Page 35 of The Wolf Prince

Dad’s voice cracked, and he covered his face with his hand. It was torture to watch him in that condition. He was broken, physically and mentally. I sat there, helpless, not knowing what to say to bring him comfort.

“Try not to worry about any of that right now.” I patted his shoulder. “You just need to focus on regaining your strength. I’ll do what’s necessary to mate.”

There was a long, awkward silence before Dad spoke up again. “What about Cecily? She’s ready to take on the role of your bride immediately. You could skip all of the formal dating protocols. Her parents have assured me that she’s ready to take the next step with you straightaway. There’s no need for courting, Ty.”

I stared in bewilderment at my dad, who’d just given me his blessing to pursue Liza the night before. Was he so concerned about his health that he wanted me to settle for marrying a woman like Cecily?

“Let me stop you right there, Dad.” I pushed to my feet and tried not to raise my voice. He did have a head injury, after all. Likely he wasn’t thinking clearly. “There’s no way in hell that’s going to happen.”

Dad sighed. “Fine, Ty. I’m not going to argue with you. If you’re adamant on being with Liza, then all I’m asking is that you move quickly. I’m afraid time is not on our side.”

The conversation had come full circle, back to the point where we’d started. I nodded and squeezed Dad’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. It’ll all work out.”

But I wasn’t so sure of that. My thoughts returned to Liza.

Liza. Fuck!

I pulled my phone from my back pocket. I had been so panicked about Dad that I hadn’t remembered to call her.

I dialed her number and held the phone to my ear. One ring turned into eight, then to voicemail.

“Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Mother walked to my side as if to look over my shoulder to see who I was calling.

“It’s nothing. I’ll take care of it.” I kissed Mother on the cheek. “Do me a favor. Get some rest and don’t hover over him. That’s what the staff is for. If they need you, they’ll wake you up.”

I leaned down and kissed Dad on the forehead. “Take it easy, old man. I’ll be back to check on you first thing in the morning.”

Dad smiled weakly and pulled the covers up to his chin.

As I made my way to my wing of the house, I tried calling Liza again, hoping she’d answer. This time, it didn’t even ring, just went straight to voicemail.

I’d messed up. Again. But it hadn’t been intentional. The thought of Liza searching for me at the park, wondering where I was, made me sick to my stomach. The poor woman probably assumed she’d been stood up.

I paced the floor of my bedroom and glanced at my watch. It was too late to show up unannounced at her house, so I forced myself to take a hot shower and get some sleep.

Tomorrow would be a big day, and I needed to prepare for it. Not only did I need to secure my mating with Liza, but I also had to ensure that no one in the pack caught wind of Dad’s ailing health. For the time being, I’d need to take on more responsibilities to ensure nothing fell through the cracks.

* * *

The next morning, I woke up early and raced over to Liza’s house. After ringing the doorbell and knocking multiple times, I concluded that she wasn’t home. I was desperate to talk to her, so I called her office. The secretary said she had clients all day and wouldn’t be returning to the office until later.

My phone rang, and I almost dropped it, scrambling to answer. My heart sank when a male voice came through on the other line instead of Liza’s.

“Hey, Ty. It’s Zephyr.”

I’d forgotten about the job I’d given him. “Hey, man. What’s up?”

“Can you meet me at the shop?”

The shop was a tech store Zephyr used as a front for his hacker business.

“Sure. What time?” I glanced at my watch, trying to decide the best time for me to return to Liza’s house.

“Now, if that works for you.”

Nervous energy coursed through me. Out of all the words he could’ve chosen, now was the one that stuck in my gut. When Zephyr wanted an immediate meeting, it never meant anything good. He must’ve unearthed something about Liza.

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