FORTY FIVE

FORTY FIVE
ZEKE

The sun was starting to sink lower in the sky, casting long shadows across the gravel driveway as I loaded the last basket into the back of the truck. The air had cooled, a light breeze rustling through the trees just outside the pack boundary.

I paused, resting my hands on the tailgate, my heart pounding harder than it should've been.

This wasn't just a picnic.

It was freedom—a few stolen hours where it was just her and me, no watchful eyes, no whispered threats, no power games.

Just us.

Sky had asked for answers. About what I'd been working on, what I'd really been doing behind Neo's back. I hadn't told her much, only that I couldn't say anything within these walls. And I meant it.

Every room had ears. Every hallway, a tail.

So I arranged this instead. A drive out of pack territory. To a quiet stretch of beach that curved around the cliffs, hidden and wild. The only place left untouched by Neo's corruption.

The perfect place to remind her who we used to be.

I slammed the tailgate shut and turned toward the porch, expecting to see her stepping out any minute.

Instead, I saw movement from the left—two pack members, warriors I knew well, striding toward me fast.

"Beta," one of them called, breathless. "We've been trying to reach Alpha. He won't respond to the mindlink."

I tensed. "Did you try the internal line?"

"Yeah. He's not answering that either. We… we can hear him in there. He sounds like—"

"Like he's in pain," the other finished.

My jaw locked. That could mean a dozen things. My first instinct? Let him suffer. The man had inflicted enough pain for ten lifetimes. The idea of him writhing on the floor, gasping for breath, clutching whatever cursed part of his black soul had finally given out?

It didn't bother me.

Hell, I wanted it to be true.

But Payne stirred inside me, uneasy.

"That's not normal," he growled. "Alpha or not, he never asks for help. If he's making noise, it's because he can't hide it." I rubbed the back of my neck, tension crawling across my skin.

"Maybe it's nothing," I muttered, more to myself than to them. Payne didn't buy it.

"Or maybe you're leaving the pack unprotected. Maybe you're letting Sky walk into a war without knowing it." Payne persisted. That got to me.

I slammed the truck's boot harder than necessary, rattling the entire frame. The warriors flinched.

"Fine," I muttered. "I'll check on him."

"Should we—?"

"No," I snapped. "Just wait." As I turned to head toward the Alpha's wing, I caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. And then I saw her.

Coming down the porch stairs like a daydream given form. Her summer dress clung to her in all the ways that mattered—light fabric catching the evening wind, flip-flops slapping softly against the wooden steps, long legs bare and golden in the fading sun.

Her hair was loose. Natural. Waves of sunlight tumbled over her shoulders like she hadn't even tried, and that only made it worse. Or better. I couldn't decide.

And in her hand? A damn cowboy hat. Of course, she brought a hat- for flare.

For attitude.

For Sky.

And I—

I couldn't breathe. My heart stopped. My lungs forgot how to work. My legs? Almost fucking buckled.

She was beautiful. Stunning. And I was so goddamn in love, it hurt.

Absolutely! Here's the second half of your Zeke POV chapter, seamlessly continuing from your original scene. It captures the tension, unspoken love, and internal restraint and sets up the cliffhanger perfectly.

She didn't say anything at first. Just smiled when she saw me. A soft, genuine smile—like all the fire from earlier had melted into something gentler. Something that made my knees weak all over again.

Then she stepped closer.

One hand landed on my shoulder, her touch light but confident. She tilted her chin up, eyes locked on mine.

And then she leaned in to kiss me.

Fuck.

I wanted it.

Gods, I wanted it.

I wanted to grab her by the waist, drag her against me, bury my hands in her hair, taste her lips and tell her how fucking breathtaking she looked. I wanted to run my hands down her back, grab that perfect little ass and let her know, without a shadow of a doubt, just how much she meant to me.

But I didn't.

I couldn't.

Because two warriors were standing just a few yards away, still watching, still waiting.

And I knew exactly how fast loyalty in this pack shifted.

Neo might be bleeding out in his office, but he'd still twist this—make it look like betrayal like I'd lost focus like I'd chosen her over the pack.

I tensed, heart breaking a little as I stepped back and offered her my hand instead.

Sky looked down at it.

Then scoffed.

"Really?"

That one word slashed through me sharper than any blade. I caught the flicker of pain in her expression—the way her mouth pressed into a tight line, how her eyes dimmed just slightly before she turned away.

She'd just started trusting me again. Just offered the smallest bit of warmth.

And I'd shut it down.

Idiot.

"What has jumped up your ass?" she snapped.

I jerked my chin toward the warriors still lingering by the porch.

She followed my gaze, then arched a brow. "Scared?" she asked, the smirk returning to her face like armor sliding back into place.

She rolled her eyes with a dramatic sigh, then turned toward them with full, unbothered Sky energy—hand on hip, hips swaying like a fucking temptress.

"Hey, boys," she purred.

I stiffened.

Payne snarled in my chest, low and possessive.

"Wanna do me a favour, please?" she asked, her tone dripping with sweet sarcasm.

One of them snorted, crossing his arms.

"No," he said, full of smugness. "We haven't got time for your drama. Neo's in trouble."

Sky's smile vanished.

She turned to look at me, something sharp flashing in her eyes.

And for a second, just one heartbeat of a moment—I saw myself in her. That same spite, that same hunger to tear everything down just to rebuild it better.

My stomach twisted.

We were more alike than she would ever admit.

"You really are two peas in a fucking pod," Payne grumbled.