Page 118 of Fated to the Wolf Prince
Now I was in the thick of it, with not only our pack’s future on the line but my mate being in the crosshairs of a maniac. No way in fucking hell was I going to just sit in the corner, observing my father taking control of the situation. We’d have to work together if we were to have any hope of bringing forth justice and protecting everyone involved.
It had been twenty-four hours since we received the letter from Castro. During that time, we’d reviewed the faked coroner’s report at least fifty times. It didn’t change anything. No matterhow many times we looked at the damn report, we had no new insights, but at least it felt like we were doing something—anything. We had so many questions, we weren’t sure where to start. Dad had his best men out searching for Sylas, the coroner, to get some answers.
The tension in the room thickened as more time passed without any luck. Dad’s face was red, and that vein was protruding again. He looked like he was about to snap, so I braced myself for whatever was coming. Finally, one of our searchers called in. Dad put it on speaker as the guy said, “I couldn’t find Sylas.”
Dad completely lost his cool in that moment. The muscles in his jaw ticked, and he slammed the phone on his cluttered desk, the loud thud echoing through the room. He leaned back in his worn-out chair and let out an exasperated huff. His shoulders were stiff with the weight of the situation. “This is bad. Really bad.”
No shit, Sherlock. “You think I don’t know that?” I cracked my knuckles. “The man who wants to take my fated mate as his own is on the loose. Trust me, I’m feeling the pressure to find him just as much.” The very last thing I needed was someone, father and alpha or not, to tell me that this was bad, as though I was unaware.
I wanted to be out there hunting Castro down myself, but even if we had any idea where to start look, it wouldn’t be allowed.
Dad checked his phone yet again, probably hoping to see a text or email that would lead us to Sylas. If we could find him, we’d get the answers we needed from him. Guaranteed. I didn’t care what amount of force, violent or not, it might take. He’d talk.
I stood and paced the floor from one side of the room to the other and back again, trying to dispel the nervous energy building inside me.
My wolf, sensing the danger that still threatened our mate, was restless. “It seems obvious to me.” Perhaps we were missing something, but I couldn’t see it if we were, which left no other explanation.
“What does?” Dad raised his head and eyed me briefly, then looked back at the monitor and typed something on his computer.
“Castro faked his death and must’ve given Sylas a hefty payout to falsify the report and to fabricate a death certificate.” How Sylas could go against his alpha and his future alpha, I couldn’t understand, but I didn’t doubt it at all. And the more that I thought about it, the more nothing else made any sense whatsoever.
“Yes.” Dad sighed. “I’d agree that’s most likely. However, how did that sick son of a bitch get away with it?” Dad leaned forward, his elbows on the desk, and his head resting in his hands. “I think I’m more upset over the fact that one of our own members betrayed us this way.” His voice was stern. Not what I would have called angry but maybe disappointed. Bone weary.
Dad was right. It was horrible to imagine that someone in a trusted position at our local hospital, in our community, would choose to cause harm to the pack for the sake of a simple monetary bribe. Our pack was known for its loyalty.
“It’s enough to make me paranoid about other members.” Dad looked older than I’d ever seen him. Fresh lines marked his face, and the tension in his body was visible. “I have to wonder how much money it would take for them to betray me and the rest of the pack, and whether we have multiple shifters who are just waiting for the right opportunity to take advantage of us.”
Staring at my dad’s defeated posture and the massive dark circles under his eyes, I decided to keep my opinions locked down. If I spoke, he would know I was just as worried, if not more so than he was. No need to add fuel to the fire.
Someone was trying to take out the pack, and we had secrets we couldn’t afford to set free. If word got out that Dad had led the massacre of an entire pack, we’d have more than just a random coroner turning on us and our supporters. We would have an uprising on our hands.
No one would stop to ask questions to understand the motives behind Dad’s actions, as heinous as they were. Instead, they’d take the information Castro released and proceed to take Dad out. They would more than likely see him as a threat to the pack and remove him from his position. Of course, nobody would want the son of a deranged, evil alpha moving into the leadership position. The Keller name would never be seen in the same light, and it would all be because I hadn’t taken Castro out when I had the fucking chance. We would be ruined, and we’d never recover from it.
My conversation with Castro in the parking lot of the ice cream parlor played on repeat in the back of my mind. He’d had such an air of arrogance about him in the way he’d spoken and acted. I should’ve followed my gut and slit his throat right then and there. Would’ve saved a lot of trouble.
Of course, that type of response would’ve had its own repercussions. I hated every part of this fucked-up situation because it seemed as though my hands were tied while Castro galivanted around, free as a bird, planning his next move.
All of that could wait, at least for this moment. Right now, I had to pay attention to Dad, and shift my focus to what I could clearly see he was going through.
He was exhausted. Honestly, his doctor would be pissed when he learned how much stress my father was under and howmuch time he was spending on this senseless bullshit. He hadn’t kept his word to be in bed by eight each night or to avoid intense and emotional situations like this.
Fucking hell, it wasn’t entirely his fault. Things happened, and he was still the alpha, so it was his responsibility to take care of it.
I was surprised he hadn’t been knocked off his feet from it all. Instead, he somehow managed to hold his head high and handle everything that came at him. He only raised his voice at the appropriate times rather than shouting at everyone and anyone, which was a testament to his unwavering patience these days. Much of it was for show when his subordinates were around. The last thing he’d want was for his pack to see even a hint of weakness in him.
But I saw it, and so did Mother. Just because he hid it well didn’t mean it wasn’t there.
I checked my phone just as frequently as Dad checked his, hoping for a text from Liza.
As soon as we’d figured out that Castro was still alive, I drove her to her parents’ house and told her to stay put until I had a better handle on the situation.
She wasn’t overly excited about it, but I needed to make sure she was safe. The last thing I needed right now was to worry about losing her. I called a few of my guards, requesting that they stay out of sight but close to her parents’ house. Liza was unaware of my plans for a twenty-four-hour security detail, but I’d discuss that with her later.
I hadn’t heard from her since I dropped her off. I’d never been particularly needy but with everything going on, I was much more frustrated and anxious than normal. Truth be told, she was probably spending most of her time calming her parents’ fears, but that still didn’t stop me worrying and keeping me on edge. Plus, she knew I’d be neck-deep in the investigationand trying to find Sylas, so maybe she was giving me the space I needed. We would have to discuss that. I didn’t need space. Not from Liza.
My wolf whined inside my head, reminding me why I needed to stay focused on the task at hand. He had a damn good point. Until we found Castro, Liza was in danger, and none of us could rest easily.
The ringing of my father’s phone jolted me out of my thoughts. He put it on speaker. “All right, Nico, I’ve got you on speaker. Ty’s here with me, and we’re anxious as fuck to find this asshole. Tell us what you’ve got.”
