Zeke's POV
"Breach on my mark," I said into my radio while watching the teams get into position around the warehouse. "Three, two, one, go."
Four teams hit their entry points at the same time while I pulled open the main warehouse door with Cecelia right behind me. The inside was huge while shipping containers were stacked everywhere creating walls and passages like a giant maze. Our flashlights cut through the dim space while dust floated in
the beams.
We'd taken maybe three steps inside when gunfire exploded from somewhere above us. Bullets pinged off metal containers while the sound was deafening in the enclosed space. I grabbed Cecelia while pulling her down behind the nearest container as more shots rang out.
"Stay down," I ordered while covering her body completely with mine. More bullets hit the container we hid behind while the metal rang like a bell with each impact.
Through the bond I felt Cecelia's fear while it wasn't for herself but for Golden. She was terrified that the gunfire would hit our son somewhere in this building. Her terror fed into mine while my wolf snarled wanting to tear apart whoever was shooting at us.
"Return fire," I shouted into my radio while my team started shooting back at the hidden positions.
The warehouse turned into chaos while bullets flew in both directions. I pulled my weapon while staying low and returning fire toward the muzzle flashes I could see up on
the catwalk level. Cecelia pressed against the container while her hands covered her ears from the loud gunshots.
"Alpha, we've got multiple hostiles on the upper level," Marcus's voice came through my earpiece. "At least six shooters, maybe more."
"Push forward," I commanded while knowing we couldn't stay pinned down. "Use the containers for cover and advance toward the back of the building."
We moved as a unit while going from container to container. I kept
Cecelia between me and the metal walls while making sure my body stayed between her and the shooters. Every time we had to cross an open space I went first while checking that it was clear before pulling her across.
A figure appeared from behind a container ahead while raising a weapon toward us. I recognized Callum from Theseus's guard while anger flooded through me that the
Brooke Pack was definitely involved. Before Callum could fire, Marcus shot him from the side while the guard went down hard.
"Brooke Pack confirmed," Marcus said while moving up beside me. "This is an act of war."
"Deal with the politics later," I said while more of Theseus's people emerged from hiding spots. "Right now we focus on getting Golden out."
The firefight got worse while it seemed like people kept coming from everywhere. My team was well trained while we
slowly pushed forward through the container maze despite the resistance. I shot two more of Theseus's guards while my wolf was howling for
blood because these people had my son.
Cecelia stayed close to my back while I felt her shaking through our bond. She was scared but also angry while her need to get to Golden pushed her forward instead of making her freeze up. My mate was braver than she gave herself credit for.
"Movement on the right," one of my warriors called out while spinning to face a new threat.
Three more guards appeared while firing at us. We took cover while
returning fire until all three were down. The warehouse was filling with smoke from all the gunshots while the smell of gunpowder burned my nose.
"How many more?" I asked Marcus while reloading my weapon.
"Unknown," he replied while doing the same. "But we're getting close to the back offices where the heat signatures were concentrated."
We kept pushing forward while leaving some of my team behind to secure the areas we'd already cleared. The gunfire was getting
less frequent while we'd either taken down most of the guards or they were falling back to protect whatever was in those back rooms.
Then I heard it while a sound that made everything else fade away. A child crying somewhere ahead of us while the sound was weak but definitely there. Cecelia heard it too because she froze completely while her whole body went stiff.
"Golden," she breathed while then she was running toward the sound before I could stop her.
"Cecelia, wait," I shouted while
cursing as I chased after her. She was fast while weaving through the containers toward the back of the warehouse. I pushed my legs harder while catching up to her just as she reached a door.
She didn't slow down while hitting the door with her shoulder. The door burst open while we both
stumbled into a back office that had been set up like a medical room. My eyes took in everything at once while my brain struggled to process what I was seeing.
Golden lay on a metal table in the center of the room while his small
body looked too pale and wrong. Blue light flickered under his skin like lightning while it pulsed brighter then dimmer in waves. Medical equipment surrounded the table while tubes and wires connected to my son's small arms.
And standing over him with her hands raised was Fatima while Cecelia's supposed best friend looked panicked and guilty.
"Cecelia, I can explain," Fatima started while backing away from the table.
Cecelia screamed while it was a
sound of pure rage and betrayal. She launched herself at Fatima while her hands reached for the other woman's throat. I barely caught Cecelia around the waist while pulling her back as she fought against me.
"You bitch," Cecelia screamed while trying to break free from my grip. "You helped them take my baby, I trusted you and you sold us out."
"I'm sorry," Fatima cried while tears ran down her face. "I didn't know they were going to hurt him, I thought they just wanted to study his magic."
"Liar," Cecelia shouted while still fighting to get at Fatima. "You knew exactly what you were doing."
I held Cecelia back while she was strong in her rage but I was stronger. "Marcus, detain her," I ordered while nodding toward Fatima.
Two of my warriors grabbed Fatima while she didn't resist. Cecelia finally stopped fighting me while instead she turned and ran to Golden's side. I let her go while moving to the other side of the table.
Up close I could see how bad Golden was while his breathing was too fast and shallow. The blue light under his skin was his wolf trying to emerge while his body was way too young to handle it. Sweat covered his face while his little hands clenched into fists like he was fighting something.
"What did you do to him?" I demanded while looking at Fatima.
"We tried to extract the magic," Fatima said while her voice shook. "But his body reacted badly. The extraction triggered premature wolf emergence which is killing him."
My stomach dropped while I knew enough about wolf biology to understand how serious that was. Children couldn't survive their first shift before puberty while their bodies weren't developed enough. If Golden's wolf emerged now it would tear him apart from the inside.
"How do we stop it?" Cecelia asked while her hands smoothed Golden's hair back from his sweaty forehead.
"We can't," Fatima said while more tears fell. "Only constant Alpha essence from his father can
suppress the emergence until his body matures enough to handle it safely."
I didn't think while just moved on instinct. My hand went to Golden's chest while I pushed my Alpha essence through the touch into my son's small body. The bond between father and son that had never existed before suddenly flared to life while connecting us for the first time.
Golden's eyes flew open while they glowed blue with his wolf. He looked right at me while I felt recognition pass between us on a
level deeper than words. He knew I was his father while the bond told him even though he'd never met me before.
"Daddy?" Golden's small voice was weak but clear.
My throat closed up while I couldn't speak. I just nodded
while pushing more essence into him through our connected bond. The blue light under his skin started to dim while his breathing slowed to something more normal.
"That's right buddy," I finally managed to say. "I'm your dad and
I'm here now."
Golden's eyes closed again while he was too weak to stay awake but I felt through our bond that he was calmer now. Having his father's essence stabilizing him was working while the premature emergence pulled back.
Cecelia was crying while watching us. Through our mate bond I felt everything she was feeling while relief that Golden was alive mixed with devastation over Fatima's betrayal mixed with hope that maybe we could fix this.
"Start talking," I said to Fatima while keeping my hand on Golden's chest. "Tell me everything about this plot."
Fatima took a shaky breath while looking at the guards holding her arms. "Layla planned all of it," she started.
"She contacted me about a year ago offering money to keep tabs on Cecelia and report her location."
"Why would Layla want to know where I was?" Cecelia demanded.
"She wanted revenge," Fatima said. "She blamed you for Zeke never loving her back. When she found
out you'd had a son with Alpha blood and ancient magic, she saw an opportunity."
"Opportunity for what?" I asked while my anger was building with every word.
"She wanted Golden's magic extracted so she could use it for
power," Fatima continued. "She hired Brock to do the actual kidnapping while Theseus provided this location and resources. Callum and other Brooke Pack guards were paid to help."
"And you?" Cecelia's voice was ice
cold. "What did you get out of betraying your best friend?"
"Money," Fatima admitted while she couldn't look at Cecelia. "Layla paid me fifty thousand dollars to help coordinate the
kidnapping and report on Golden's routines."
"You sold out my son for money," Cecelia said while her voice broke. "I trusted you with everything. You were at his
birth, you helped me raise him, you were the only friend I had."
"I know," Fatima sobbed. "I'm so sorry Cecelia. When I realized the
extraction would kill him I tried to stop it but Brock and the others wouldn't listen."
"You drew the line at murder but kidnapping was fine?" Cecelia asked while her tone was sharp with hurt. "Taking a three year old from his home and terrifying him was acceptable as long as he lived?"
Fatima had no answer while she just cried harder. I felt Cecelia's pain through our bond while this betrayal cut even deeper than Layla's because Fatima had been her only support for three years.
The woman she'd considered family had sold her out.
"Get her out of my sight," Cecelia said while turning away from Fatima completely. "I never want to see her face again."
"Take her to holding," I ordered the guards. "We'll deal with her later."
They dragged Fatima away while she kept apologizing over and over. Cecelia ignored her while focusing entirely on Golden. Her hands carefully checked him over for injuries while tears kept falling down her face.
"Is he going to be okay?" she asked me while her voice was small and scared.
"I'll keep him stable with my essence until we can get him proper medical care," I promised while not moving my hand from his chest. "But we need to get him to the pack hospital right away."
Marcus appeared in the doorway while looking grim. "We've secured the building. Found Brock trying to escape through a back exit."
"Good," I said. "What's he saying?"
"Everything," Marcus replied. "He's
giving up everyone involved including full details about Layla being the mastermind. He has evidence of payments she made, communications showing her planning, all of it."
My blood went cold while the confirmation that Layla orchestrated my son's kidnapping made me want to tear something apart. Cameron's mother had done this while the woman I'd trusted to be part of my inner circle for years had plotted against my actual son.
