Page 275 of Fated to the Wolf Prince
“It’s just the cards we’ve been dealt, and we’ll handle all of this the best we can. I don’t expect you to be glued to my sideevery second of every day. You’re the alpha of our pack, and you have a lot of people depending on you.” I lowered my gaze. “Now that I’ve met with Anna, I’m feeling more hopeful that I can get a handle on my emotions.”
The shrill ringing of Ty’s phone shattered the moment. I huffed. What now? Couldn’t we have one drama-free moment. But Ty showed me the tiny screen. It was Zephyr. Ty put the call on speaker so we’d both hear what the tech wizard had to say.
“Hey, Zephyr. What’s up?” Ty’s tone was cautious. No doubt he was just as anxious as I was to hear what Zephyr had determined about the code.
“I’ve deciphered the letter.”
81
TY
We drove to Zephyr’s office in apprehensive silence, and the horrified look on Bryce’s face popped into my head. In all the years I’d known him, I’d never seen him look so helpless and scared. I had no power to predict the future, but I was certain if I’d flashed one damn second ahead of time, Liza would’ve had Bryce under her complete control. If I hadn’t stepped in front of Liza, shielding Bryce from her line of sight, she would’ve completely overtaken him.
I glanced over at her, and there was no missing the stress on her taut face.
Great job keeping that stress you’d literally just promised Anna you’d keep to a minimum, Ty.
She gazed out at the passing scenery with blank eyes. I wanted so badly to ease her worries, but that would have to wait until we done with Zephyr. The gods knew we needed some good news from the letter her parents had left her.
Liza said nothing as we drove, which left me alone with my thoughts. If she couldn’t gain control over her anger, what would that mean for us? Our pack?
There was a lot more to omegas than any of us realized. Honestly, I’d never seen an alpha force another pack member into submission. The whole fucking scene had been like something out of a horror movie. I needed my father’s advice on what to do next, but I also had to find a way to help lessen Liza’s mental load.
“How you holding up, babe?” I asked Liza, though it was a stupid fucking question. She didn’t give any sign she’d heard me, her gaze never leaving the passing landscape.
I silently prayed to the gods that Zephyr would have something positive for us. Anticipation gnawed at me, but I stayed focused on the road, doing my best to keep my emotions in check. At least one of us needed to remain level-headed.
“Almost there, Liza,” I said, my voice steady despite the storm of emotions roiling inside me. She nodded wordlessly.
We finally pulled up to Zephyr’s small shop and practically raced to the door. Zephyr was slumped over the front counter, his hair disheveled and heavy bags under his eyes.
“You look like hell,” I commented, earning a weak smile from him.
“Thanks for the words of affirmation.” Zephyr cleared his throat. “Not gonna lie, it took a lot to crack this one. First, I had to translate everything from Russian, and even then, the sentences didn’t make any sense. Then I added in the numbers, and I was more than a little fucking perplexed.”
Zephyr sighed deeply, running a hand through his unkempt hair. “But I finally managed to figure it out.” He handed a piece of paper to Liza, and I read it over her shoulder. My throat tightened as I scanned the words, trying to understand the message from beyond the grave.
Dearest Liza,
If you are reading this letter, we are so sorry that it came to this. It means that we left this world before we were ableto tell you everything. First, know that we love you more than you’ll ever know, our precious princess. Unfortunately, we made some bad dealings. Liza, we realize now we weren’t the best role models, and for that, we are truly sorry. By now, you must know that you are an omega. There is so much complexity to what you’re going to be someday, and we hope you’ll find this letter before it’s too late. There is someone who knows everything and can help you. Your brother Liam will explain everything to you. We are so sorry for the decisions we made because those decisions were what took us from you so soon.
All of our love,
Mom and Dad
At the bottom was a phone number.
“Are you serious?” Liza stared at the letter. “I have abrother?” Shock rang loud and clear through her voice.
I reached for her hand, twining our fingers together, silently reminding her to keep her stress levels down. To keep her anger at a minimum.
Zephyr broke the silence that had fallen over us. “I took the liberty of checking the phone line, and it’s still active.”
“No shit?” I couldn’t hide my disbelief.
The letter shook violently in Liza’s hands, and her breath hitched in her throat.
“Liam sent me the money... but now we can definitively say that Liam is mybrother.” Her voice faltered on the last word, and I sensed the mixture of relief and fear warring within her.
