LAYLA'S POV
Cameron squirmed in his seat while looking to me for guidance, but I couldn't help him without making things worse. "Uncle Robert," he finally said, his voice getting quieter. "He said it's a secret though, and I'm not supposed to tell."
The name hit me like a freight train, and I felt all the blood drain from my face. Robert was supposed to be three states away keeping his mouth shut, but apparently he'd
been visiting my son behind my back, which meant everything was about to fall apart
Zeke's eyes moved from Cameron to me while his expression promised consequences I couldn't even imagine. "Layla," he said quietly while everyone else at the table pretended to be very interested in their food. "Who is Robert?"
My mouth opened, but no sound came out because what could I possibly say that wouldn't expose everything? Robert was Cameron's biological father, who I'd paid to
disappear, but instead he'd been sneaking around seeing our son, which meant he'd broken our agreement and now I was trapped.
"Just a friend," I managed to say, my voice coming out too high and too fast. "An old pack member who moved away but sometimes visits when he's in the area."
"And this old pack member brings my son candy behind my back?" Zeke's tone stayed calm, but I could see the Alpha rising in his eyes. "What else does Uncle Robert do when he visits?"
Cameron looked between us while confusion spread across his little face because he didn't understand why everyone suddenly seemed angry. "He just talks to me and asks about school and stuff," Cameron said while shrinking down in his chair. "Did I do something bad?"
"No, buddy, you didn't do anything bad," Zeke said, his voice gentling for Cameron even though his eyes stayed hard when they flicked back to me.
"But I need to talk to your mom alone for a minute, so why don't you go play in the other room with Marcus."
Marcus stood immediately and held out his hand to Cameron. "Come on, little man, let's go see if we can find those new toys your dad ordered."
They left quickly while Marcus threw me a look that said I was in serious trouble.
The moment the door closed behind them, Zeke's entire demeanor changed from patient father to furious Alpha. "You have exactly ten seconds to tell me who Robert really is before I have my trackers hunt him down and drag him here myself."
I forced myself to take a breath
while smoothing down my dress to buy time to think. "He's exactly who I said he is," I replied, keeping my voice steady. "Robert Davies. He worked in the eastern patrol unit about four years ago before transferring to another territory for better opportunities."
"Robert Davies," Zeke repeated while pulling out his phone. "Marcus, pull up the records for anyone named Robert Davies who worked eastern patrol four years ago." He kept his eyes on me while waiting for the response.
My heart hammered because there
actually had been a Robert Davies in eastern patrol, which was why I'd chosen that name when setting up the fake
identity. The real Robert Davies had died in a training accident two years ago, which made him perfect for my purposes since dead men couldn't contradict my story.
"Found him," Marcus said from the other room where he must have stepped away to search. "Robert Davies,
transferred out three and a half years ago to the Clearwater Pack, died in a training accident eighteen months later."
Zeke's eyes narrowed while he processed this information. "So you're telling me a dead man has been visiting Cameron and bringing him candy?"
"No, of course not," I said quickly while acting confused. "That can't be the same Robert because the man I know is very much alive. Maybe there were two pack members with that name, or maybe I'm remembering his last name wrong since we only dated briefly."
"Convenient that you can't remember his full name," Cecelia said from her seat, her tone
dripping with suspicion. "Almost like you're making this up as you go."
"I'm not making anything up," I snapped while turning to face her. "You've been gone for three years, so you don't get to sit there and judge my life or who I choose to have around my son."
"Our son," Zeke corrected, his voice going dangerously quiet. "Cameron is my son, which means I absolutely get to judge who you're allowing around him, especially when it's someone you can't even properly identify."
I bit back the automatic response that Cameron wasn't actually his son because that would destroy everything. "You're right, I'm sorry," I said while forcing my voice to sound apologetic. "I should have told you Robert was
visiting, but honestly it's been so innocent that I didn't think it mattered. He just stops by maybe once every few months when he's passing through for work.
"What kind of work?" Zeke demanded.
"Sales, I think? Or maybe logistics?" I waved my hand vaguely. "We don't
really talk about his job. He mostly just plays with Cameron for an hour, then leaves."
"You let a man whose job you don't even know spend unsupervised time with my three-year-old son?" The disbelief in Zeke's voice was clear. "What exactly were you thinking, Layla?"
"I was thinking that Cameron doesn't have many positive male role models in his life since you're always so busy with pack business," I shot back while letting some real frustration bleed into my tone. "Robert is kind to him, and
Cameron lights up when he visits, so I didn't see the harm in letting them spend time together."
Zeke's jaw clenched while I could see him fighting to keep his temper under control. "That ends now," he said flatly. "No more visits from Robert or anyone else unless I've personally vetted them and approved the contact. Do you understand?"
"You can't just dictate who I allow around my son," I
protested while knowing I was on thin ice but needing to push back enough that my surrender would seem reluctant
instead of suspicious.
"Yes, I can, because he's my son too and his safety is my responsibility." Zeke moved around the table toward me. "If this Robert contacts you again, I want to know immediately so I can meet him myself and verify he is who you say he is."
"Fine," I agreed, crossing my arms. "But you're overreacting. Robert is harmless."
"Then he won't mind coming here and introducing himself properly," Zeke countered. "In fact, I want his
full name, current location, and contact information by tomorrow morning, or I'm having my trackers find him the hard way."
Panic clawed at my throat while I scrambled for a response. "I don't have his contact information anymore," I said, making it sound annoyed. "He just shows up sometimes. I never know when he's coming."
"How convenient," Cecelia muttered while Zeke's expression showed he didn't believe me either.
"It's the truth," I insisted while
looking between them. "Robert values his privacy and didn't want to give out his number. He said he'd just stop by when he was in the area, and that was fine with me."
"So a man with no phone number and a job you can't identify just randomly appears at your house to see a child who isn't his, and you saw nothing wrong with this arrangement?"
Zeke's tone made it clear how ridiculous he found my story.
"When you say it like that it sounds bad, but it wasn't like that at all," I said while trying to inject sincerity
into my voice. "Robert is a good person who cares about Cameron. There's nothing sinister going on."
"Then prove it," Zeke challenged. "Next time he visits, you call me immediately, and we'll all have a nice chat about his intentions."
"I will," I lied while knowing Robert would never risk showing his face here now that Zeke was looking for him. "But I think you're going to feel silly when you meet him and realize he's exactly what I said he was."
