Chapter 39 Ty #2
I cupped her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me again. “We’ll do everything in our power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
Dad cleared his throat from the driver’s seat as the car came to a stop. “We’re here.”
He slid out of the SUV, no doubt anxious to be far away from our intense conversation.
“We’ll put security on your parents’ house until we’ve taken care of Castro. It’ll make me feel better about their safety. That is, if it’s all right with you.”
Her demeanor eased as she reached up and kissed me on the cheek. “That would help a lot. Thank you.”
We got out of the car, and I stretched, needing some kind of exercise after sitting all morning. “Dad wants to discuss our next steps. Do you want to join us?”
Liza pulled her phone from her purse. “I appreciate you inviting me and keeping me involved in everything, but I’ve got an important client meeting I really should get to. I almost canceled, but since we finished in time, I’d rather not reschedule.”
I waved one of the security guards over. “Please escort Liza back to her house to change, then follow her to her meeting.”
“Yes, sir.” He stepped back and allowed us a moment of privacy, though none of the guards ever strayed too far.
I snatched Liza by the hips and pulled her closer, closing my eyes and breathing in her delectable scent. She looked up at me and stood on her toes to meet my mouth for a long kiss.
I didn’t want her to leave my sight, but I couldn’t keep her locked in a cage like a songbird. “I’ll see you later. Call or text if you need anything at all, okay?”
“I will.” She followed the guard to a black car parked to the side of the driveway, and I watched until the car vanished from view.
I was worried about her. What I’d said about her not feeling guilty for Castro’s actions was the truth, but the shame had been written all over her face when she kissed me goodbye. My words might have soothed her, but she still believed that she was responsible for every wrong move Castro made.
I’d have done anything to take that burden off her. It wasn’t her weight to bear, which only fueled the rage burning deep inside me.
That motherfucker had no idea what was coming. He had no right to lay a finger on her, to look at her, to even think about her. Liza was mine, not his.
I was going to make sure he paid for every single thing he had done to Liza, her family, and anyone else he had hurt. I clenched my fists, trying to keep my anger and frustration at bay. It was a good thing Dad and I were discussing our next steps because I was ready to take action.
I needed to do something productive with this energy before it consumed me completely. Revenge consumed my thoughts as I entered the house and headed straight to my father’s office, not even looking around for food, even though my stomach was threatening to eat itself.
Dad was already deep in conversation with our pack security team when I walked in. As soon as he saw me, he dismissed them and gestured for me to sit.
He stared at me as he waited for the door to close. “Before we get down to business, there’s something I’ve been wanting to talk to you about all day. It wasn’t appropriate to talk about in front of other people.”
Shit. What now? My mind went straight to Liza. Lately, all our uncomfortable conversations had something to do with her.
Dad rubbed his chin and nodded, although he hadn’t said anything more.
“I’m proud of the way you handled the meeting with Hiram yesterday.
” I’d learned it all from him, but I didn’t think he would appreciate the praise.
“I didn’t bring it up yesterday because things were so hectic, but you really thought on your feet.
That’s the type of characteristic a father could only hope to see in his son.
.. especially one who’s about to take over the position of alpha. ”
It wasn’t often my father heaped on the compliments.
As a matter of fact, it happened so seldom, I wasn’t sure how to handle it.
My whole life, he’d nagged, griped, complained, told me everything I was doing wrong or explained in detail how I could improve in specific areas.
Of course, even when I was young, I understood that he wanted me to develop into the type of leader our pack could depend on—a strong leader who made good decisions for the benefit of all, while keeping personal feelings reined in.
Regardless, all this back-patting was new to me. It made my skin heat. “Thanks,” was the only response I could come up with.
“Listen, son.” Dad stared pointedly at me. “I know you’re sick of hearing me say this, but I’m going to need to pass the power of the alpha over to you soon, otherwise, it’ll be too late, and it will be gone. So, I need you to seriously consider claiming Liza as soon as possible.”
My eyes widened. We’d been over this a hundred times before, and him bringing it up now made his compliments suspect.
Dad raised his hands. “I know the situation with Castro and the overall timing isn’t the best, but it needs to be done, regardless.”
“I agree, but I’m worried it’ll backfire on me.” If there was ever a time to be honest about my deepest apprehensions, it was now.
“What do you mean?” Dad raised an eyebrow.
“Castro thinks of Liza as his.” The asshole was gravely mistaken. “If he finds out she’s been claimed, what’s to stop him from retaliating?”
I wasn’t afraid for myself—I could handle whatever he threw at me—but Liza could get caught in the crossfire. He might even go after the pack, and that would be my fault. My selfishness and my hurry.
“I mean, this bastard is bat-shit crazy. I wouldn’t put it past him if he’d hunt Liza down and kill her if I claim her before we’ve dealt with him.”
Dad nodded. “I understand what you’re saying, but claiming her could also keep her safer.”
Well, that certainly wouldn’t help me decide.
I couldn’t help but play Devil’s advocate, considering we weren’t only talking about Liza’s life, but my own, as well.
“If something happens to her, our pack will no longer have an alpha. This doesn’t stop with my fated mate and me.
Castro’s actions could do irreversible damage to a multitude of people.
We can’t make these decisions without thinking it through from every direction and angle. ”
“You’re right, Ty. There’s always going to be a risk that something happens to you or, in this case, that something happens to your fated mate.
And there are always a thousand reasons not to do something.
I understand your hesitancy, but in this case, I’m certain it won’t happen.
” He sounded so sure, but I didn’t understand.
He took a sip of water. At least, I assumed the clear liquid in his glass was water. After the week we’d had, I wouldn’t have judged him if he chugged down vodka.
I wondered at what point in his life he’d become so confident. Though he was stewing and contemplative below the surface, to the average person, he looked like he had his shit together.
I sure as hell wasn’t at that level, yet. “What makes you so sure that something won’t happen to Liza or me once I’ve claimed her?”
“Simple.” Dad put the glass down and smirked.
“If Castro leaks the truth about Liza out of anger, she’ll already be a claimed omega.
Anyone with common sense knows what it means to go after an alpha’s mate, let alone his omega mate.
Even if the stories are completely fabricated and myths, that’s a crime punishable by death. ”
I nodded slowly. It wasn’t a foolproof solution, but it made sense. “I’ll talk to Liza about it and see if she’s comfortable with the idea.”
I didn’t need convincing to mate with Liza, but I wanted—no, I needed her to want it as much as I did. If we mated and I died, then I’d be stealing the rest of her life from her. She’d die shortly after me, if not right along with me. I didn’t want that for her.
Dad interrupted my train of thought. “It’s unfortunate that Sylas doesn’t know where Castro is hiding. We’ll have to take matters into our own hands again.”
“Have we hit a wall already? Surely Nico and his team can find a trail that leads to Castro.” How could one man slip past an entire pack without being seen? Someone out there must have laid eyes on him.
“I’m going to put feelers out to the packs I have the most trust with. Of course, I won’t give full details about Castro. Just enough for them to think he’s in danger. If they see him or catch wind of his whereabouts, we’ll be the first to know.”
“Genius.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and sent a quick text to Liza, letting her know I’d head straight to her place after Dad and I finished up.
“Here’s a quick alpha lesson for you, Ty.” Dad pushed up from his chair and walked to the window. “It’s always best to keep things close to the vest, even with those you trust. You never know where people’s loyalties truly lie in the grand scheme of things.”
Truer words had never been spoken. I only hoped our pack didn’t have any other traitors like Sylas lurking in the shadows.
As I drove to Liza’s house later that evening, I made the rash decision to cook for her.
She was always cooking for others, and I wanted to do something nice for her.
Hopefully, it would alleviate some of her stress.
It also wouldn’t hurt to butter her up before I brought up the topic of us claiming each other.
Liza was the one for me. I’d recognized our connection in my bones the first time we’d locked eyes at the country club. I envisioned her standing by my side through all of our pack’s joys and sorrows.
As I scoured the grocery aisles for the ingredients I needed, my mind was hyper focused on the idea of Liza possibly not wanting me as much as I wanted her. I tried to push the negative thoughts out of my mind. After all, I was the next alpha, for God’s sake.
The whir of the large fans overhead filled the aisles with a low drone, the beeps and booms of the refrigerated cases mixed with murmured voices and the clank of metal carts shuttling from one aisle to another.
Life continued on in our small town, despite the invisible threat that hung over us. I watched a family load their cart, one of the children fussing over the breakfast cereal the mom had chosen.
These were my people. Members of my pack.
Every decision I made could possibly have an effect on them.
I would soon be their alpha, but could I protect them from evil?
Even more, would Liza want to stand by my side or would she let the trauma of her childhood and the fear of Castro push her further from me?
My status didn’t matter to me—not if I couldn’t claim Liza. All I could do was hope she wanted this as much as I did.