All Chapters of His to Claim: Alpha: Chapter 11 - Chapter 19

19 Chapters

eleven

CECELIAS POVHe nodded like he'd expected that answer. "Fair enough." He moved toward the door. "Get some rest. Tomorrow we'll start going through anyone who might have known about Golden.""Wait." The word escaped before I could stop it. "That portrait in the hallway. The one of you and Layla and Cameron."His shoulders tensed. "What about it?""You look like a family." I hated how small my voice sounded. "A real family. Happy."Zeke turned to face me fully. "That portrait was commissioned by the pack council two years ago. They wanted something official for the main hall. Something that showed stability and continuity after your death.""So it was just for show?""Everything with Layla was for show." His expression hardened. "We were never together, Cecelia. Not the way that portrait suggests. Not the way you're imagining.""But she lives here. She has Cameron. She acts like the Luna in everything but name.""Because the pack needed a female presence and she was the only option." He

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

twelve

CECELIAS POVThe list sat between us on Zeke's desk like an accusation. Seven names. That was all I could come up with. Seven people in Seacreek who knew Golden existed and that Zeke was his father."That's it?" Zeke asked, scanning the paper."Seacreek is a small pack. I kept to myself mostly." I pointed at the names. "Fatima and her three children, though they're too young to really understand. My neighbor Elena who watched Golden sometimes when I had to work late. Marcus at the market where I worked. And Sarah, Golden's preschool teacher."Zeke made notes next to each name. "What about medical records? Did you take Golden to a healer?""The pack healer, yes. But I never mentioned who his father was. I just said he wasn't in the picture.""The healer would have seen his eyes." Zeke tapped his pen against the desk. "Those eyes are distinctive. Anyone who's seen me would make the connection."I hadn't thought of that. "Doctor Chen is a good man. He wouldn't gossip about his patients."

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

thirteen

Chapter ThirteenCECELIAS POVFatima studied the names. "Elena is a good woman. Single mother with two kids of her own. She watched Golden sometimes but I can't imagine her talking to strangers.""What about Marcus at the market?""Marcus is harmless. A bit of a gossip but not malicious." Fatima tapped the paper. "Though now that you mention it, he did comment once on how Golden looked like he could be Alpha blood with those eyes."My stomach dropped. "When was this?""A few months ago. I brushed it off as Marcus being dramatic but he seemed quite certain." Fatima's face paled. "You don't think he would have mentioned it to someone else?""We need to talk to him." Zeke was already pulling out his phone again, sending messages. "What about Sarah, the preschool teacher?""Sarah's devoted to her students. She's been teaching for twenty years." Fatima shook her head. "I can't believe she'd do anything to put a child in danger.""People don't always realize what they're doing," I said quie

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

fourteen

Layla's POVCameron stood at my window, his small hands pressed against the glass, watching the guards patrol the courtyard below. He'd been quiet all morning, too quiet for a boy who usually bounced off walls with energy."Mama, why is everyone talking about the ghost boy?"I set down my teacup carefully, forcing my expression into something gentle. "What ghost boy, sweetheart?""The one who looks like Papa." Cameron turned from the window, his blue eyes confused. "Sarah at the kitchens said Papa has another son. A ghost boy who came back from the dead with his dead mama."My fingers tightened around the teacup handle until I thought it might snap. The staff were gossiping. Of course they were gossiping. Cecelia's return was the biggest scandal to hit the pack in years."Come here, baby." I held out my arms and Cameron climbed into my lap, his small body warm and solid against mine. Real. Mine. "That woman, Cecelia, she's not a ghost. She's Papa's old mate from a long time ago.""Bef

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

fifteen

Layla"I'm not flaunting anything." Cecelia took a step closer. "I'm trying to find my missing child. That has nothing to do with Cameron.""It has everything to do with Cameron." My voice rose despite my attempts to control it. "You come back here after three years playing dead and suddenly everyone's falling over themselves to help you. Meanwhile, my son, the boy Zeke has raised since birth, is being pushed aside like he doesn't matter.""That's not what's happening and you know it.""Is it?" I gestured wildly at the palace. "Zeke barely looks at Cameron anymore. He's too busy chasing after your ghost child, proving he's some kind of hero who'll save the day. Where was this devotion when Cameron was a baby? When Cameron needed a father?"Cecelia's eyes narrowed. "Maybe if Cameron was actually his son, things would be different."The words hit like a slap. I felt my face go hot with rage and shame. "How dare you.""How dare I what? Speak the truth?" Cecelia's voice stayed level but I

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

sixteen

Layla's pov"Cameron is a child." Zeke's voice rose now, his Alpha authority bleeding through every word. "He doesn't need to be caught up in adult problems. He doesn't need his mother poisoning his mind against people he doesn't even know.""I'm protecting him.""You're using him." Zeke moved closer to me and I had to fight the urge to step back. "You're using a little boy as a weapon in whatever twisted game you're playing. And I'm done with it.""Zeke, please—""Go to your quarters, Layla. Now." His tone left no room for argument. "And you're not to speak to Cameron about Cecelia or Golden again. Is that understood?""You can't keep me from my son.""He's not your son either." The words were brutal in their honesty. "Cameron is the child of another wolf, one you've never bothered to name. You've used him to secure your position here for years, but that's over now. Do you understand? It's over."Tears burned my eyes but I refused to let them fall. Not here. Not in front of Cecelia,

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

seventeen

ZEKES POVThe shouting from the south garden reached my office through the open window. I recognized both voices immediately. Layla's shrill accusations and Cecelia's measured responses that were starting to fray at the edges.I was down the stairs and across the courtyard before I consciously decided to move. Something about hearing Cecelia's voice raised in anger made my chest tight with an emotion I couldn't name. Protectiveness maybe. Or guilt that she was dealing with Layla's poison at all.The scene in the garden stopped me short. Layla stood with Cameron pressed against her side, using the boy like a shield. Cecelia faced them both, her clothes damp with water and her expression cold in a way I'd never seen during our marriage. Back then, she'd always softened when confronted, always tried to make peace.This Cecelia had learned to bare her teeth."What's going on here?" My voice came out harder than I intended.Layla spun toward me, relief flooding her face. "Zeke, thank goodn

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

eighteen

Zeke's POV"This fountain," Cecelia said suddenly. "This is where you told me about the marriage. About choosing me for the peace treaty."I remembered. It had been late spring, flowers blooming everywhere, the air sweet with their scent. Cecelia had been so young, barely twenty, trying to look brave while her hands shook."You wore a blue dress," I said before I could stop myself. "You kept twisting your ring around your finger, the one your father gave you.""I was terrified." She sat on the edge of the fountain. "I thought you were going to tell me you'd changed your mind. That you'd picked Layla after all.""Would that have been better?"She was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know. Maybe. At least then I wouldn't have spent six months falling in love with someone who didn't want me."The admission hung between us. I moved closer, sitting on the fountain's edge beside her but leaving careful space between us."I was cruel to you," I said quietly. "I told myself it was duty, that

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

nineteen

Zekes pov"Maybe." I sat back down on the fountain's edge, suddenly exhausted. "But I have to try. For Golden, if nothing else. He deserves a father who'll fight for him. Who'll be there for him the way I should have been there for you."Cecelia sat down beside me again, this time close enough that our arms almost touched. We sat in silence as darkness fell around us, the fountain's gentle splashing the only sound."Tell me about him," I said eventually. "About Golden. What's his favorite color? What does he like to do? What makes him laugh?"Cecelia's expression softened. "He loves blue. Ocean blue specifically. He says it's the color of adventure." A small smile crossed her face. "He wants to be a fisherman like Fatima when he grows up. He loves being on the water, helping with the nets, asking a million questions about every fish they catch.""He's curious then.""About everything. He never stops asking why." She pulled out her phone, showing me videos. Golden running on a beach, h

Last Updated : 2025-11-13

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