Page 47 of Learn For Me

“Braun, Avalon is your baby,” Saul stated as his eyes roamed over the paper. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“Evander and I have already signed our copies. This time around, Avalon doesn’t belong to only me. All of us have shed blood for this family, all of us form the foundations of the club. It’s only right that it remains in the hands which tend to it. We belong here, and now, it belongs to all of us.”

Several glasses lifted as everyone echoed, “All of us.”

Once the papers were distributed, Bodie handed out several pens.

“Make your marks, gentlemen, then hand the pens over to your ladies to witness.”

Olivia studied Zeke’s face as he hesitated, the pen poised over the dotted line. Quickly, she scanned the legal document and concluded that Braun was either insane for dividing ownership of his club between nine people, or a really nice fucking guy. “If you’re worried about the legalese, don’t be. It all looks above board; I don’t see anything about exchanging vital organs in return.”

Green eyes slid in her direction, wicked and aroused. “I’m not a Master, Livvy. I shouldn’t be accepting this.”

“Why not? They want to include you in their family.”

The pen wagged back and forth as he mulled over the decision, but around them, the others were already passing their papers back to Bodie. The more he hesitated, the more attention he drew from his friends.

“Problem, Zeke?”

He lifted his head to look at Jasper, then Braun. Respect was in his eyes now, and the bond Olivia felt between them was one that tugged low in her belly. He was as deserving of that respect as they were; he wasn’t lesser than them because he wasn’t a Master.

“I’m the newcomer,” he told them with the slightest crack in his voice. “I’d only been in Avalon a few months before shit went down. Not long enough to earn this. It should go to Liam and Sierra.”

Thane snorted, only to be shushed by Connie.

Liam growled in protest.

Braun’s dark head tilted. “It’s not the length of time that matters to us, Zeke. It’s the quantity of who you are, what you bring to the table, and the ties that bind you to Avalon. Bringing you into ownership of the club wasn’t a decision made lightly, but it wasn’t a hard choice to make. We’re building a future here, one that will hopefully last for a long time, and we want you to be part of it.”

“For the record,” Atticus added with a wolfish grin, “you’ve been voted in as the new Master, effective as of tonight. Braun’s announcing it during his big opening speech.”

Sierra whispered something in Liam’s ear and, when he nodded, stood up and approached Zeke. Her eyes met Olivia’s, and she ducked her head shyly before stepping closer to lay her palm on his bearded cheek. “When I joined the club with Wyatt, you were one of the only people who didn’t judge me on my looks. In fact, I think you lectured him on treating me better.”

Zeke smiled ruefully. “The boy loved you in his own way.”

“I know. His way was hurtful sometimes, often cruel, but he was who he was. We loved him despite his faults, but he made up for a lot of them when he saved you.” Brown eyes shimmered with tears, but she held his gaze steadily. “We love you too, Zeke. If this is the way forward, we want you with us. This is where you belong.”

Olivia felt her lip tremble as Zeke grasped the slim wrist attached to the hand touching his face. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath as though Sierra’s words freed something inside him, and when he exhaled, some of the tension in his body eased. “Thank you, sweetie. I needed that.”

Her smile was a shade brighter when she stepped back and, obviously embarrassed by the brief exchange, hurried to her Dom, snuggling under the arm he held out.

“What do you think?” Zeke asked Olivia.

In answer, afraid to use her voice in case it betrayed her, she leaned forward to pick up the hand clutching the pen and set it on the paper, right on the dotted line. Her opinion didn’t matter, not really, not here, but it was evident how the others felt about the matter.

They wanted him with them, and when family was so important to him, it seemed stupid to let him doubt their intentions.

Blowing out a slow breath, Zeke nodded and signed his name, printing it neatly below. When he passed her the pen, she did the same, feeling honored to be part of him coming home.

“To Master Zeke,” Liam called out, “and a new chapter in Avalon.”

The group erupted with, “Master Zeke!”

Chapter Six

Zeke

Two hours later, he was exhausted from all the congratulations and conversations.