No matter what happened, I’d never let anyone take away her joy or her spirit. Liza was strong and independent, and I was determined to do all that I could to protect her. Of course, it would be a battle because she tried to do so much on her own and didn’t like having to rely on someone else. But I couldn’t stop.
It wasn’t just a duty, like Liza assumed. It was my privilege and honor.
We ran for hours before Liza finally stopped at the spot that led in the direction of Heather Falls. My stomach churned as I tried to imagine what was going on in her mind. The last time we’d been in this area, her past had come crashing back into her mind, and the cold, hard reality of her parents’ death had brought her to her knees. Literally.
With Castro’s death certificate, and no heirs to speak of, the Kellers had reclaimed the land and were in the process of having the house torn down. Eventually, we’d give that land back to Liza.
She didn’t know about any of it, and I couldn’t wait to give her the gift once I claimed her. I wanted to rebuild on that land and give Liza the positive memories she so rightly deserved.
Right now, though, I just wanted to enjoy the moment with her. We didn’t need words. The bond between us was strong, sturdy, and it said everything that needed to be said. I rubbed against her, and she leaned into me. Even our wolves shared a strong bond. Nothing we could say would make it more or less so. No words were needed in a moment like this.
I nuzzled her neck, and the scent of her made me growl. My wolf wanted Liza as much as I did. I was ready to claim her in every way I could be ready—heart, body, soul—but we both knew it wasn’t the time. It would happen, though, and soon.
The sun was low and painted the sky the color of fire mingling with darkness. Liza led us back to the clearing where we shifted back to our human forms and got dressed. Again, I turned away to avoid looking at her naked body. If I caught a glimpse of it, there was no way in all of hell that I would be able to control myself.
We slowly walked back to the house with my arm around her shoulders, both of us lost in thought. When we neared the edge of the woods, Liza finally spoke.
“Thank you for today,” she whispered as she looked up at me. Her smile was small but potent, and my heart stuttered. “It was nice to be able to run without worrying about being watched or followed.”
I smiled and kissed her forehead. I could do this with her for the rest of our lives. “Any time. Although, I would offer one suggestion for our next run.”
Liza quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? What would that be?”
My hand slid down her back to cup her perfectly rounded ass. “A little more physical contact would be nice.”
She giggled, and I wanted to fall into the sound and stay there forever. “I think we can arrange that.”
My cock responded to her coy smile, but before I could find a word to speak, a figure standing in the doorway of the house caught my eye. I squinted so I could make out who it was. It was my father.
If Dad was watching, there had to be a reason. I cleared my throat and pulled my hand from Liza’s ass cheek. “Hey, Dad. Is everything okay?”
He narrowed his eyes in my direction. As we walked closer, I caught the tension on his face. His mouth was drawn into a tight line, and he didn’t greet us or even smile at Liza.
Something was wrong.
He took a step toward me, ignoring Liza. “When were you planning on telling me that Liza is an omega?”
36
LIZA
Ireached into my bag and took out a bottle of water. I fumbled trying to open the lid but finally got it twisted open and guzzled it down, trying to quench my dry throat.
So, his father knew about me.
It wasn’t that bad.
Oh, who was I kidding? The surprising turn of events had caught me off guard as I went from relaxed and horny to bewildered and ashamed.
I wasn’t ashamed of who I was, but I didn’t feel great about Dominic learning about my identity from someone other than me. I probably should have told him, but it wasn’t the kind of thing we talked about in my family. It was just part of who I was. It made me different. Made me… odd. I didn’t tell others because I didn’t want or need the scrutiny.
After such a refreshing run, the last thing I’d expected was for him to meet us at the door, proclaim I was an omega, and ask Ty why he hadn’t told him.
Ty took a step back, his protective instincts kicking in as he wrapped his arms around me. “Is this really something you think we should discuss right here? Right now?”
He meant they shouldn’t go toe to toe discussing my genetic makeup with me standing a few feet from their door. It was a discussion that could happen with or without me, since most of it wouldn’t include me, anyway.
Dominic scoffed. “I’m assuming Liza knows what she is, so nothing I have to say should come as a surprise.” He turned to me. “Am I right?”
