Page 134 of Fated to the Wolf Prince
Dad was in his office, typing madly on his computer when I arrived at the estate. Whoever was on the receiving end of his email was in for a long read. “Come on in, Ty. Have a seat.”
I closed the door behind me. “What did you find out? Where’s Sylas?”
Dad tilted his head up and looked at me. “It turns out that we were right about our suspicions concerning Sylas’s gambling addiction. Liza’s father’s tip panned out. Sylas is in Loveska.” He typed a few more lines before turning his attention back to me.“The alpha there, Hiram, called to let me know that he found our missing person.”
I found the phrasing interesting. “Missing person?”
My father was a man who could bend the truth without breaking it and making whomever he was speaking to glad he did. I was familiar with his ways. “As soon as I realized it wouldn’t be easy to hunt Sylas down, I reached out to the surrounding areas to alert them that a traitor may be on their land and to report back if he was found.” He shook his head and snarled. “Out of all the alphas, Hiram’s the one I hate working with the most.” His scoff was one of disbelief. “So, of course, he’s the one who found Sylas.”
“What does Hiram want in exchange for Sylas?” Because he would want something. Hiram was a bastard who did nothing out of courtesy to others. I shifted in my seat. “I’m assuming he’s not just going to hand him over for free.”
“He hasn’t yet specified.” My father was aware Hiram’s price would be steep. “All he said was that he wanted to meet with us, which is exactly what we’re about to do.” Dad stood and gathered his files, pushing them and his laptop into his briefcase.
I hadn’t expected a three-hour drive to Loveska, so I called Liza as we walked to the car. “Hey. It looks like we’re going to Loveska, and I don’t know how long I’ll be away.” I didn’t have to tell her to be careful, that I wanted her to stay with her parents, and that I would worry until I saw her again. She already knew.
“What? Why?” Her voice was pitched higher than normal, and I could hear her parents talking in the background. I regretted, for their part, that Liza sounded panicked. It would only freak them out even more.
“Listen, there’s nothing to worry about. The alpha in Loveska has Sylas and wants to meet with us before he hands him over.” I buckled my seatbelt and switched the phone call to Bluetooth, although perhaps since I was riding with my father, I shouldhave kept the conversation on the cell for privacy’s sake. “It’s the way this guy works. Kind of like a tit for tat situation.”
“I see. Please be safe, Ty.” Liza paused for a few seconds, and I could almost feel her angst through the phone. “Will you keep me updated?”
“Of course. Promise me that you’ll stay with your parents until I get back.” I couldn’t worry about her and be the future alpha my father needed to accompany him.
“I will. And you promise me that you’ll be careful.” Her voice was almost stern. For the briefest of seconds, I could imagine her using that same tone with our children.
“Yes. I’ll be careful, and I’ll be back as soon as possible.” If I had anything to say about it, we would be back by this evening.
I ended the call, and my father and I made the long drive to Loveska, arriving at Hiram’s office in the early afternoon. For a Saturday, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot, which I found odd.
The receptionist at the front desk led us to Hiram’s office. It was empty except for the rather large alpha who sat behind his desk with a cigar dangling between his lips as a slim line of smoke drifted upward into the air. There was no sign of Sylas, and I couldn’t help but wonder if we were being set up.
“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the heads of the Keller clan.” Hiram laughed and coughed at the same time. If his lungs were as black as they sounded, perhaps we wouldn’t have to deal with him any longer. “I hear you were betrayed by one of your own. I’m lucky enough to have a pack that fears me too much to ever betray me.”
It was official: I didn’t like the snarky, cocky bastard.
“Dominic, how did you become such a soft ruler?”
In my head, all I could see were the dozens of people slaughtered at the hands of my father. Hiram had no idea of the brutality Dominic Keller was capable of. My father had it in himto take down an entire pack, but I was grateful that he’d grown to be a much more subdued alpha.
Dad took a seat across from Hiram, and I followed suit. “Cut the bullshit, Hiram. What do you want in exchange for Sylas?”
Hiram slowly sat back in his chair, his hands resting behind his head, and his cigar hanging out the side of his mouth. “Me? I don’t want anything except to know what Sylas did that was so terrible he had to run to the most sinful city in the state of Texas to escape it.”
Dad cleared his throat. “Sylas falsified documents of the deceased.”
Hiram grabbed his cigar. “Interesting. What do you mean?”
“You know.” Dad waved his hand in the air nonchalantly. “He falsified the causes of death that aren’t covered under insurance policies. A lot of our pack members have been suffering because of it.”
Hiram whistled low. “That is pretty devious, but what would Sylas gain by doing that?”
My mind raced. How was Dad going to get out of Hiram’s line of questioning without telling him about Castro? As upcoming alpha, I had to think quickly on my feet, so I spoke up before Dad had a chance to respond. “He was cutting deals under the table with a life insurance broker who we already have in custody.”
Hiram placed his cigar in a large ashtray and leaned his flabby arms on his desk. “I was hoping for something much juicier.”
This asshole rubbed me the wrong way. I glanced at my watch, anxious to take Sylas and get the hell out of there.
After a few moments of quiet deliberation, Hiram finally nodded and waved his hand in the air. Within seconds, a large man burst into the room, dragging a very drunk-looking Sylas along with him.
