Page 199 of Fated to the Wolf Prince
“I was up all night, too, doing damage control with my father.”
We had stayed up until the early morning hours, contacting all the pack leaders who knew of the massacre. We had to make sure they understood the gravity of their silence and the importance of finding Castro, the man responsible for releasing the damning information.
The one positive aspect to come out of the whole fucking mess was everyone understanding that Castro was the enemy, not us. He was the one leaking information, and who knew which pack could be next? The alphas all agreed that Castro was dangerous.
In order for the packs to keep the peace around them and to keep their deepest secrets buried, he needed to be found. Now, it wasn’t just the Keller pack who was desperate to find him. Everyone was united in our efforts to locate and eliminate the threat.
Crouching in front of the sofa, I reached out to caress Liza’s tear-stained face. My heart ached for her. I wished I could take it all away and give her the worry-free life she deserved.
“Let me take her to bed where she can rest more soundly,” I suggested, gently lifting Liza from her mother’s lap. Sheinstinctively pressed into my chest and snaked her arms behind my neck as I cradled her.
Rory’s voice cracked as she spoke. “Ty, you have to fix this for her,” she pleaded, tears welling in her eyes. “Liza can’t be tortured by this anymore. We’re all feeling the guilt, but Liza is suffering the most.”
Now that I was looking closely at Rory, I could see she’d been crying. Her eyes were puffy and red-rimmed.
She sighed. “Your father brought her to us when she was just a little girl—barely more than a toddler. We’d been trying for another child, but it seemed we were destined to only have our boys. Liza was a blessing, and we loved her immediately.
“We trusted Dominic when he brought her to us. We never would’ve imagined that she’d been torn from her pack and her parents.” A few tears trickled down her cheeks as she gazed at her daughter. “This has to stop. The whole thing is ripping her apart. And as her mother, it’s killing me that I can’t fix this. I can’t stand to see my baby girl in pain a moment longer.”
I glanced down at the love of my life; the woman who would lead by my side with courage and strength. “I swear to you that I won’t rest until Castro is dealt with, no matter what.”
Liza, with her infectious smile and genuine care for others, had become the center of my universe and the foremost concern in my life. Her well-being and safety had become not only a priority but an unwavering commitment. It drove me to take every possible measure to protect her, whatever the cost.
58
LIZA
Ijolted into alertness, heart beating like a drum and body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. I was breathing hard.
In the dim light, I took in my surroundings, trying to figure out where the hell I was.
Everything felt strange, and I couldn’t shake off the disorientation clouding my mind. I stretched my limbs, shaking off the remnants of sleep. Taking a deep breath, I tried to ground myself in the present moment.
The refreshing scent of cedar and pine brought with it familiarity and comfort. As my senses sharpened, I realized I was snugly tucked in Ty’s bed, a safe haven of warmth and comfort.
The last thing I remembered was being in the small study, crying into Mom’s arms as she rubbed my back and murmured soothing words. There was nothing she could say to calm me, though, and the tears just wouldn’t stop.
My heart raced as I reached over to his side, longing for Ty’s warmth only to find the bed empty and cold to the touch. Had he even slept here at all last night? Or had he stayed up, pacingthe floors, trying to find solutions for the seemingly unsolvable problems that plagued us?
The weight of our current situation settled on me like an oppressive fog, making it difficult to breathe. As son to the alpha, Ty bore the responsibility of protecting the pack. And now that my secret was out—my fucking omega status revealed—he faced the challenge of navigating the political and social upheaval that would inevitably follow.
I could only imagine the turmoil brewing inside him. Despite his strong, confident exterior, beneath the surface was a man who struggled to reconcile the needs of his people with the love blossoming between us. Ty was caught in a battle of duty and desire, and it pained me to know that my very existence was the cause of his distress.
Yet, even in the midst of all this chaos, Ty never failed to show how much he cared for me. His absence from the bed spoke volumes about his dedication to finding a way through the darkness. And though I felt guilty for the burden I’d placed on him, I couldn’t deny the warmth that spread through my chest.
“Ty?” I whispered into the empty room, hoping against hope that he might appear and wrap his strong arms around me. But there was no response, only the distant sound of muffled footsteps as the staff moved through the mansion.
My fingers grazed the cool surface of the bedside table, searching for my phone. A sticky note was attached to it, Ty’s familiar handwriting scrawled across the paper.
I carried you to my bed in hopes that you could get a full night’s rest. Call down to the kitchen once you wake up. They’ll make you anything you want for breakfast.
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Yet more evidence to prove how much he cared for me. Even in the midst of the shitstorm around us, he’d thought of my wellbeing.
I thought of my parents and wondered in which room they were staying. Dominic had insisted they remain at the estate where it was safe, and I was glad for it because now I wouldn’t have to worry about psychos swarming their house to find me.
We’d known Castro would retaliate. It had been inevitable. Knowing what had happened to my birth parents was one thing, but actually having it played out in front of me… It felt like I was spiraling. Any control I had was slipping from me.
If I looked at the situation as a whole, it seemed insurmountable. I needed to take charge of the situation one step at a time. First step, I sat on the bed and quickly used the phone in the bedroom to call the kitchen and place an order for breakfast.
