My heart sank. He was right. The woman standing in the window was too short—not by much, but it wasn’t her. “It’s a decoy. Liza isn’t in this house.”
Our failure pressed down on me, but this was not the time for self-pity. We needed to regroup and figure out our next move.
“Let’s fall back.” My words cut through the quiet night air. “We need to rethink our plan.”
The damp earth beneath my feet did little to ground me as the night air buzzed with the tension radiating off me. Nico and Isaiah flanked me, their unwavering loyalty a solid comfort despite our current predicament.
“Alpha Keller?” A strange voice cut through the darkness, and I stiffened at the unexpected intrusion. A man stepped out of the shadows, his bearing confident, yet not entirely hostile. Something about him seemed familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it. “I’m here on behalf of Liam.”
Nico growled low in his throat. I held up a hand, silencing him. Something told me this man had information we desperately needed, and I wasn’t about to let my pride get in the way.
“Speak.” I steeled myself for what was to come.
The man eyed us warily, then cleared his throat. “Your little operation here has been… well, noted, shall we say? Liam wanted me to inform you that your efforts are futile. You won’t find Liza.”
I balled my hands into fists, barely holding back a snarl. How dare he speak so casually of my mate, as if her life were nothing more than a game to be toyed with?
“Where is she?”
“Ah, well, that’s not for me to say,” the man said with a smirk that made my blood boil. “But know this, Alpha. Liza will have to make a choice soon. When she does, she’ll choose her brother. Liam has no intention of harming your precious Liza. Liam also wanted me to tell you that he’s impressed. He thought you might be reckless enough to storm in here without thinking, but it seems you’re more cunning than that.”
“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” I asked, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Take it however you’d like.” His smirk widened. The asshole knew he’d struck a nerve. “Liam will be pleased to know you’re not a complete idiot.”
“Very well,” I said through gritted teeth, forcing myself to remain calm. Easier said than done. “Tell Liam that I will find her, and when I do, he’ll have to answer for everything he’s done.”
The man merely smiled before melting back into the shadows.
Nico stepped in front of me, his hand gripping my arm firmly. “Ty, don’t. If we go after him now, we’ll be playing right into their hands.”
“Let go of me, Nico,” I snarled, my wolf itching beneath my skin to give chase. “He knows where Liza is. He’s our best chance at finding her.”
“Listen to Nico,” Isaiah said, his eyes locked on the man’s retreating form. “We can’t afford to lose our cool right now. Liam’s got the upper hand. We need to be smarter than he is if we want to get Liza back.”
Molten lava coursed through my veins, but they were right. Charging after the messenger wouldn’t help anyone, least of all Liza.
Reluctantly, I nodded, letting the fire in my blood subside to a steady simmer. “Let’s regroup and figure out our next move.”
The taste of defeat lingered in my mouth, bitter and acrid, as I trudged back to where we’d left the cars. The shadows followed me like spectral wraiths, mocking my failure. I swallowed down my self-pity. Liza was depending on me. We climbed back into the vehicles and returned to the estate.
“Ty,”Dad called from the armchair in my study. He scrutinized me with concern and curiosity. “There’s something you need to see.”
He handed me a heavy, worn envelope, its edges frayed with age. My fingers traced the inked letters that spelled out ‘From Castro’on the front.
“What is this?” I asked warily.
“It’s a delivery from Castro. Open it and see for yourself.” My father watched my every movement.
I tore the envelope open, revealing a battered, leather-bound journal. It looked ancient, its pages yellowed and fragile. As I cautiously leafed through the entries, realization dawned on me. This journal had belonged to Liza’s biological father. Questions swirled in my mind like a tempest. How had Castro obtained such a prized possession? What secrets did these pages hold?
“Have you read it?” I glanced at my father before turning my attention back to the journal.
“I skimmed through,” he said. “There’s a lot to learn from it.”
I frowned as I continued to leaf through the entries, each word ingraining itself onto my soul. My wolf was restless and agitated. There was something hidden between the lines that we needed to understand, and I vowed to uncover it.
“This could be the key to finding Liza.”
