My growl escaped me, a vicious snarl that left no doubt about my feelings on the matter.
“Watch your words, Hiram,” my father warned menacingly. “This is your final warning.”
“Relax, relax.” Hiram chuckled. “I have no intention of holding a woman against her will. But I will warn you that whispers are spreading about that girl and what she is, so you better keep her locked up tight.”
“Why are you even taking the time to warn us?” Hiram had always had it out for the Keller pack because he envied our prosperity over the years.
“Just take it as a sign of good faith. I have a feeling that things could get bad for you, especially since someone out there hates you enough to evenriskputting out such information. I’ll be the first to admit that I enjoy a little chaos in my life. You may not like getting your hands dirty, Dominic, but I’m a simple man.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Money—that’s what makes me happy, and I don’t mind getting my hands dirty. I’m a good ally to have in your back pocket should things go south. You’d do well to remember that.”
“Your warning is appreciated,” my father said cautiously. Like me, he was suspicious of Hiram’s motives.
Hiram ended the call, and I turned to Dad. “This is going from bad to worse.”
My phone rang, and I glanced at the screen. “It’s one of the pack representatives calling again.” I swiped my finger over the screen. “This is Ty.”
“Hey, Ty,” the older man squeaked. He was nervous to ask again, but I knew exactly what he was about to say. “Any update on the situation?”
“No, sorry. As soon as I have any information, our council will be the first to know.” I hung up, not waiting for further questioning. “We’ll have to address this soon. Especially with me getting calls from the pack every thirty seconds, wanting answers.”
Dad sighed. “I can’t blame them. Their lives went from normal to chaos within a matter of minutes.”
My phone rang again, but this time I ignored the call. “And Liza’s presence in the pack is enough to cause doubt and worry amongst our pack members.”
“Once Nico has more information on the video and whether it can be authenticated, I’ll make an announcement,” my father assured me. “Until then, we need to keep Liza at the estate. One of my men reported that they’d spotted random men around her place.”
The thought of strangers lurking near Liza’s home made my blood boil. She was an unclaimed omega, and one whiff of her scent would confirm their suspicions about her true nature.
My wolf stirred as I imagined ripping the heads off any fuckers who tried to attack Liza.
To make matters worse, we hadn’t figured out who the hell was stupid enough to play with the enemy to be Castro’s ‘little friend’. He made it clear that someone in town was helping him, but we were at a loss.
Though we’d suspected a traitor amongst us, we hadn’t been able to figure out who would be foolish enough to betray the Keller family.
“Nico’s team needs to hunt Castro’s accomplice down. What if it’s someone working in this fucking house?” I opened the door quickly, peering out into the hall to make sure no one was listening to our conversation.
“Calm down, Tyson. We’ll figure it out,” my father replied. “Castro will make his next move soon. Especially now that it’s clear Liza isn’t going to him. And when he does, we’ll have something to work with. Right now, there’s not much we can do.” Dad pointed to the door. “Go spend some time with your mate. All we can do is wait it out, and she needs your support.”
“Right,” I agreed. “I’ll go find her.”
As I walked down the long halls of the estate, I thought about how Liza had reacted to the leaked video. I couldn’t imagine having to relive the day my pack was slaughtered. Somehow, she’d remained calm and hadn’t shifted.
I had watched Liza from across the room as my mother held her hand, speaking soothing words to her. She was family now. Everyone accepted who she was, regardless of her identity as an omega, and she had finally told me she loved me.
We were ready to mate, ready to start our new lives together, but Castro had other plans.
My phone pinged, and I stopped in my tracks to read a notification from my social media page. Bryce had sent me a link to a post where a local artist had rendered a charcoal drawing of what he believed to be the elusive omega being held hostage by the Keller pack.
I rolled my eyes and responded to Bryce’s message.
Don’t send me anymore of this shit. I can’t handle it. Too much on my plate right now.
He responded almost immediately.
Sorry, man. Just wanted to make sure you knew what was going on. I’m hearing a lot about an omega. Stay safe and holler if I can help in any way.
I shoved my phone into my pocket as I entered the study. A fire crackled in the fireplace, and the lights had been dimmed to their lowest setting. Liza was asleep on the couch, curled up in her mom’s arms.
Rory held a finger to her lips. “Shh.” She gestured to her sleeping daughter. “Liza didn’t get much sleep last night,” she whispered. “Poor thing cried herself to sleep.”
