Chapter 101 Liza #2
“Is that why you brought me here?” I asked, my resolve wavering with fear and uncertainty. “Are you planning on taking Josef’s place and becoming my handler?”
Liam’s face contorted with disgust as he quickly shook his head. “No, Liza. That’s not why I took you. I had to protect you. That’s why I took you from the Kellers. I couldn’t let them have control over you.”
“Ty would never do that,” I bit out. “The Kellers weren’t even aware I was an omega.”
Liam’s jaw dropped at that, and if I looked hard enough, I’d be able to watch the cogs turning in his head as he tried to process this new information.
He frowned and shook his head. “Of course they knew,” he said, more to himself than me. “They were just pretending not to. That’s why they married you to Ty Keller. They wanted to use your power for their own purposes.”
“No,” I snapped. “You’re wrong. They didn’t know.
The Mims knew. My parents—my adoptive parents,” I clarified.
“When I began showing symptoms at thirteen, they took me to a doctor who put me on hormone suppressants to keep the symptoms at bay. Not even the doctor knew what to expect from me. As for the Kellers…” I closed my eyes and breathed deeply to cool my blood.
“They treated me like one of their own, and when they did find out, they went above and beyond to protect me and never once tried to exploit my abilities.”
Liam shifted in his chair and avoided my gaze. After a moment of tense silence, he looked back at me. “I, uh… I had a plan.” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
Dread surged through me. “Which was?”
He gave a resigned sigh. “I was planning to kill the Keller pack.”
My senses were jarred, as if I had just been punched in the face. I gasped for air, my chest tightening. “You were going to kill them?” I choked out in horror.
“Only because I believed they’d kidnapped you and were trying to turn you into their own weapon of destruction,” he said defensively.
I shook my head. “That doesn’t make it right, Liam. They’re my family. Ty is my mate.” Then I remembered something else—something he likely didn’t know. “We’re fated, Liam. Ty and I are fated mates.”
He groaned and twisted his hands through his hair. “Well, that definitely does change things. There’s no way I’d be able to kill Ty now. Not without killing you, too.”
“Damn right you can’t,” I hissed. The room vibrated again, but I couldn’t bring myself to care. For a moment, I considered giving in to my power and bringing the whole fucking house down, but maybe not yet.
My head swam as I tried to process everything Liam had just revealed.
“Is this what you do, Liam?” I asked barely above a whisper. “Take matters into your own hands like our father?”
“Sometimes it’s necessary,” he said, unapologetic. “But I’m not our father, Liza. I’m just trying to protect you.”
“By kidnapping me? By hurting my family?”
“Your mother was never supposed to be hurt,” Liam said, smacking his palm on the table. “As for taking you, I did it to protect you, to save you from a fate that would have been much worse. I won’t apologize for doing what was right.”
I wanted to argue, to keep lashing out at him, but… he believed he was doing what was best for me, even though it went against everything I had ever been taught. It didn’t make it right, but it was getting harder and harder to stay angry at him.
“Can you really protect me, Liam? Or are you just dragging me into the same darkness that consumed our father?”
For a moment, Liam didn’t answer. Then, with determination lacing his words, and his eyes full of sadness, he said, “I’ll do everything in my power to keep you safe.”
I studied him, looking for any sign of deception, though I saw nothing but the truth. I was certain that no matter what the future held, Liam would do whatever it took to protect me, even if it meant following in our father’s footsteps.
Slowly, the house stopped rumbling, leaving a tense silence hanging in the air. Liam watched me intently, as though waiting for another outburst, but I was spent, the anger that had fueled my power now replaced by a hollow ache deep within.
“Wait a minute,” I said, suddenly remembering something that had been bothering me. “You. You’ve been talking inside my head… even back at the Keller Estate, right? How did you do that?”
Liam’s expression softened as he relaxed in his chair. “Ah, yes. Telepathy. I discovered it when I was a kid. As far as I’m aware, I’m the only one who has it. From the research I’ve done, all alphas in our bloodline have a special gift. This is mine. It comes in handy when I’m… working.”
I frowned. A pang of jealousy struck me somewhere in my belly. “So, I can’t do it?”
“No.” He chuckled. “You’re an omega, Liza. You have your own gifts, like those incredible healing powers of yours.”
“Great,” I said under my breath. “I can heal people, but I can’t talk to them in their heads. That’s convenient.”
Liam laughed softly, and for a brief moment, he didn’t look like a dangerous mob boss, but just a brother trying to connect with his long-lost sister.
“Come on,” he said, standing up from his chair. “I want to show you something.”
He led me down the hall to his office, which was a room filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, antique furniture, and an enormous desk covered with paperwork and files.
He gestured toward a stack of documents on one corner of the desk.
“This is everything I’ve gathered on the Kellers over the years,” he said.
“When you mated with Ty Keller, I assumed they’d taken you in because of your powers and wanted to use them for their own gain. ”
I stared at the files, and an icy chill ran down my spine. Liam had come very close to making a devastating mistake.
“They were completely unaware that I’m an omega.
No one apart from my adoptive parents and the doctor knew.
” I looked up at him, searching for some understanding.
“It was only recently that they discovered what I really was. Dominic took the Kellers down a different path after everything that happened at Heather Falls. All their businesses are legitimate now.”
Liam had the good grace to blush.
I hesitated to think what that meant. “Whatever you’ve done, Liam, make it right. The Kellers are good people.”
He nodded. “We’ll figure this out together. Whatever it takes.”
Relief mingled with trepidation as I eyed the files. Liam might not be the brother I remembered, but he was family. I had to believe that now he knew Ty and I were fated mates, he really wouldn’t proceed with his plans.
Liam’s demeanor suddenly became serious as he leaned against the edge of his desk. “Can you tell me everything you remember about the night our father, our pack, was destroyed?”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, wondering where to start.
“Castro.” I paused, finding it difficult to even say his name without being nauseated. “He played a big part in what happened that night. He orchestrated the massacre of the Wylde pack, then used the Kellers as a scapegoat for our father’s death.”
Liam’s face twisted with fury. “I remember him.” He growled as he spat out the words.
“He was fixated on you, Liza. Obsessed. His every action proved that. It was unnatural. Unhealthy. It’s partly why Josef had to send me away from the pack.
He still met with me to train me to be a good alpha, but it had to be away from the pack, and especially away from you. ”
“You don’t need to remind me.” The memory of Castro’s relentless pursuit made me uncomfortable. “He’s still obsessed with me now, possibly more so.”
“He’s still alive?” Liam exclaimed. His aura radiated such power, my skin tingled.
“Yes.” I swallowed hard. “I wish he wasn’t, believe me. My life would be so much different if he’d died when the rest of the pack did.”
“Damn it,” Liam cursed, his hands clenched into fists. “I’d hoped that bastard had been wiped out with the others.”
“Me, too.” I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to find some comfort. “He didn’t, though, and now… he’s more dangerous than ever.”
I told Liam what had happened since the day ‘Stone’ had tried to come between Ty and me, then all the crap Castro had pulled since, up to and including me believing he was the one who’d kidnapped me. Again, Liam had the grace to turn an endearing shade of tomato red.
“I’m sorry for adding to your worries, Liza,” he said remorsefully. “But you mustn’t underestimate the seriousness of Castro’s threats. Obsession like that… it can drive someone to do terrible things.” Liam gave a slow shake of his head. “We need to protect you from him.”
“Protect me?” I scoffed. “I don’t need your protection, Liam. Ty has been more than capable of handling Castro. We’ve been managing fine without you.” Even as I said it, I knew it was a lie. We weren’t handling Castro, but damn if I was going to let Liam put my mate down.
“Are you sure about that?” he asked, searching my face for any hint of doubt. “If he’s still as obsessed with you as he was as a kid, he’s dangerous. From what you’ve told me, he’s spent the years planning, gathering resources and allies. Do you have any idea of what he’s capable of now?”
I shook my head. “I won’t hide from him, Liam. I won’t let him control my life any longer.”
“Good.” Raw emotion emanated from him, and his expression darkened.
“Now, let me help you deal with this threat once and for all. Castro knows you’re an omega, but if he learned anything about the destructive power you’re capable of, and the role a handler plays in controlling them.
.. the last thing you need is that evil fucker having that kind of power over you.
You’d have no free will. You’re hardwired to obey any order your handler gives. Any order,” he emphasized.
“Castro? A handler?” The thought of that twisted man controlling me, using me for his own warped purposes, made my veins ice over. My skin crawled. Just what did fate have in store for me? Was I destined to be nothing more than a pawn in someone else’s game?
“Exactly.” The fierce protectiveness in Liam’s voice both warmed and frightened me. “We can’t let that happen, Liza. I won’t stand by and watch you become a victim of his sick desires.”
“Then, what do we do?” Desperation crept into my words. “How do we stop him?”
“We’ll figure that out. We’re family. No one messes with my family.”
“Thank you.” My heart swelled with gratitude and something akin to love for this brother I’d only just met. It was strange to find comfort in his presence, especially after the way he’d taken me, but it was undeniably reassuring.
“Promise me one thing.” Liam’s eyes bored into mine. “You’ll let me make this right. If Castro ever comes near you again, if he ever threatens your safety or the safety of those you care about, will you come to me and let me help you?”
“I promise.” Unshed tears lay on my lashes. “I promise, Liam.”
“Good.” A small smile flickered on his lips before disappearing just as quickly. “Now, let’s figure out how to get rid of that fucker.”
My confusion still lingered at the edges of my mind as I tried to understand everything Liam had told me. One question in particular nagged more than the others, though.
“Liam.” I cleared my throat. “How does one become an omega’s handler?”
Liam sank down in the armchair next to me.
As he leaned back and drummed his fingers on the armrest, he looked every bit the mob boss.
“Think of it this way. You’re like a sleeper agent,” he said slowly.
“Our father put your wolf’s main omega powers to sleep with a word—a word only certain people would have been told.
I believed Dominic had forcefully extracted that word from Josef before ending his life, but now I know he wasn’t aware of you being an omega…
” Ice flashed in Liam’s eyes. “That word will fully awaken your wolf. The person who knows that word and says it will become your handler, and you will be under their complete control.”