word or doing anything to harm her.
If anything, I want to help deprogram her, to free her from the chains our father placed on her.
And I believe you can help me with that, Ty. ”
That caught me off guard, but I heard no lies in his words. Despite our rocky start and the inherent mistrust between us, there was also an undeniable bond, and a connection born from our shared love for Liza.
“Deprogram her?” I asked, my eyes narrowing. Was it even possible to undo the damage that had been done?
“I’ve researched it,” Liam declared confidently. “With the right combination of therapy, support, and time, we can help Liza break free from her trigger word.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat, my taut muscles slowly relaxing. “I’ll help you, but on one condition. You keep us updated on all the information you have about Castro and his plans.”
“Deal,” Liam said without hesitation.
“If we’re going to stop Castro, then let’s get started. The sooner we put an end to his plans, the better.”
“I agree,” Liam stated firmly. “First, we need to make sure Liza is safe. The thing about the trigger word is that it can’t be used remotely or over the phone. The omega has to be near the handler, otherwise it won’t work. If Castro has it, he’ll stop at nothing to get his hands on her.”
“Then, we’ll just have to make sure he doesn’t succeed.” I growled, my wolf itching to protect our mate. “We’ve stopped him before, and we’ll do it again.”
“Damn right we will,” Liza said with more strength in her voice. Her resilience shone through as she declared, “I won’t let him use me or anyone else like this ever again.”
Liam sighed and rubbed a hand over his hair as he leaned back in the plush office chair.
Then he groaned. “I have to admit, I’m a bit let down that you’re not evil, scheming pieces of shit.
” He looked at each of us in turn, his gaze lingering on Liza.
“From the second I discovered my sister was alive and with you, I’ve been preparing to take you all out. ”
I slowly turned from Liza to her brother. Seeing the similarities in their profiles was disconcerting, yet oddly reassuring. “Excuse me?”
He shrugged. “I thought you were using Liza, but listening to you all, I know the support she has here is genuine. You truly aren’t a danger to her.”
His words stung like a slap to the face.
How could he even think we were capable of such things?
I had to keep in mind that Liam’s perception of us was built on assumptions and half-truths.
The most important thing at this moment was his awareness of the full truth, which would allow us to move forward.
As we hashed out the details, a glimmer of hope sparked within me, fueled by our shared love of Liza. I wasn’t a shortsighted man. The journey ahead would be difficult, filled with danger and uncertainty, but the thought of freeing Liza from the chains that bound her made it all worth it.
As I stole another glance at her, she seemed to sit taller, emboldened by courage, and I firmly trusted our love could conquer even the darkest shadows.