HIS to CLAIM ALPHA ZEKE

Zeke's POV

Theseus shifted his weight from one foot to the other while I asked him about suspicious vehicles seen near his territory borders.

The movement was so slight that most people wouldn't have noticed but I'd known this man for ten years and I'd never seen him fidget like that before.

His eyes kept darting to the left whenever I mentioned the black Range Rover. His body language screamed deception to anyone

trained to read body language.

"I already told you I haven't seen any unusual vehicles in the area," Theseus said while crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive posture that contradicted his casual tone.

"My guards would have reported anything suspicious and they've seen nothing out of the ordinary."

"Nothing at all?" I pressed while watching his face for micro expressions that might reveal the truth.

"Because we have phone records showing calls from the suspect's number to someone in

your pack and that seems like more than a coincidence given the timing."

"Phone records can be faked and numbers can be spoofed by anyone with basic technical knowledge.

" Theseus's jaw clenched tight enough that I could see the muscle jump beneath his skin.

"Just because someone called a number registered in my territory doesn't mean anyone here is actually involved in your family drama."

The casual dismissal of Golden's kidnapping as family drama made my wolf snarl inside my chest but I

forced myself to stay calm because losing my temper now would only make Theseus shut down completely.

Cecelia stood beside me with her hands twisted together so tight that her knuckles had gone white while she stared at Theseus with desperation written across every feature.

"Please," she said and her voice broke on the word in a way that made something crack inside my chest.

"My son is missing and every hour that passes means he could be hurt or scared or worse and if you know anything at all that could

help us find him I'm begging you to tell us because I can't lose him."

Theseus's expression stayed cold despite the raw emotion in Cecelia's plea. It showed that he was not willing to help us. "I sympathize with your situation but I can't provide information I don't have and searching my territory without cause would

be a violation of pack sovereignty that I won't tolerate."

"We're not asking to search your territory," I said through gritted teeth while fighting the urge to grab h

im by the throat and shake answers out of him. "We're asking if you've

seen or heard anything that might point us in the right direction because a child's life hangs in the balance."

"And I'm telling you I haven't seen or heard anything relevant to your investigation." Theseus moved toward the door of his office in a clear dismissal.

"If that changes I'll contact you immediately but right now I have pack business to attend to, so unless you have an actual warrant or evidence of wrongdoing I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

The bond between Cecelia and me

flared hot with shared frustration because we both knew Theseus was lying but we had no proof and no legal grounds to push harder. I wanted to tear his territory apart room by room until I found Golden but starting a war between packs

wouldn't help my son if he was actually here.

"Thank you for your time," I said flatly while placing my hand on the small of Cecelia's back to guide her toward the exit.

"We'll be in touch if we have further questions."

Theseus nodded without meeting my eyes which was another tell that

something was very wrong. He'd always been the type to maintain direct eye contact during conversations as a show of Alpha dominance. We left his office and walked through the main pack house with my warriors falling into formation around us while Theseus watched from his doorway with an expression I couldn't quite read.

The moment we were outside and away from potential listening devices I pulled out my phone and called Marcus. "I want surveillance on Theseus and his entire inner circle starting immediately," I said

without preamble. "He's hiding something and I want to know what it is."

"Copy that," Marcus replied while I heard him already typing commands in the background. "Should we also get eyes on his territory borders in case they try to move anything or anyone out?"

"Do it but keep it covert because if they realize we're watching they might panic and do something stupid." I ended the call and looked down at Cecelia who'd gone very quiet beside me. Her face had a blank expression.

"He knows something," she said so softly I almost didn't hear her over the sound of car doors opening as my warriors prepared to leave. "You could see it too right? The way he wouldn't look at us directly and how he kept deflecting every question?"

"I saw it." I helped her into the back seat of our vehicle before sliding in beside her while my driver started the engine. "Theseus has always been careful

about pack politics but this was different because he was actively trying to hide something rather than just being cautious."

"Then why are we leaving?" Cecelia

turned to face me with tears building in her eyes though she refused to let them fall. "If he knows where Golden is or who took him why aren't we making him tell us?"

"Because we have no proof and no authority to force him to cooperate without starting a war that could get a lot of people killed including possibly Golden if they panic." I

reached over and took her hand while the bond between us pulsed with her anguish. "But I'm not giving up because Marcus is setting up surveillance right now and if

Theseus or anyone in his pack makes a move we'll know about it."

The drive back toward my territory felt endless while Cecelia stared out the window without really seeing anything. I could feel her emotions through the bond, the crushing weight of

hope that kept getting built up then shattered every time a lead went nowhere. My driver took a route that passed through a commercial district where a children's park sat

between two shopping centers.

"Stop here," I told him suddenly while spotting the park because

Cecelia looked like she needed a moment to breathe before we went back to the command center and more dead ends.