My first instinct was to call Ty, but he clearly didn’t want me to bother him right now.
The urgency to seek guidance overwhelmed me, and without a second thought, I reached for my phone and dialed my dad’s number.
My voice trembled as I spoke. “Something’s wrong. I need help. Now.”
43
TY
Ilay in bed, staring at the ceiling. A small water stain that had been on the ceiling since I was a teenager stared back at me, and I wondered why we’d never had it painted over.
As always, Liza was at the forefront of my mind and had been all throughout my restless night. I wanted her to be happy, and I needed her tochooseme as her mate, not out of an obligation because fate said we should be together.
My one-track thoughts of Liza had shifted since yesterday, leading me to one conclusion: I was a dick.
Dad’s suggestion about finding a temporary mate was my latest train of thought. I couldn’t avoid it. Even though I told Dad I wouldn’t give it a second thought, my brain kept circling back to it.
He’d mate himself clear: mate with Liza or someone else. At this point, he didn’t seem to care who I chose as long as the alpha power was preserved for the Keller pack.
Based on my earlier conversation with Liza, I knew deep in my bones that she wouldn’t agree to move forward with a mating ceremony. She’d said we weren’t far enough along in our relationship to mate, and I couldn’t argue with her. We weren’t.
She was my fated mate—I never questioned that for a second—but our time together had been tainted by the whole fucking mess with Castro. If it weren’t for that maniac’s attempts at claiming Liza as his own and leaving the Keller pack in ruins, maybe Liza and I would be ready to mate. Instead, we’d spent countless hours worrying about the future and trying to work through Liza’s past.
Nevertheless, I found myself torn between my loyalty to her and my loyalty to my pack. I wanted Liza and me to be one-hundred-percent certain about mating before we took such a big step, but I was the next alpha, and I was expected to fulfill certain duties.
The first duty would be taking the alpha powers from Dad. He seemed genuinely concerned that they could fade away before he had a chance to pass them to me at the mating ceremony, and I’d seen his strength slipping away firsthand.
When I’d mentioned moving forward with mating, I’d sensed the pressure Liza felt. Although she wanted me to lead and take control, she was also sensible about the gravity of any permanent decisions we were about to take. I appreciated her caution, but a decision would need to be made sooner rather than later.
As my mind churned with a million thoughts and ideas, I couldn’t fight off the need for something tangible. That’s when I decided to make myself a sandwich. I hadn’t eaten breakfast, so hopefully I’d think more clearly with a full stomach.
I considered asking the chef to prepare it for me, but something in me craved the simplicity of putting it together myself. Perhaps it was a meditative escape from the chaos in my head, or maybe it was the satisfaction of creating something with my own hands when every other aspect of my life was out of my control. Whatever the reason, my growling stomach urged me to take the stairs down two at a time.
I turned the corner and was surprised to find Bryce rummaging through the fridge. His arm hung casually over the fridge door, as if he was in his own house searching for a meal.
“Uh… hey, asshole. What are you doing here?”
He turned and flipped me off. “Can’t I grab a snack in peace? Who’s in charge around here?’
I laughed. “I thought you were still out of town?”
Bryce had been meeting with business owners to discuss potential expansions we wanted to make on our warehouses. Maybe that’s why some of my employees thought I wasn’t operating on all cylinders. I’d taken on Bryce’s usual responsibilities in addition to my own while he’d been gone.
“I couldn’t stand to be away from you another second.” He batted his eyes as I crossed the room to punch him in the shoulder.
Whenever Bryce made an appearance, it was a given that there would be some jabs thrown back and forth. After a few moments of playful ribbing, we both laughed. Despite the fact that Bryce could be a total pain in my ass at times, I couldn’t deny the bond we shared. Finally, we hugged it out.
“Good to see you, man. Did you just get back?”
“I got in last night.” Bryce turned his attention back to the fridge, and I caught a whiff of a woman’s perfume emanating from his clothes.
“Did you even attempt to wash off your latest conquest from last night?” I asked.
He turned back around, a faux-guilty look on his face. “Sorry about that,” he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “What can I say? I can’t help it if the ladies find me irresistible.” He ran a hand through his hair before reaching into the fridge and grabbing an apple. “Oh, and if you must know,” he continued as he took a bite, “the perfume is from this morning. I was running late and couldn’t find my usual one.” Smirking, heleaned against the counter and asked, “Want me to share more of my secrets, or are we good?”
I rolled my eyes as I poured myself a glass of water. “You dirty dog.”
“Be that as it may, I’m still your righthand man.” Bryce pulled out a stool from the kitchen island and took a seat. “So, what have I missed?”
