Chapter 99 Ty
TY
The dim glow of the fireplace cast dancing shadows on the walls of my office. Dad sat across from me, his face marred with concern and memories long buried. We were discussing the threat Liam posed to our family and whether we should take Castro’s warning seriously.
“What I did to that pack all those years ago… it was brutal but necessary at the time. I can’t imagine the hate Liam must harbor for us.” Dad rubbed his temples, clearly wrestling with his past actions.
“He wants revenge, Dad.” I leaned back in my chair, gripping the armrests hard.
“Then there’s Liza. We practically kidnapped her after killing her biological parents.
It’s no wonder he’s furious. But would he go as far as murder?
” My wolf bristled. “Would he be willing to kill his own sister just to get back at us? If so, why kidnap her in the first place?” I asked, trying to understand Liam’s twisted plans.
Dad shook his head slowly, his posture filled with uncertainty.
Before either of us could speak further, the door burst open. Nico and Isaiah strode into the room, holding rolled-up blueprints, their urgency radiating off them like heat from the sun.
“These are properties we found associated with Liam. We’ve marked the ones reported to have the most traffic.” Isaiah tapped the roll of blueprints he carried.
The men spread the paperwork all out on the table, tracing the outlines of various buildings and properties.
Nico pulled out the closest location’s layout, scanning it for any sign of weakness or vulnerability. “Let’s focus on this one first.” He tapped the paper. “It’s only a few hours away from here, and it looks like it has some potential weak spots we could exploit.”
Dad, Isaiah, and I gathered beside Nico to examine the blueprint and aerial map. Thick woods surrounded the property, and a winding road led up to a secluded house. It looked like the perfect place for Liam to hide Liza.
“Here’s what we’re going to do,” I said, my wolf howling in anticipation of finding our mate. “Isaiah, you and I will approach the property from the east. We’ll move through the trees, staying hidden as much as possible. We don’t want to alert anyone inside that we’re coming.”
Isaiah nodded.
“Meanwhile, Nico and a couple of guards will circle around to the west side. You’ll be our backup, ready to step in if things go south.”
Nico nodded silently, his face betraying no emotion.
“Once Isaiah and I reach the house, we’ll scout the area and look for any signs of movement or activity. If we spot Liza, we move in quickly and quietly, and we get her out of there.”
“Are we sure this is the right place?” my dad asked. “What if she’s not there?”
“Then we’ll move on to the next property.” I tried to sound confident, even though uncertainty gnawed at my insides.
A heavy weight settled on my heart as I stared down at the blueprint, working out the worst-case scenarios in my mind.
My wolf paced restlessly within me, equally anxious to find Liza and bring her back to safety.
Ordinarily, I would send a team of wolves to scout out a location like this, but this was different. This was my mate we were talking about.
“Are you sure you want to go by yourself?” Dad asked. “We can have a team ready to go in minutes.”
I shook my head, my resolve unwavering. “This is Liza, Dad. If she’s in danger, I need to be the one who saves her.”
He pressed his lips into a thin line. “At least let me come with you.”
“No.” My firm tone had him meeting my gaze. “I need you here. If anything goes wrong, I trust you to make the right decisions for the pack.”
His expression softened slightly. “Just be careful, son.”
I nodded, swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat. “I will. I promise.”
Isaiah, Nico, I, and a small contingent of wolves set off toward the property under the cover of darkness. As we approached, a sense of foreboding crept over me, the shadows closing in tighter around us with each passing moment.
“Stay sharp,” I told the others. “We don’t know what we’re walking into.”
The moonlight cast a ghostly glow over the secluded house and eerie shadows on the ground that danced in time with the wind rustling through the trees. I crouched behind a thick bush, scanning the area for any movement. The silence was nearly suffocating, broken only by our own breathing.
I turned to Isaiah and Nico. “Anything?”
“Nothing yet.” Isaiah held up binoculars, his attention never leaving the house. “But we’ve got to be careful. This place is giving me the creeps.”
Nico nodded in agreement, his usual bravado replaced with a tense seriousness.
We moved cautiously, each of us taking up our agreed positions around the perimeter of the house. My wolf urged me to charge in and tear apart anyone who dared to harm Liza, but I knew better than to give in to those primal instincts. We needed to be strategic if we were going to rescue her.
As I peered through the foliage, trying to catch a glimpse of anything that might indicate Liza’s presence, frustration washed over me. Why did Liam have to drag her into this? She didn’t deserve to be caught in the crossfire of our twisted pasts.
“Ty,” Nico called softly over the radio from his position on the other side of the house. “I think there might be someone inside. There’s a shadow moving near the window.”
My gaze snapped to the indicated spot. A flicker of movement caught my attention, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.
“Is it her?” he asked after a moment.
I nodded. “Has to be.” Even as I spoke, a nagging doubt began to gnaw at the back of my mind. If it was Liza, why didn’t I feel the magnetic pull of our mating bond?
“Wait.” I trusted my gut, and it was telling me something was off. “Something’s wrong. Look closer.”
As the seconds ticked by, I studied the woman in the window. She moved slightly, raising her hand to brush a lock of hair from her face—an action so distinctly Liza-like that I nearly rushed in. Still, the absence of our connection plagued me, refusing to be ignored.
“Ty,” Nico murmured. “It’s not her.”
My heart sank. He was right. The woman standing in the window was too short—not by much, but it wasn’t her. “It’s a decoy. Liza isn’t in this house.”
Our failure pressed down on me, but this was not the time for self-pity. We needed to regroup and figure out our next move.
“Let’s fall back.” My words cut through the quiet night air. “We need to rethink our plan.”
The damp earth beneath my feet did little to ground me as the night air buzzed with the tension radiating off me. Nico and Isaiah flanked me, their unwavering loyalty a solid comfort despite our current predicament.
“Alpha Keller?” A strange voice cut through the darkness, and I stiffened at the unexpected intrusion. A man stepped out of the shadows, his bearing confident, yet not entirely hostile. Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. “I’m here on behalf of Liam.”
Nico growled low in his throat. I held up a hand, silencing him. Something told me this man had information we desperately needed, and I wasn’t about to let my pride get in the way.
“Speak.” I steeled myself for what was to come.
The man eyed us warily, then cleared his throat. “Your little operation here has been… well, noted, shall we say? Liam wanted me to inform you that your efforts are futile. You won’t find Liza.”
I balled my hands into fists, barely holding back a snarl. How dare he speak so casually of my mate, as if her life were nothing more than a game to be toyed with?
“Where is she?”
“Ah, well, that’s not for me to say,” the man said with a smirk that made my blood boil.
“But know this, Alpha. Liza will have to make a choice soon. When she does, she’ll choose her brother.
Liam has no intention of harming your precious Liza.
Liam also wanted me to tell you that he’s impressed.
He thought you might be reckless enough to storm in here without thinking, but it seems you’re more cunning than that. ”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Take it however you’d like.” His smirk widened. The asshole knew he’d struck a nerve. “Liam will be pleased to know you’re not a complete idiot.”
“Very well,” I said through gritted teeth, forcing myself to remain calm. Easier said than done. “Tell Liam that I will find her, and when I do, he’ll have to answer for everything he’s done.”
The man merely smiled before melting back into the shadows.
Nico stepped in front of me, his hand gripping my arm firmly. “Ty, don’t. If we go after him now, we’ll be playing right into their hands.”
“Let go of me, Nico,” I snarled, my wolf itching beneath my skin to give chase. “He knows where Liza is. He’s our best chance at finding her.”
“Listen to Nico,” Isaiah said, his eyes locked on the man’s retreating form. “We can’t afford to lose our cool right now. Liam’s got the upper hand. We need to be smarter than he is if we want to get Liza back.”
Molten lava coursed through my veins, but they were right. Charging after the messenger wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Liza.
Reluctantly, I nodded, letting the fire in my blood subside to a steady simmer. “Let’s regroup and figure out our next move.”
The taste of defeat lingered in my mouth, bitter and acrid, as I trudged back to where we’d left the cars. The shadows followed me like spectral wraiths, mocking my failure. I swallowed down my self-pity. Liza was depending on me. We climbed back into the vehicles and returned to the estate.
“Ty,” Dad called from the armchair in my study. He scrutinized me with concern and curiosity. “There’s something you need to see.”
He handed me a heavy, worn envelope, its edges frayed with age. My fingers traced the inked letters that spelled out ‘From Castro’ on the front.
“What is this?” I asked warily.
“It’s a delivery from Castro. Open it and see for yourself.” My father watched my every movement.
I tore the envelope open, revealing a battered, leather-bound journal.
It looked ancient, its pages yellowed and fragile.
As I cautiously leafed through the entries, realization dawned on me.
This journal had belonged to Liza’s biological father.
Questions swirled in my mind like a tempest. How had Castro obtained such a prized possession? What secrets did these pages hold?
“Have you read it?” I glanced at my father before turning my attention back to the journal.
“I skimmed through,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn from it.”
I frowned as I continued to leaf through the entries, each word ingraining itself onto my soul. My wolf was restless and agitated. There was something hidden between the lines that we needed to understand, and I vowed to uncover it.
“This could be the key to finding Liza.”
“Let’s hope so.” I didn’t miss the sadness in my father’s voice. “We need to bring her home, Ty. We owe her that much.”
Nodding, I clutched the journal as if it were a lifeline.
I skimmed through the worn pages, my eyes darting over the writing as I searched for any clues that could lead us to Liza.
The scent of old leather and ink filled my nostrils—a reminder of the secrets held within its bindings.
As I flipped through the pages, my heart raced, each word holding more significance than the last.
I paused on a page that sent a chill down my back.
My blood ran cold as I read the words written about Liza, the implications twisting my stomach into knots.
It was worse than anything I could have imagined.
What I held in my hands was a ticking time bomb—one that threatened not only Liza’s safety, but also the very foundation of our pack.
“This just got even worse.”
Dad’s brow furrowed with concern as he leaned closer, trying to catch a glimpse of the page that had so thoroughly shaken me. But I didn’t want to reveal it to him—not yet. I needed time to process the information before I shared it with anyone else.
“What is it?” he asked. “What did you find?”
“Something dark.” I swallowed hard. “I can’t tell you yet, Dad, but this has raised the stakes much higher.”
He sighed, a look of resignation crossing his features. “Very well. Just remember that you don’t have to carry this burden alone.”
“Thank you,” I said, my gaze returning to the damning words on the page. As much as I wanted to confide in my father, I couldn’t bring myself to speak the truth out loud just yet. It was too terrible. Too dangerous.
As I continued to read, my mind raced with thoughts of Liza entangled in a web of darkness and deceit. She was out there somewhere, likely unaware of the secrets hidden within her past. Unaware of the danger that loomed over her head like a dark cloud.