Page 74 of The Wolf Prince

“No harm done, man.” I reached out and shook his hand. “Send me the bill for getting that dent pulled out. Sorry about that. And no worries. My friend here will rest his ass against something else.”

“Thanks, Ty, but it’s not so bad.” He chuckled. “I can probably pop it out.”

Our ideas of bad were obviously different, but the man smiled at me, then shot one last glare over his shoulder in Stone’s direction. Stone had already stepped away from the vehicle, also not wanting to cause more of a scene.

“Thanks.” Stone shot me a glare of his own, apparently blaming me for the interruption. “Where was I?”

“You said that Liza was considered special. Why was that?” Maybe if I knew it all, we could figure out a way to work through it together once I told her.

The look he gave me told me he thought he was talking to the stupidest human on the planet. I, on the other hand, thought I was the one talking to king dumbass. “Her birth was looked at as the beginning of a new era. She was the mother of the next generation of Wyldes.”

“Hmm.” My heart raced, and a lump rose in my throat. I had an inkling I knew exactly what Stone was trying to tell me. Even though it scared the shit out of me, I forced myself to focus on what he was saying.

Stone rubbed his chin. “Liza’s parents sought protection for her. She was special, and they didn’t want anything to happen to her. They were willing to pay everything they had and everything they could beg, borrow, or steal to keep her protected because, as you already know, omegas are revered and meant to be protected at all costs.”

Yeah. I knew that.

Fuck.

My face paled as my breath almost left my body. There wasn’t going to be any talking to him once I told Bryce he had been right all along. Liza was an omega. The thought was staggering.

Somehow, I kept my composure in front of Stone. The last thing I needed was for this tool to sense a weakness within me. He would pounce at the first chance he got.

Stone continued. “Liza was promised to me. The plan involved the two of us bringing forth the new generation.”

His voice turned so hard it could have broken through steel. “The Keller pack was supposed to help protect her. Instead, they slaughtered the entire pack.” He quirked an eyebrow, wanting to hear my response, daring me to deny it. His fists were clenched at his sides, and it wouldn’t take much to provoke him into a fight.

“Stone, I don’t know what to say. The sins of my family have nothing to do with me. I just learned about all this shit from my father.” I hadn’t even managed to sort through all the dirty details yet.

“Your father is a fucking coward,” Stone growled, and there was real hatred in his tone, as well as a searing need for vengeance. “I saw him that day. His claws were out, and he was ready to pierce them into Liza.” He shook his head, and his eyes glowed with rage, fists still clenched at his side. “She was just a child, for fuck’s sake.” His nostrils flared. “I suppose his conscience finally kicked in and he decided not to kill her, but I saw the blood in his eyes. He knew it would be easier to have her out of the picture completely.”

I raked my hand through my hair. According to my father, the entire pack had been killed. Seems he’d had it wrong. Stone had seen it all. No wonder he was so enraged. His fury was an entire third entity in this discussion.

“I never knew the names of the monsters who destroyed my home and took my queen, but I vowed to find her again and restore our pack to its former glory.” His eyes were as black as his soul when he looked at me. “Reject Liza. She shouldn’t be tainted by the bloody hands of the family who kidnapped her. She deserves better than a Keller.”

He turned to leave without giving me a chance to respond, although I couldn’t have even if I tried. I was at a complete loss for words.

Just before he turned the corner, Stone stopped and spun on his heels. “Liza was promised to me. Keep that in mind. If you don’t fucking walk away, and soon, I’m going to start letting secrets slip to anyone who will fucking listen. I’m sure your pack would be eager to learn the truth.” That was a threat I couldn’t take lightly.

The truth always had power. Stone’s final words rang in my head as I stood, unmoving, shocked to my core. Liza was an omega. What would that mean for our relationship?

I trudged back to the front of the ice cream shop, my mind reeling. Most of the other patrons had left, so Liza had the patio almost completely to herself.

She was shaded under the patio awning, scrolling on her phone when I sat down in the seat across from her. Putting her phone down, she watched me expectantly.

Of course, she wanted answers. I’d just left her alone on our date for a good thirty minutes to have a conversation with a mysterious man who shared her light features. To top it all off, we had been in the middle of a discussion about her past when he’d conveniently strolled up to our table. The timing couldn’t have been worse.

I couldn’t tell Liza what Stone and I had discussed, so I reached out and grabbed her hand instead. “I’m so sorry, Liza. I’ve got to get home.”

If I wasn’t near her, I wouldn’t be tempted to blurt out the facts that were now stored deep in my mind. I needed to sort through them first and decipher the truth from whatever else I’d been told. Fiction. Lies. Embellished legends. I wouldn’t be able to tell until I had some time alone with my thoughts.

She laid her hand over mine, her brow creased, eyes bright with worry. “Are you okay?”

Her touch against my skin brought me crashing back to reality. I studied her face, agony twisting my intestines. I had to tell her everything. I knew that, but I couldn’t do it in the middle of town at an ice cream shop, and I couldn’t do it right now.

Right now, I had to be an alpha and put the pack first. If the pack no longer existed, there would be no future for Liza and me. We’d lose everything.

That didn’t stop me from standing and pulling her against my chest. I kissed her long and hard for all the world to see. Her scent wrapped around us as she relaxed in my arms. She was special. No, she was beyond special. She was an omega.

---