HIS to CLAIM ALPHA ZEKE

Cecelia's POV

Golden had been asleep for an hour while Zeke knocked softly on our bedroom door. I'd been reading in the chair beside Golden's small bed watching him breathe peacefully when Zeke poked his head in.

"Come with me," he whispered while gesturing toward the hallway. "I have something planned."

I stood carefully while not wanting to wake Golden. He'd had a good day today, his color was better while the blue light under his skin

had barely flickered at all. The doctor said the Alpha essence treatments were working while Golden's body was stabilizing.

Zeke took my hand while leading me through our quarters to the private balcony I hadn't used much since moving back in. When he opened the door my breath caught because the space had been transformed.

Candles covered every surface while their warm glow made everything look soft. A small table was set with real plates and silverware while covered dishes sat

waiting. A bottle of wine was already open while two glasses sat beside it.

"You did all this?" I asked while turning to look at him.

"I wanted to do something nice for you," Zeke said while looking almost nervous. "We haven't had a real date since you came back and I thought maybe we could talk without doctors and guards and everything else getting in the way."

My chest felt warm while I stepped onto the balcony. "It's perfect."

Zeke pulled out my chair while I sat

down. He took the seat across from me while pouring wine into both glasses. The night air was cool but not cold while stars were starting to appear in the darkening sky.

"I don't even know what we're eating," I admitted while lifting the cover off my plate.

"Chicken with that sauce you used

to like," Zeke said while watching my face. "And roasted vegetables because you always said they were your favorite."

He'd remembered while that detail from three years ago had stayed with him. I took a bite while the food was still warm and tasted exactly like I remembered from our early marriage when Zeke would sometimes cook for me.

"This is really good," I said while taking another bite.

"I've been practicing," Zeke admitted while starting on his own food.

"Cooking helped me feel connected to you while you were gone so I got pretty good at it."

We ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes while I watched him across the table. The candlelight made shadows dance across his face while softening the hard edges he usually carried as Alpha. He looked younger like this while more like the man I'd fallen for during those first few months of marriage.

"Tell me something," Zeke said while setting down his fork. "What was your favorite part about living in Seacreek?"

I thought about it while sipping my wine. "The simplicity I guess. No pack politics or expectations or people watching my every move. Just me and Golden living a quiet life by the ocean."

"Do you miss it?" he asked while his expression was careful.

"Sometimes," I admitted honestly. "But not enough to want to go back. Everything important to me is here now."

Something shifted in his face while relief replaced the worry. "Good because I don't think I could survive

you leaving again."

"I'm not leaving," I promised while reaching across the table.

He took my hand while his thumb rubbed circles on my palm. "I want to do this right Cecelia. I want to rebuild what we had but better this time because I'm not scared anymore."

"What were you scared of before?" I asked even though I thought I knew the answer.

"Everything," Zeke said while his voice went quiet. "Scared of feeling too much, scared of being

vulnerable, scared that if I let myself love you completely it would somehow dishonor Layla's memory."

"And now?" I prompted while squeezing his hand.

"Now I know that loving you doesn't take anything away from what Layla and I had," he said while meeting my eyes. "It's just different. What I felt for Layla was comfortable and expected while what I feel for you is wild and intense and terrifying in the best way."

My throat got tight while hearing

him say that out loud. "I feel the same way about you."

We stared at each other while the bond between us hummed stronger. The air felt charged while I could see desire building in his eyes. We'd been living together for weeks,

sleeping in the same bed, being close constantly while caring for Golden. But we hadn't crossed that line yet

because everything had been focused on our son's recovery.

Now Golden was stable while we finally had space to think about us again.

"I want you," Zeke said while his voice dropped lower. "I've wanted you since the moment you walked back into my life but the timing was never right."

"The timing is right now," I said while standing up from my chair.

Zeke was on his feet immediately while moving around the table to reach me. His hands cupped my face while his eyes searched mine for any hesitation. Finding none, he kissed me hard while all the restraint we'd been showing for weeks finally broke.

I kissed him back while my hands fisted in his shirt. The bond exploded between us singing with approval while we stumbled back toward the door. We made it inside while Zeke kicked the door closed behind us without breaking the kiss.

His hands were everywhere while pulling at my clothes. I worked on his shirt buttons while my fingers fumbled because I couldn't focus on anything except the feel of his mouth on mine. We left a trail of clothes across the floor while making our way to the bed.

When we finally fell onto the

mattress together, skin against skin, I felt like I could breathe properly for the first time in three years. This was what had been missing while this connection that went deeper than just physical.

"I forgot," Zeke breathed against my neck while his hands explored like he was memorizing me all over again. "I forgot how perfect you feel."

I couldn't form words while just pulled him closer. The bond between us pulsed hot and bright while weaving us back together in ways that went beyond the

physical. Every touch, every kiss, every shared breath rebuilt what had been broken.

Later we lay tangled together while both of us breathing hard. Zeke's arm was around me while my head rested on his chest listening to his heartbeat slow back to normal.

"I missed this," I admitted quietly. "Not just the physical part but this. Being close to you without walls between us."

"The physical part was never our problem," Zeke agreed while his hand traced patterns on my back. "We always connected like this even when everything else was falling apart."

"What was our problem then?" I asked even though I knew.

"I was," Zeke said simply. "I was so busy protecting myself that I didn't see I was hurting you. But I'm done

running from what scares me Cecelia. I'm all in this time."

I tilted my head up to look at him while seeing nothing but sincerity in his face. "Promise?"

"I promise," he said while sealing it with a kiss.

We fell asleep like that while wrapped around each other. When I woke later Golden was calling from his room. Zeke

and I both got up while pulling on clothes quickly. We found Golden sitting up in bed looking confused.

"I had a bad dream," Golden said

while his bottom lip trembled.

I climbed into bed beside him while pulling him into my arms. "It's okay baby, dreams can't hurt you."

"What if the bad people come back?" Golden asked while burrowing against my chest.

"They can't come back," Zeke said while sitting on the other side of the bed. "They're all gone now where they can never hurt you again."

"Promise?" Golden asked while looking between us.

"Promise," we both said at the same

time.

Golden relaxed while clearly believing us. "Can I sleep with you guys tonight?"

Zeke and I exchanged glances while we'd been trying to get Golden comfortable in his own room. But seeing the fear in his eyes made the decision easy.

"Of course you can," I said while standing up with him still in my arms.

We all climbed into the big bed while Golden settled between us. He fell asleep quickly while feeling

safe with both his parents on either side. Zeke's hand found mine across Golden's small body while our fingers laced together over our son. Through the bond I felt contentment from Zeke while this simple moment of all three of us together was everything he'd wanted.

The next evening after Golden was settled with a book and one of the guards watching him, Zeke led me back to the balcony. The night was warmer than yesterday while a gentle breeze came off the distant mountains. We sat side by side on

the outdoor couch while Zeke pulled me against him.

"I've been thinking," he started while his arm came around my shoulders. "About us and what comes next."

"What comes next?" I repeated while looking up at him.

"I want to make this official," Zeke said while turning to face me more fully. "Not like before when we were forced together

for politics. I want a real mating ceremony where we choose each other because we want to, not because we have to."

My heart started beating faster while I processed what he was asking. "You want to have another ceremony?"

"The first one didn't count," Zeke said while his hand came up to cup my face. "That was duty and obligation while everyone watched us go through motions we didn't really feel. This time I want it to be real, just us choosing each other in front of the people we care about."

"When?" I asked while already knowing my answer would be yes.

"Three months from now," Zeke

I

suggested. "That gives Golden time to adjust to all the changes while also giving us time to make sure we're solid before making it permanent.

"We're already permanent," I pointed out while gesturing between us. "The bond rebuilt itself whether we wanted it to or not."

"I know," Zeke agreed. "But the ceremony would be for us, to mark this as a new beginning instead of trying to fix what broke before."

I thought about it while three months felt right. Not so long that

we'd be waiting forever but long enough to prove this wasn't just emotion from the crisis we'd been through.

"Okay," I said while a smile spreading across my face. "Let's do it. A real mating ceremony where we actually mean the vows we say."

Zeke's expression lit up while he pulled me into a kiss that made my toes curl. When we broke apart we were both breathing hard while the bond hummed approval between us.

"There's more," Zeke said while

settling me back against his chest. "I want to formally adopt Golden as my legal son, not just through the bond but through pack law. And I want you to be Luna again officially, through a pack vote where they choose you instead of you just being my mate by default."

"You think they'd vote for me?" I

asked while uncertainty crept in. "I abandoned the Luna position for three years."

"You didn't abandon it, you were driven away," Zeke corrected firmly. "And yes, I know they'd vote for you because I've heard how pack members talk about you. They respect what you survived while they're grateful you came back."

The idea of being Luna again felt both scary and right while I'd never really gotten to do the job properly during our first marriage. "What would that involve?"

"Pack meetings, charity work, being the face of female leadership in the pack," Zeke explained. "Basically everything you should have been doing before but I was too stupid to include you in."

"I could do that," I said while warming to the idea. "I'd like to do that actually, to have a real role instead of just being the Alpha's wife."

"Good," Zeke said while pressing a kiss to the top of my head. "Because you'd be amazing at it."