The Brooke Pack territory looked like entirely different from what I had known it to be from three years ago. It was beautiful, impressive, and completely foreign to the place I'd once called home. My hands trembled as I approached the main gates, every instinct screaming at me to run. The last time I was here, somebody attempted to murder me, and for all I know, the person could still want me dead. Now I was walking back into the zeke's mansion, and neither he nor Layla knew I was alive. "State your business," the guard said, his voice bored but professional. "I need to see Alpha Zeke," I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded. "It's urgent." The guard's eyes swept over me dismissively. "Yeah, you and half the unmated females in the territory. The Alpha doesn't take walk-in appointments, especially not from—" He paused, his nostrils flaring as he caught my scent. His face went white. "What's your name?" His eyebrows arched in confusion. "Cecelia Mayers." The name felt strange on my tongue after three years of just being 'Cecelia' or 'Golden's mama.' The second guard stepped forward, his hand moving to his weapon. "That's impossible. Cecelia Mayer is dead. We buried her three years ago." "Clearly, reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." I kept my voice level despite the panic clawing at my chest. "I need to see Zeke. My son; our son has been taken." Both guards exchanged glances, and I could practically see the wheels turning in their heads. Dead Luna shows up claiming to have the Alpha's child? This was either the truth or the most elaborate con in pack history. "You're lying," the first guard spat. "Luna Cecelia died in the sea. The Alpha led her funeral himself. You're just some desperate she-wolf trying to—" "Trying to what?" I snapped, the composure I was trying so hard to keep cracking. "Get myself killed? Because that's exactly what walking back here will accomplish if I am lying. I need to see Zeke." My voice broke on the last words, and I hated myself for the weakness. But the truth was, I was terrified. Terrified of seeing him again, terrified of what he'd do when he realized I was alive, terrified that he'd refuse to help find Golden out of spite. I remember Layla was pregnant for him before I was pushed out to sea. He must have his own child now. I doubt he'd be any willing to help me. He might not even believe that Golden is his child. For that reason, I carried a picture of Golden in my bag. He was a carbon copy of Zeke and hopefully, that was enough proof. "Please," I whispered, all my pride crumbling. "My little boy is missing. He's only three years old, and he's scared and alone, and I'll do anything to get him back." The guards stared at me, stunned. Finally, the second one spoke. "Wait here." He disappeared into the guard house, and I could hear him making frantic phone calls. The minutes stretched like hours. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to ward off the memories that threatened to drown me. The last time I'd stood on these grounds, Zeke had rejected me. I could still feel the excruciating pain that came with that experience, and even when I tried to be alone to clear my thoughts, my sister came to insult me-adding salt to injury- and throw me over a cliff. The sound of approaching footsteps snapped me back to the present. A whole contingent of guards was marching toward the gate, their faces grim. My wolf instincts kicked in, screaming at me to run, but I forced myself to stand my ground. "Luna?" The head guard's voice was uncertain.. "Is it... is it really you?" "I'm not your Luna anymore," I said quietly. "I'm just a mother trying to find her son." "The Alpha... he'll want to see you immediately." The guard's face was pale. "But I have to warn you, he's not the same man he was three years ago. The grief... it changed him." Grief? I almost laughed at the irony. He'd grieved for the woman he'd rejected? What kind of twisted psychology was that? "I can handle Zeke," I lied smoothly. "I just need five minutes to explain about Golden." As we walked to the palace, everybody stopped whatever they were doing to look at me in something like reverent awe. I heard whispers of "I thought she is dead?" "We attended her funeral." The throne room doors loomed ahead of me, and my hands sweated in anticipation of seeing Layla and Zeke again. I'd walked through them countless times as Luna, but never like this; never as a stranger, never as someone who'd risen from the dead. "He's in a meeting," the guard said apologetically. "But given the circumstances..." "Just open the doors," I said, steel creeping into my voice. "My son doesn't have time for Zeke's schedule." The doors swung open, and I stepped into the room that had once been my second home. It was different now, something about it felt colder, more detached. The room erupted in gasps as I stepped in. And there, at the far end of the long table, sat the man who'd haunted my dreams for three years. Zeke. He was exactly as I remembered and completely different all at once. He was still devastatingly handsome, still radiating that dangerous alpha energy that had first drawn me to him. My eyes scanned around for Layla, but she wasn't here. I walked closer to him, the council elders chattering like a hive of bees. But he was deep in conversation with his Beta, papers spread across the massive desk. He hadn't seen me yet. "Alpha," the guard called out. "There's someone here to see you. Someone... important." "I said no interruptions. Whatever it is can—" He looked up. Time stopped. The color drained from his face so completely I thought he might faint. The papers in his hands fluttered to the floor as he rose slowly from his chair, his eyes—those gold eyes that Golden had inherited—fixed on me in shock. "Impossible," he breathed. "Hello, Zeke." My voice came out steadier than I felt. "We need to talk." For a moment, neither of us moved. The air between us crackled with tension. "Everyone out," he commanded, his voice hoarse. "Now." The room cleared instantly, leaving us alone with nothing but the sound of our thundering heartbeats. "You're dead," he whispered, taking a step toward me. "I buried you. I mourned you. I—" "Layla tried to kill me," I said simply. "But I survived. And now I need your help." "Cecelia..." "My son has been taken," I continued, forcing myself to stay focused. "He's three years old, and whoever has him is powerful enough to snatch him from Seacreek territory without leaving a trace. I need your resources, your connections, your pack's strength to find him." "Your son?" His voice was barely audible. I met his eyes directly, seeing my own pain reflected there. "Our son, Zeke. His name is Golden, and he has your eyes."
