HIS to CLAIM ALPHA ZEKE

LAYLA'S POV

"What's plan B?" I asked though based on the way everyone suddenly looked uncomfortable I wasn't sure I wanted to know

"We ask for ransom." Theseus turned away from the bed to face the rest of us. "The extraction clearly isn't working and keeping the boy here is becoming more of a liability than an asset so we contact Zeke, demand whatever we want in exchange for his son's safe return, collect our payment and disappear

before anyone can track us down."

"That's not what we agreed to," Brock protested while moving to block Theseus's path like that would somehow change the Alpha's mind. "We went through all this trouble to get the kid because of his magic not to run some basic ransom scheme that could have been done by any common criminal."

"Plans change when the situation changes and right now our situation is that we have a dying child who's more trouble than he's worth." Theseus's voice dropped

into that Alpha command tone that made most wolves automatically want to submit.

"Unless you have a better suggestion I suggest you get on board with the new plan."

"Actually I do have a suggestion." Brock crossed his arms over his chest in a show of defiance. "We keep the boy underground in stasis until he's grown enough that his body can handle the extraction without the complications Fatima

described."

"And how long would that take exactly?"

I demanded because the idea of hiding out in this concrete

bunker for years waiting for a child to grow up sounded like the worst plan I'd ever heard.

"Could be three years or could be five years depending on his development rate." Brock shrugged like he hadn't just suggested something completely insane. "We put him in a medically induced coma, keep his body alive with IVs and feeding tubes, check on him periodically until he's old

enough to survive the procedure."

"You're out of your mind if you think that's a viable option," Theseus said flatly. "Zeke's intelligence squad will

have tracked us down long before then because despite your careful planning you still got caught on security footage and left enough of a trail that they're already closing in."

"He's right," Fatima added while checking Golden's vitals

again. "They found Brock's connection to the Range Rover within days and they've already traced calls to numbers in this territory so it's only a matter of time before they narrow down the location."

"Then what do you suggest?" Brock demanded while looking between

Theseus and Fatima like one of them might have a magical solution that would make all our problems disappear.

"I say we drop the boy off somewhere he'll be found quickly and we scatter before they can pin this on any of us

specifically." Fatima's voice stayed calm. "Leave him at a hospital or a pack house with an anonymous tip and let Zeke deal with the medical complications while we disappear into the background."

"That would look extremely suspicious now that the Alpha has

new leads pointing directly at Brock and this territory," Theseus argued while pacing the length of the lab. "If we suddenly return the child unharmed, it raises questions

about why we took him in the first place and what we were trying to accomplish and those questions lead to investigations we can't afford."

I listened to them argue back and forth while staring down at Golden's unconscious face and something inside me

snapped like a rubber band stretched too far. We'd come this far and risked this much and I

wasn't about to give up now just because things got complicated.

"We extract the magic anyway," I said loudly enough that everyone stopped talking and turned to look at me. "Whether or not it kills him we do the extraction and we get what we

came for because that was the entire point of this operation."

"Are you insane?" Fatima stared at me like I'd just suggested we burn down the building with all of us inside.

"That child will die if we continue the extraction in his current condition."

"Then he dies." I met her shocked expression without flinching because I'd already made my peace with this decision. "We didn't go through all this planning and risk

exposure just to walk away empty handed because of some medical complications and if the child doesn't survive then that's unfortunate but not our primary concern."

"I can't be part of that," Fatima said immediately while backing away from the bed. "I agreed to help with the kidnapping because you promised minimal harm and a

quick return but I'm not going to stand here and watch you kill a child."

"You already crossed that line when you betrayed your best friend and helped us take her son so don't act like you have moral boundaries now." My voice came out colder than I

intended but I was tired of her pretending she was somehow better than the rest of us.

"If you didn't want to be involved in the ugly parts then you shouldn't have gotten involved at all."

"Layla's right," Theseus said, though I could tell from his expression he

wasn't entirely comfortable with the idea either. "We've already committed to this course of action and backing out now only guarantees we end up in Zeke's dungeons being interrogated about our involvement so we might as well see it through to the end."

"Even if it means murdering a three year old child?" Fatima's voice shook with either anger or fear or some combination of both. "You're talking about letting an innocent boy die

because you want access to magic that might not even work the way you think it will."

"The magic will work because we've already extracted enough to run preliminary tests and the results showed exactly what we hoped they would show.

" Theseus moved to one of the lab tables and picked up a vial filled with something that glowed faint blue in the fluorescent lighting. "This is pure Alpha magic combined with ancient bloodline power and once we figure out how to harness it properly we'll have access to abilities that no other

pack possesses."

"At the cost of a child's life," Fatima repeated like she couldn't believe

what she was hearing.

"At the cost of one child's life in exchange for power that could protect thousands of pack members," Theseus corrected while setting the vial back down.

"I understand it's not a pleasant choice but sometimes leadership requires making difficult decisions for the greater good."

"That's not leadership, that's murder dressed up in justifications." Fatima looked at each of us in turn like she was trying to find someone who agreed with her but we all stayed silent. "Fine, do what you want but

I'm not helping with the extraction and when this all comes crashing down I'll make sure everyone knows I tried to stop it."

"You'll keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you," Brock said quietly but with enough menace that Fatima actually flinched. "You're already in this deep enough that

you'll go down with the rest of us if anyone finds out what we did so unless you want to spend the rest of your life in a cell I suggest you remember that we're all in this together."

Before Fatima could respond the

door burst open so hard it slammed against the concrete wall.