I needed to give Liza some room to take everything on board and prepare herself for facing Rosalie. It was time to make my parents aware of the situation. I walked across to their place, with the heady scent of my mother’s roses thick in the air. The warm sun on my skin did little to alleviate my nerves.
“Mother, Dad.” I entered their living room, finding them seated on the plush couch. Their faces instantly morphed to twin expressions of worry. I very rarely surprised them with a visit. “I need to tell you something.”
My mother scrutinized my face. “What’s wrong?”
Dad simply leaned forward, his silence amplifying the need for an explanation.
“Rosalie, Liza’s assistant chef, is more than likely another mole.” I recounted the details of the phone calls, the deposits, and her father’s debt.
“Shit.” Dad rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I suppose it was only a matter of time before we found the person responsible for all this chaos.”
“How has Liza taken the news?” my mother asked gently.
“Surprisingly, better than expected. She’s angry, of course, but she’s holding up well. We did discover something elsetoday,” I added, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “We still don’t know the full extent of Liza’s powers yet. Liam is working with her, but when her emotions got the better of her, she accidentally paralyzed us.”
“Paralyzed?” My mother’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “You mean, she can control people’s movements?”
“Seems that way.” I rubbed a hand over my jaw. “It took us by surprise, but we managed to calm her down. We’ll have to figure out how to help her control it later.”
“Indeed, we’ll need to be careful moving forward,” Dad agreed. “For now, focus on keeping Liza safe and getting to the bottom of this Rosalie situation. We’ll handle the rest.”
My mom stood and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I’ll come over and visit with her soon. I can only imagine the blow this has dealt her.”
“Thank you.”
My mother’s gaze narrowed in on my bruises. “What the hell happened to your face? Why are you all bruised up?”
“Ah.” I winced. There was no escaping the wrath of mother. “It’s nothing, Mother. Liam and I had a little... disagreement.”
“Disagreement?” she scoffed. “You call this a disagreement? Look at your face.” She gestured wildly at my battered visage. “Liam must be so much stronger than we thought if he managed to do this to you.”
“Actually, I let him hit me. It was part of a... plan.”
“Part of a plan?” Her voice rose dangerously. “You willingly damaged your face? Ty, have you lost your mind?”
“Mother, please.” I patted her hand. “It was necessary. We needed to establish trust.”
“Trust? By letting him beat you up. I swear, sometimes I don’t understand you.” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Persephone,” Dad cut in, placing a comforting hand on her arm. “Calm down. It might appear unorthodox, but if Ty thought it was the right call, we should trust his judgment.”
“Alphas,” Mom said with a huff. “I’ll never understand why you all insist on making things so difficult for yourselves.” She shot me a disapproving glance before stalking out of the room, leaving only my father and me behind.
“Son,” Dad began. “How do you plan to handle this situation with Rosalie?”
“I’m leaving it up to Liza,” I said firmly. My mate needed to confront the betrayal herself. It was important for her to regain some control after everything that had happened.
“Are you sure that’s wise?” Dad asked.
“Trust me, Dad, she needs this.” My gut told me it was the right choice. “Besides, we’ll be there for support if she needs us.”
“Very well,” he acquiesced, nodding slowly. “Just make sure you’re vigilant. We can’t afford any more surprises.”
“Of course,” I said, just as a low rumble echoed through the house, followed by shattering glass. The ground shook beneath our feet, and I exchanged a wide-eyed glance with my father.
“Wha—” I started, but my phone rang in my pocket, cutting me off. I pulled it out and answered, my breathing quickening.
“Ty.” The panicked voice on the other end belonged to one of my guards. “There was an explosion at the gate at the rear entrance. Three of our men are down, and the gateway is destroyed.”
