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.

ZEKES POV

The park was busy with families enjoying the afternoon weather while children ran and played on equipment. We got out of the car and I dismissed my warriors to a discreet distance because Cecelia needed space more than she

needed guards hovering over her shoulder.

She walked toward the fence surrounding the playground area and gripped the metal links with both hands while watching the

children play. A little boy with dark curly hair went down the slide laughing while his mother waited at the bottom to catch him. Another child, maybe four years old, pushed a toy truck through the sandbox while making engine noises.

A girl with pigtails pumped her legs on the swings trying to go higher and higher.

Cecelia made a sound that might have been a sob or might have been something caught in her throat while tears finally spilled down her cheeks. I moved up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist,

pulling her back against my chest while she shook with the force of trying not to break down completely.

"We will find him," I said into her hair while holding her as tight as I dared. "I swear to you Cecelia we will bring Golden home."

"When?" She turned in my arms so fast I barely had time to adjust before she was staring up at me with red eyes and tears streaming down her face. "When Zeke? When will we find him because every day that passes makes it less likely he's okay, and more likely that whoever

took him has already hurt him or worse. I can't take this not knowing if my baby is scared, in pain or calling for me and I'm not there."

"Don't talk like that." I cupped her face in both hands while using my thumbs to wipe away her tears even though more kept falling. "Don't let your mind go to those dark places because we have to believe he's alive and we have to keep fighting until we find him."

"What if we're too late?" Her voice came out as barely a whisper. "What if by the time we figure out where he is it's already over and

they bring me his body instead of bringing me my son?"

"Stop." The word came out harsher than I meant but I needed her to hear me through the panic.

"You can't think like that because that kind of negativity will destroy you from the inside. Golden needs you strong enough to hold him when we get him back."

A

She collapsed against my chest with her fingers clutching my shirt while sobs racked her whole body. I held her through it while my own throat went tight. Seeing her in this much pain activated every

protective instinct I had. The bond between us burned hot with shared grief and fear.

People walking past the park gave us curious looks but I ignored them while running one hand through Cecelia's hair and murmuring comforting words. Her tears soaked through my shirt and her whole body trembled like she might shake apart if I let go.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled against my chest after several long minutes. "I'm sorry for falling apart like this when I need to be strong."

"You are strong." I pulled back just enough to tilt her chin up so she had to look at me. "You're the strongest person I know and letting yourself feel what you're feeling doesn't make you weak."

Our faces were close enough that I could count her eyelashes and see the gold flecks in her eyes that I'd forgotten about during our years apart. Her breath hitched while something shifted in the air between us, the bond

pulling us closer. I stared st her soft rose lips and I craved the feeling on it in mine. I started to lean in without

meaning to while her eyes went dark.

Then she gasped and shoved away from me so hard I almost stumbled. "Golden," she breathed while her whole body went rigid. "That's Golden."

She pointed toward the playground where a small boy with dark curly hair climbed the ladder to the slide. From this distance and with his back to us, he could have been

Golden's twin based on the build and the way his hair curled at the nape of his neck.

"Cecelia wait." I reached for her but she was already running toward the fence while calling Golden's name over and over

The boy turned at the sound of his name being shouted which made Cecelia run faster while scrambling to find the gate into the playground area.

I chased after her while calling her name but she couldn't hear me over the sound of her own desperate calls for her son.

"Golden baby it's mommy," she shouted while finally getting the gate open and running across the playground. "Golden wait for

mommy."

The boy's face crumpled in confusion then fear while this strange woman ran at him yelling.

He jumped off the play equipment and started running in the opposite direction while looking back over his shoulder with tears already forming.

"Cecelia stop," I yelled while catching up to her and grabbing her arm. "That's not Golden."

But she pulled free and kept chasing the terrified child who was now crying openly while running

toward a woman who'd been sitting on a bench nearby. The boy crashed into his mother's legs and she scooped him up immediately while glaring at Cecelia with alarm.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" the mother demanded while the boy sobbed into her shoulder. "Why are you chasing my son?"

Cecelia skidded to a stop a few feet away with her chest heaving and her face streaked with tears.

"I thought he was Golden," she said brokenly while reaching one hand toward the crying child. "I'm sorry, I thought he was my son because

from behind he looked just like him. I haven't seen my baby in days and I just wanted it to be him so badly."

The mother's expression shifted from anger to pity mixed with discomfort while she rubbed her son's back. "You need to get help lady," she said while backing away. "You can't just chase random children in parks because you think they

might be yours."

"I know. I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare him." Cecelia wrapped her arms around herself while more tears fell. "My son was kidnapped and I just thought for a second that

maybe he'd somehow gotten away and I'm so sorry I scared your boy."

The woman's expression softened slightly but she kept backing toward the parking lot while her son clung to her neck. "I hope you find your son but you need to be more

careful because chasing kids in public makes you look crazy."

ZEKES POV

She left quickly while other parents gathered their children and gave us suspicious looks. I moved to Cecelia's side and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, guiding her back toward our vehicle while she shook like a leaf.

"I really thought it was him," she whispered while letting me lead her away from the playground. "For just a second when I saw that curly hair I was so sure it was Golden and I thought maybe somehow he'd

escaped and found his way here and everything would be okay."

"I know." I helped her into the back seat and slid in beside her while pulling her against my chest again. "I know you did but you can't let yourself get so caught up in hope that you lose touch with reality because that's

how people get hurt."

"I don't know how to do this." Her voice came out muffled against my shirt. "I don't know how to keep going day after day not knowing if my child is alive or dead or hurt or scared and I feel like I'm losing my

mind."

"You're not losing your mind," I said firmly while running my hand up and down her back. "You're a mother missing her son and everything you're feeling is completely normal given the circumstances."

"Normal doesn't make it easier." She pulled back and wiped at her face with shaking hands. "Every child I see makes me think of Golden and wonder what he's doing right now or if he's crying for me or if he thinks I abandoned him."

The raw pain in her voice made my chest ache while the bond between us pulsed with her anguish. I took her face in my hands again and made her look at me because I needed her to hear what I was about to say.

"Golden knows you would never abandon him," I said while holding her gaze. "He knows his mother loves him more than anything and that you're doing everything possible to find

him because children can feel that kind of love even when they're separated from their parents."

"How do you know that?" she asked while searching my face for answers I wasn't sure I had.

"Because I felt it from my own mother before she died," I admitted quietly. "Even when she was gone I could still feel how much she loved me and how she would have moved mountains to protect me if she'd had the chance and Golden feels that from you right now wherever he is."

Fresh tears spilled down her cheeks but she nodded while leaning into my touch. We sat there in the back of the vehicle for a long

time while my driver pretended not to notice and my warriors maintained their perimeter outside. The sun started setting through the windows, painting everything in shades of gold and orange.

"We should go back," Cecelia finally said though she didn't move away from me. "Marcus probably has updates and we need to follow up on the surveillance you ordered."

"In a minute." I wiped the last of her tears away with my thumbs while the bond hummed between us. "Just give yourself another minute to breathe."

She closed her eyes and took several deep breaths while I held her face and tried not to think about how right this felt. Having her in my arms again after three years of emptiness reminded me of everything I'd thrown away when I chose duty over my heart.

When she opened her eyes again something had shifted in her expression, a determination replacing the desperation that had driven her to chase a stranger's child through a playground. "Okay," she said while straightening her shoulders. "I'm ready to go back

and keep searching."

I nodded and released her face though I kept one arm around her shoulders while signaling my driver to head back to my territory. The drive took almost an hour but it felt longer while we sat in silence and I watched the landscape pass by outside the windows.

My phone buzzed with a message from Marcus saying they'd set up surveillance cameras around Theseus's territory and had teams monitoring all communication channels. Another message came through from Finn with an update

on the Range Rover registrations, they'd narrowed the list down to twelve possible vehicles and were conducting interviews with each owner.

"Any news?" Cecelia asked while reading over my shoulder.

"Surveillance is up and running on Theseus," I told her while pulling up the message details. "And they're making progress on identifying which specific Range Rover was used in the kidnapping."

"That's good right?" She looked at me with hope starting to creep back

into her expression. "That means we're getting closer."

"It means we're not standing still." I squeezed her shoulder gently while the vehicle turned onto the main road leading to my pack house. "Every piece of information gets us one step closer to finding Golden."

The vehicle pulled through the gates just as the sun finished setting. The temperature had dropped a lot, and I felt Cecelia shiver against me even though it was warm inside the car.

"Cold?" I asked, pulling her closer.

"A little," she said. Her breath made a small cloud in the cooling air when my driver opened the door.

We stepped out into the crisp evening, and I took off my jacket without thinking and put it around her shoulders. She looked up at me with surprise, and for the first time since this whole nightmare started, I really saw her as not just the

grieving mother or my ex-mate, but the woman I'd fallen in love with three years ago.

"What?" she asked quietly, noticing me staring.

"I forgot," I said softly, reaching up to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear. "I forgot how beautiful you are."

She caught her breath, and the bond between us suddenly felt stronger than it had in years. Three years of being apart and feeling regret all came together in this one moment standing in the cold night air.

"Zeke," she whispered, and something about the way she said my name made me lose control.

I held her face in both hands and leaned down slowly, giving her time

to pull away if she wanted to. But she didn't. Instead, she stood on her toes and kissed me first.

The kiss was soft at first, careful, like we were remembering something special we thought we'd lost forever. Then it got deeper, and three years of missing each other poured into it while the bond hummed between us.

When we finally stopped, both of us breathing hard, she rested her forehead against mine.

"We'll find him," I promised. "Together."