Dad closed his laptop and gave me his undivided attention. “You wanted to talk about something?”
“Yeah.” I cracked my knuckles, hoping he’d be receptive to my decision.
It wasn’t that I was afraid of my father or what he might do if I didn’t follow his suggestions. I just didn’t want to pile more stress on him. Over the past few days, I’d found myself imagining him slumping to the floor as the last of his alpha strength left his body.
The Castro fiasco was speeding up the process of his decline. I didn’t want to add to it.
I took a deep breath. “I’m not going to take another mate.” There. I’d said it. Ripped off the Band-Aid.
I stared at Dad, watching his face for some sign of emotion.
He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “I figured as much.” Disappointment dripped from his words.
“I’m hopeful that in a month’s time, Liza will be ready to take my bite.”
“That’s reassuring.” Dad’s tone had shifted. He was frustrated with my answer.
I straightened and held my hands up. “Listen, I’ll be the first to admit that Liza and I have had a rocky relationship, but she cares deeply about me. Of course, I feel the same way about her. We’re both invested enough to navigate this new normal together.”
“Newnormal?” Dad eyed me quizzically.
“You know, all the shit we’ve dealt with concerning her past, our family’s involvement with her pack, and, of course, Castro.” I paused. “Plus her being an omega. That presents its own set of challenges.”
I hoped he wouldn’t ask for more details because I didn’t want to tell him about Liza losing her control and shifting partially.
All I could do was hope that he would understand and accept our relationship.
He just sat there for a few moments, the silence hanging in the air between us.
I broke the silence. “I believe that me being a better partner, which has become a top priority, will help Liza see that we can spend the rest of our lives together. She needs consistency and reliability, and that’s what I intend to give to her. Not because Iwant to persuade her into mating with me, but because I want tobeher mate.”
His eyes softened as he nodded slowly. “You’re right. You have to be the best version of yourself if you want her to commit to you for life. That’s all anyone can do in a relationship. But it will take more than that, especially with an omega.” He paused. “I hope you’re right about her coming around within a month. The future of our pack depends on it.”
I took a deep breath. “I’m determined to make this work.” I stood up, ready to let him get back to his work.
Nico popped his head into the room like a thief in the night, scaring the hell out of me. I jumped and my knee hit the desk. “Fuck, Nico. Where did you come from?”
Nico’s smirk told me he got a kick out of scaring me. Then he got serious and shifted his gaze to Dad. “One of my men reported a package that was left at the gates.”
“What kind of package?” Dad stood from his desk so quickly, his chair screeched along the hardwood.
My pulse ratcheted. This could be the clue we’d been waiting on from Castro.
Nico’s face was grim as he shook his head. “I don’t know yet, but it looks like it could be important. I figured you’d want to take a look at it before we dispose of it.”
“Has security checked for explosives or any other type of security breach? I don’t want anything blowing up in here.”
Nico nodded. “The package has been thoroughly inspected.” He turned and motioned to one of the security guys to bring the box forward.
I noticed that it had, indeed, already been opened. It had to be a clue from Castro. Who else would leave an unmarked package at the gates of the estate?
Nico confirmed my suspicions when he handed the package across the desk to Dad. “It’s the first clue, sir.”
My heart nearly beat out of my chest as I watched Nico pull out torn sheets of paper.
“Is that it? Our clue is shredded paper?” I leaned over the desk and stared at the pile of trash. “This has to be a fucking joke.”
Nico shrugged as he pulled an envelope from the bottom of the box. “Dominic, it’s addressed to you.”
