LAYLA'S POV
Zeke studied my face for a long moment while I forced myself to hold his gaze without flinching. Finally he stepped back while running a hand through his hair. "This
conversation isn't over," he said while pulling out his phone again. "Marcus, I want a full background check on every Robert who's worked for any neighboring pack in the last five years. Also, pull security footage from Layla's residence for the past six months."
"You're going to spy on me now?" I demanded while actual anger flared because security footage would show Robert's visits. "That's a complete invasion of privacy."
"You lost your right to privacy when you started letting strangers around my son," Zeke said coldly. "Either you're telling the truth and the footage will prove it, or you're lying and we're going to have a much bigger problem."
My mind raced while trying to remember if Robert's face would be clear on any of the cameras. He usually wore a baseball cap and
kept his head down, which might work in my favor if the footage was grainy enough. "Fine, check the footage," I said while lifting my chin. "You won't find anything
suspicious."
"We'll see about that," Zeke replied while turning to address the other pack members who'd been sitting
silently through this whole exchange. "Dinner is over. Everyone can leave except Layla."
The room cleared quickly while Cecelia hesitated before standing. "Do you want me to stay?" she asked Zeke while her hand touched his arm.
"No, go check on Cameron and make sure he's okay," Zeke said, his voice softening slightly when speaking to her. "I'll handle this."
Cecelia left while throwing me a look that promised this wasn't over. The door closed behind her, leaving
me alone with Zeke, who looked angrier than I'd seen him in years.
"I want the truth, Layla," he said while moving closer. "Who is Robert really, and why is he interested in Cameron?"
"I already told you the truth," I said while standing my ground. "Robert is an old friend who cares about Cameron. That's all there is to it."
"An old friend who you can't name properly or contact or explain beyond vague details about sales jobs?
" Zeke's voice rose slightly. "Do you hear how insane that
sounds?"
"Maybe it sounds insane because you're looking for problems where there aren't any," I countered, my voice also rising. "Not everything is a conspiracy, Zeke. Sometimes people are just kind without ulterior motives."
"People don't risk coming back to pack territory where they could be questioned or detained just to give candy to someone else's kid," Zeke said, his Alpha authority bleeding into his tone. "There's more to this story, and I will find out what it is even if you won't tell me."
"Then waste your time investigating nothing," I said while turning toward the door. "I have nothing to hide, and eventually you'll realize that."
"Layla." Zeke's command froze me in place before I could reach the door. "If I find out you've been lying about this or putting Cameron in
any kind of danger, the consequences will be severe. Do you understand?"
"I understand perfectly," I said while forcing myself not to show how terrified I actually was. "But you won't find anything because there's nothing to find."
I left before he could stop me again, my legs shaking so badly I could barely walk straight. Cameron was in the playroom with Marcus, building something with blocks, and he looked up when I entered.
"Is Dad mad at me?" Cameron
asked, his little face showing worry.
"No, baby, Dad's not mad at you at all," I said while pulling him into a hug. "He just wants to make sure you're safe."
"Is Uncle Robert bad?" Cameron's voice was muffled against my shoulder.
"No, sweetheart, Uncle Robert isn't bad," I assured him while my mind raced with how to handle this. "But maybe he shouldn't visit anymore because it makes Dad worried."
"Okay," Cameron said while going back to his blocks like the
conversation had already been forgotten.
I watched him play while my thoughts spiraled because Zeke had security footage and resources and determination to find the truth. Robert needed to disappear permanently before anyone connected him to Cameron's birth, which meant I
had to contact him tonight and make sure he understood how serious this had become.
My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number that made my blood run cold. "We need to talk
about Zeke's questions. Meet me at the old warehouse at midnight."
Robert had somehow heard about dinner already, which meant he had eyes on the pack house or someone was feeding him information. Either way, this was spiraling out of control faster than I could manage while everything I'd
worked so hard to build threatened to collapse around me.
I deleted the text while making sure Cameron was settled with Marcus before heading back to my quarters. The
medical files were already destroyed, but there might
be other evidence I'd overlooked, and Zeke's investigation would be thorough and relentless.
My reflection in the mirror showed a woman who looked calm and collected, but inside I was screaming because one slip-up would expose everything. Cameron wasn't Zeke's son-Robert was his biological father-and if that truth came
out, I would lose everything, including possibly my life if Zeke decided the deception warranted that level of punishment.
I had to fix this before the investigation found something I
couldn't explain away while keeping Robert quiet and Cameron innocent of the whole mess. The warehouse meeting at midnight would give me a chance to make sure Robert understood the stakes while also figuring out if he'd
left any evidence behind that could connect him to Cameron.
My phone buzzed again with another message from Zeke. "Security footage is being pulled now. Expect questions tomorrow."
Tomorrow felt too soon, and I didn't have enough time to prepare for what they might find. The footage
would show Robert's visits, but hopefully not clearly enough to identify him, which might buy me more time to craft a better story.
I sat on my bed staring at the ceiling, trying to calculate my next moves, because one wrong step would destroy everything I'd built over the past three years. Robert had to disappear permanently, the footage had to be too grainy to help, and I had to convince Zeke that his paranoia was creating problems where none existed.
But most importantly, I had to make sure no one ever discovered that
Cameron wasn't Zeke's biological son, because that truth would be the end of everything.
