“Your father is the one who turned Liza into… into this.” I let my emotions get the better of me. “Who has a child just to basically turn them into a sleeper agent? Who literallyturns their child into a weapon to ‘activate’ at their word? He brainwashed a kid. She didn’t deserve any of this.”
“Of course she didn’t,” Liam said. “My father wasn’t some heartless monster, Ty. He did what he thought was necessary to protect our family and our pack.”
“By turning an innocent child into a pawn?” I shot back, slamming my fist on the desk. “Liza never asked for any of this. She deserved better.”
“Damn it, do you think I’m unaware of that?” Liam said, his whole body blazing with fury. “I wish there was a way to undo what was done, but I can’t do it. Yes, Liza was a kid, but this was fed into her subconscious even as a newborn. It’s who she is.”
“Who she is?” I laughed humorlessly. “You’re really going to stand there and tell me that the woman we both care about, the woman you call your sister, is nothing more than a tool for your father’s twisted games?”
“Fine, you want to understand why my father did what he did?” Liam asked, his voice tight with frustration. “Because sometimes you have to do whatever it takes to win, especially when you’re dealing with treacherous people like your family.”
It was like he’d punched me in the gut, but I held my ground, refusing to let his accusations shake me. “My father did what needed to be done,” I hissed. “Your father was a toxic poison who had to be eradicated for the good of everyone involved.”
“Is that what you tell yourself?” Liam sneered, taking a step closer. “To justify the blood on your family’s hands?”
My own blood boiled as I glared at Liam. A storm brewed between us, and I clenched my jaw to keep my wolf in check.
“Say that again.” I growled low in my throat.
“Your family is no better than mine,” Liam spat. “You act all high and mighty, but you’re just as ruthless and cutthroat when it comes to getting what you want.”
“Enough!” I roared, unable to hold back any longer. My fury exploded like a dam breaking, and I lunged at Liam with every ounce of strength I had.
We collided with a bone-jarring impact and crashed to the floor, grappling and snarling like wild animals. Liam’s teeth snapped at my throat, his hands clawing at my face and chest.
“Stop this,” my father barked the moment he and Isaiah rushed into the room. They grabbed hold of us, trying to pry us apart as we continued to struggle against each other.
“Let go of me,” I snarled, fighting against Dominic’s iron grip.
“Both of you, stand down.” Isaiah sounded thunderous in the now silent room as he held Liam back. “What the hell are you two doing? You’re supposed to be allies.”
I broke free from Dominic’s hold, my breaths coming in ragged gasps as I glared at Liam. “He thinks he can insult my family and get away with it?”
“Is this how you plan on keeping Liza safe?” Dominic’s words were laced with disappointment. “By tearing each other apart?”
Liam scoffed, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’m no ally to you, Dominic,” he said. “I’m only here to protect and help my sister. As far as I’m concerned, the Kellers can all still go to Hell.”
Liam’s words echoed in my ears once he’d stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him with enough force to rattle the walls.
My father turned to me. “Ty, getting on Liam’s bad side is not what we need right now. You need to fix this.”
I gritted my teeth, feeling the bitter sting of truth to his words. Deep down, I knew he was right. We couldn’t afford to let our personal issues distract us from the task at hand: protecting Liza.
“Fine,” I said, frustration simmering beneath the surface. “I’ll try.”
“Good.” Dominic nodded firmly. “We can’t afford to waste any more time bickering. We need to be united if we want to keep Liza safe.”
I went up to our room to change my ripped shirt. Thankfully, Liza was asleep. I took a moment to watch her. A small lock of hair had fallen over her face, and every time she exhaled, it fluttered. I moved across the room and gently tucked the stray lock behind her ear, admiring her beauty up close, but she never stirred.
I moved to the closet and picked out a fresh shirt, tugging the ripped one over my head and throwing it in the trash before I quickly buttoned the fresh shirt. With a final glance at Liza, I returned to my office to have a look at Bryce’s proposal,
I was nose deep in financial progress reports when one of my guards knocked on the door and entered the room with Isaiah. The guard’s posture was tense and alert. “Alpha Keller,” he said. “We’ve received word that Liam has checked into a hotel in town.”
I frowned. How had things escalated to this point? It felt like everything was spiraling out of control, and I needed to regain some semblance of order before it was too late.
“Thank you for letting me know,” I told the guard, trying to keep my voice steady. “Alert the security team to keep tabs on him, but don’t engage unless absolutely necessary.”
“Understood, Alpha.” The guard gave me a curt nod before leaving the room.
