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Mother leaned over the side of the bed and kissed my cheek. “I was so worried about you, Tyson. You’ve been unconscious for a few days.”
“A few days?” My voice was hoarse, my throat scratchy. I coughed.
A nurse appeared and handed me a glass of water. She helped me sit up, then placed a few pillows behind my back.
“I’m so sorry to put you all through that.” I took a small sip of water, realizing how dry my mouth was. “I certainly didn’t plan for things to go this way.”
Dad held up a hand. “You don’t have to explain, just conserve your energy. Liza already filled us in.”
My gaze drifted to Liza. It looked like she hadn’t slept in days. Her eyes were swollen and red-rimmed, her hair a tangled mess on the top of her head.
“I’m glad you’re okay.” She dropped my hand and stood, turning to leave.
“Where are you going?” Why would she leave me just as I woke up?
There was so much I wanted to say to her, and I needed to make sure she was okay. The whole situation with Castro had left her with a heavy burden to process, and I was concerned for her well-being.
Liza turned and clasped her hands in front of her chest. “I have to think about my next steps, Ty. Even though your father didn’t kill my parents, it was his actions that caused the destruction of my home.”
Dad hung his head, unable to look Liza in the eyes.
She continued. “I know why you chose to keep everything from me, and you were absolutely right. If you had shared all the gory details with me, I would have blamed you for the sins of your father, not being able to see you for who you are. But right now, I want to mourn my parents in peace because I was never given the chance.”
I opened my mouth to protest. To apologize again.
Liza held up a hand. “No, Ty. It’s time for me to speak and for you to listen. I have to dig deep and find it in me to forgive you for everything you kept from me. Right now, I’m not sure I can do that.”
She stopped in the doorway, looking back at me with her gorgeous eyes penetrating my soul. “Get well soon, Ty.”
Liza walked away. Had I just lost my mate?.
Dad watched her go. “I can’t blame her if she never wants to lay eyes on me again.” He sat in the chair she’d just vacated and rested his elbows on his knees. “I honestly had no idea who had ended Josef and Portia’s lives. When Liza told me everything she’d witnessed, it wrecked me, Ty. It’s devastating what that child went through.” He pinched the bridge of his nose.
I patted his arm. “What’s done is done, Dad. We can’t go back and change things. Our actions moving forward will show everyone involved what values the Keller family holds. That’s all we can do... move forward with integrity.”
Dad lifted his gaze. “You might not want to hear this right now, considering that you just woke up, but our family secret won’t be getting out. Castro succumbed to his injuries.”
My jaw dropped. “He’s dead?”
Dad nodded. “Apparently, you did more damage to Castro than he could heal from. You punctured a major artery. He couldn’t recover.”
I closed my eyes, recalling the fight. I had been so focused on my own wound that I hadn’t realized I’d punctured his neck when I had my paws wrapped around him.
Shit.
“I didn’t want to kill him. He needed to be tried for his crimes and punished accordingly.”
Dad sighed. “Good riddance is all I’ll say. Although, I can understand Liza feeling jilted since her parents won’t ever get the justice they rightfully deserve. Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised if she decides to give us all a big fuck-you and tell the entire world our secrets.”
I cleared my throat. “No. Liza isn’t like that.”
He nodded. “Yeah, that’s the impression I got when we discussed everything. She just wants to move on.” Dad rose to his feet and shoved his hands in his pants pocket. “That reminds me. There’s something I’d like to do for Liza once you’re back on your feet. Maybe it can be an offering of peace.”
The next three days were torture while I waited to be released from the medical ward. I was bored and anxious to get back to some sort of normalcy.
The nurses and Dr. Anderson took good care of me, but as the future alpha, they went over the top in assuring I was healing as I should be. Anyone else would’ve been released after day two, but not me.
My parents had spent a lot of time with me, playing cards and chatting about random happenings within the pack, but Liza never came back. Bryce even showed up one day with a bouquet of bacon that had been twisted into the form of roses, but no Liza.
