All Chapters of THE ALPHA CHILDREN LIVES: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Gabriel's car idled at a red light three blocks from the medical center, his phone still clutched in his hand. He should go back. Vanessa was waiting for him.But his mind kept circling back to Elena's office. To three children with dark hair and curious eyes. To the timeline that made his chest tight with possibility and dread.The light turned green.Gabriel made a decision.He turned the car around, heading back toward Sterling Clan headquarters. He needed answers, and he needed them now. Professional boundaries be damned, those children changed everything.Twenty minutes later, Gabriel pulled into the Sterling Clan parking structure. The building loomed above him, all glass and steel, a monument to everything Elena had built without him.He took the elevator to the executive floor, his heart pounding with each ascending number. What was he going to say? How was he going to ask without…The elevator doors opened.Smoke.Not regular smoke, Gabriel's enhanced senses immediately identi

The steady beep of the heart monitor is the only sound in the room. Gabriel counts each one. Forty-three beeps since the nurse left. Forty-four. Forty-five.If he focuses on counting, he doesn't have to think about the grayish tint to his father's skin. Doesn't have to acknowledge the tube down his throat or the way his chest rises and falls, only because a machine forces it to.Three days. It's been three days since Duncan Thorne collapsed in his office, a glass of scotch still clutched in his hand."Gabriel, you need to rest."Vanessa's voice cuts through the counting. He loses track of where he was."I'm fine.""You haven't left this room in sixteen hours.""I said I'm fine."From the corner of his eye, he sees her stand from the chair by the window. Her heels click softly against the linoleum as she approaches. A hand lands on his shoulder, warm and unwanted."Your father wouldn't want you to exhaust yourself like this."Gabriel doesn't respond. What does Vanessa know about what hi

The funeral director's office smells like lilies and lies. Gabriel sits across from a man in an expensive suit who keeps calling his father "the deceased" as if Duncan Thorne has become a thing rather than a person."Now, regarding the casket selection," the director says, flipping open a glossy catalog. We have several options in the premium range that would be appropriate for an Alpha of your father's standing.Gabriel stares at the pictures. Oak. Mahogany. Cherry wood. They all look the same. All equally wrong."The bronze handles are a nice touch," the director continues, oblivious to Gabriel's silence. Very dignified. And this interior lining is."I don't care." Gabriel's voice comes out flat. Dead.The director blinks. "I'm sorry?""Pick one. Whatever you think is appropriate. I don't care.""Gabriel." Vanessa's hand lands on his arm. She's been sitting beside him for the past hour, taking notes, asking questions he can't bring himself to answer. You should look at the options. Y

The cemetery is too crowded for grief.Gabriel stands at the graveside, watching as pack members file past the open casket for their final respects. Alphas in expensive suits. Betas with their heads bowed. Omegas dabbing at tears with handkerchiefs.Everyone is performing their role in this ritual of death.The morning air is crisp, carrying the scent of fresh-cut grass and the white lilies Vanessa selected. Gabriel's suit feels too tight across his shoulders, the black tie strangling him with every breath."You're doing great," Vanessa whispers beside him. She's been at his elbow since they arrived, a constant presence in a charcoal dress that manages to be both respectful and flattering.Gabriel doesn't respond. He's learned that silence is easier than conversation when his throat feels lined with broken glass.His mother stands on his other side, accepting condolences with the grace of a woman who's been preparing for this moment her entire life. His younger sister, Mara, flew in fr

The house smells like too many people and not enough air.Gabriel stands in the corner of his parents' living room, watching the post-funeral reception unfold around him. Pack members fill every available space, balancing plates of food his mother's friends prepared, speaking in those hushed tones people use when death is still fresh."More wine, Alpha Thorne?"Gabriel looks down at the server, a young omega from the pack's hospitality staff. His glass is still half full."I'm fine. Thank you."The omega nods and moves on, weaving through the crowd with practiced efficiency.Gabriel takes a sip of wine that he doesn't taste and continues his surveillance of the room. His mother holds court near the fireplace, accepting condolences with the same grace she's shown all day. His sister Mara has finally stopped crying and is talking with their cousins near the piano.And Vanessa moves through the crowd like she owns the place.She's changed out of her funeral dress into something slightly l