Chapter 13

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Breakfast was not a fun affair this morning at all. Where I would normally laugh at Jace and Callie’s antics to get Flynn to make pancakes, all I could do was squirm in my seat. The drive to the office was even worse. I was trapped in a car with my sister and my mate, both of whom sat silent the entire trip. Arianna hasn’t warmed up to Irina yet. Last night making it harder for her to do so, knowing that our pack will be in danger.

Like I told her, our pack was in danger the minute the two of us became targets in Vicktor Treadstone’s sights. Irina is not at fault for that. Maybe I am biased since she is my mate, but I think what I said was the truth. When we got to the Drakos Enterprises, I left Irina with Evans to have her security scans done, then told him to walk her through how to enter the building, sign in, and get to the top floor.

While Irina was off doing that, I would take this time to talk to Arianna about her attitude to Irina. Yesterday she was sympathetic while listening to Irina’s story, this morning she was distrustful and almost hateful. That isn’t like my sister at all, so something must have spooked her during the night. Other than the fact that she knows about my late-night activities, thanks to the twin link of ours.

“Alright, spill it, what has you so moody today?” I ask Arianna as I follow her into her office.

“Moody? Why? Because I suddenly show my distrust of your sudden mate?” She fires back at me.

“Yesterday when she told us her story you were concerned for her, sympathetic even, mother to mother. Then this morning you are angry with her. I know her showing up last night was a bad idea, one she regrets this morning, but you never once asked why.” I say as I sit in one of her big overstuffed chairs.

“She put every member of our pack at risk by coming to you last night. A pack full of woman and children that will be at risk to a monster like Treadstone now because of her inability to control her lust.” Arianna yelled at me.

“You think that is why she showed up in Redwood? So she could fuck me into submission?” I growl at her. I can feel Aries’s anger spiking, but he doesn’t push for control, he will never hurt our sister.

“Why else would she come to you in the dead of night wearing nothing but her silk nightgown. Yes, Flint told me how she showed up. He is worried about you and for good reason. The last time some sexy little strumpet paraded around you with sex in mind, you lost your fucking mind to all but her.” Arianna screams at me. Her posture rigid with her anger.

“Wow. Is that how you see me, how you have seen me all these years? As a mindless, pussy whipped, self-centered asshole?” I ask her, surprised that my own twin sees me like the rest of my pack used to.

This seems to have deflated her anger for a moment, “No, Sebbie, it isn’t. I’m sorry.”

My phone rings in my pocket, making me take a deep breath to control my emotions. I pull it out to look at the screen to see who is calling already. It is Gabe, so it must be important. I answer that call as I get up and leave Arianna’s office. Let her stew in her misguided anger, I will set it straight later. I change course from walking to my office to the elevator. Gabe needs to see me in the security room downstairs.

I have a visitor. A vampire visitor.

How is it they can even walk around during the daylight hours? I thought vampires burn up in the sun? Unless one of them has an ability that hides them all from the sun’s harmful effects to vampires. That is something to ask when I get down there. I lay my palm on the scanner to call the elevator and wait. Which one came this morning? I hope it isn’t Nic, she gives me a creepy vibe.

“What is going on that has you going back downstairs already? Heading to the file room to be with Irina?” Arianna asks from behind me.

“No, but now that you mention it, I can and will see her when I want too. I have things to see to with our head of security. Have a good morning.” I tell her, then step into the elevator when the door opens.

“Sebbie,” She calls after me.

The door closes, leaving me in the silent elevator car. I really was a fool all my life. I am being one now too, it seems. I let Gia run my life with the power she held between her legs. At least that is how everyone else sees it. I know in my heart there was more to my relationship with Gia than sex, for me anyway, not for her as it turns out. I have a massive shadow of my past to overcome, and it feels like with every step forward I take, I end up taking two more steps back.

I know by the reactions of my pack members that I am doing the right things for them. I am showing them for the first time they come first. Now I know that I need to prove myself to the one person who I thought always had my back. Turns out my twin sees me exactly the same way they all did. What the fuck am I to do with that information? How Arianna sees me hurts more than the rest of it.

What is worse is she thinks Irina is just like Gia? The two women are nothing alike. Are they? Fuck, now I am going to be second guessing my mate. Should I have been doing that from the beginning? Did I accept her story too easily? Did I do that because I need to believe she is telling the truth since she is my mate? Thank you, Arianna, for instilling self-doubt in my mind. Fantastic.

Now I am doubting why Irina really came to me last night. I know the feelings I got from her this morning are genuine. She really feels like a dirty whore for what Vicktor is making her do. Wait, what last night just part of the game she has to play for Vicktor? Did she come to be for sex so I will be pliant to her ploys? Goddess, why am I such a fucking idiot, of course, that is what happened.

Maybe Arianna is right. Irina is using me just like Vicktor Treadstone wants her to. I am just a job to her. Does she even have a child?

**STOP** Aries growls at me.

**What? You have to admit that I am a fucking idiot** I say to him dejectedly.

**You are, but not about Irina. I felt Anya’s pain too. What Irina says rings true, all of it. Don’t listen to Ari she doesn’t know what Irina really came to us last night for. Relax and use your damn head Sebastion** Aries tells me.

Before I can answer him, the doors open to reveal Gabe waiting for me. “Are we going to be seeing more vampires from now on?”

“They didn’t seem that bad yesterday,” I say as I exit the elevator.

“Oh, I am not upset in the slightest, I am intrigued. I want to learn more about them,” Gabe says. Then we walk to the security room, both sharing our desires for more information.

When we enter the security room I am greeted by Ghost, his pale skin and eyes still a shock to me. Out of the four vampires, I am glad he was the one who showed up. Beckett is a little intimidating, Nic is creepy as fuck, and Ashir is kind of a blank for me. I walk into the room to sit at the table where Ghost is sitting. He is dressed in dark clothes that make his pale skin pop out in comparison to all the dark cloth.

“How do you guys move about in daylight?” I ask him the first question that pops into my head.

Ghost just lowered his head, giving me a sinister look that made me instantly wish I have asked about anything else. “With the darkness that is Nic, we can move in the shadows of daylight. We don’t do it often, but today I used her shadows to pass on what we learned last night, before we sleep for the day.”

“What did you find?” I ask him. My mind instantly focusing in what information he can give me on Vicktor Treadstone.

“Not much, unfortunately. We followed Irina to meet with Vicktor, we overhead what he wants her to do. Her story is true. He wants her to basically screw you into submission, then he will capture you somehow. Then he got a phone call that pissed him off. None of us could hear what the caller said, but we know he is going to France. He said he was taking her daughter with him,” Ghost tells me.

That confirms Irina is telling me the truth, but not that she isn’t using me like he wants her to. It also confirms what she said about Zasha. She really has a child, and Vicktor uses her to make Irina do whatever he wants. Making me believe that she is being completely truthful about everything. That is a relief to my heart.

**Told you, dickhead** Aries growls in my mind.

“Did you follow him after she left him?” I ask, ignoring Aries.

“Yes. He is very paranoid, but we followed to his office and then to his penthouse. He enjoyed a very long night with three escorts. Vicktor left for France before the sun came up,” Ghost confirmed.

“Zasha?”

“There was no child with him last night or on his way to the airport, nor was there one waiting for him at the airport. He was alone after the escorts left him until his driver took him to the airport. He lied to Irina about taking her daughter with him. I think it was to make sure she behaved knowing her daughter is with him. To have her focus on her mission.” Ghost says, then he stands up like he is going to leave. “I need to go now, my time in the daytime hours is up.”

“Thank you for trying to help,” I say to him as I stand to walk him out.

“We will try more once he is back from France, until then we will be around,” He gives me a nod and then walks away.

(**Irina’s POV**)

After getting my fingers, palms, and retinas scanned into the system, Evans walked me through how to enter and exit the building each day. He was polite, efficient, and very good at his job. Once we were finished with the security sign in stuff, Evan escorted me to the only elevator that goes to the top floor. He wished me a good day when the doors opened, then walked away.

I took the elevator to the top floor as Sebastion instructed to wait in his office when I was finished with Evans. I am eager to have a distraction in the form of filing. Something mind- numbingly boring to drown out all the static in my head. The look of pain on Sebastion’s face this morning when I told him my heart still belongs to Gustav. The overwhelming arousal that pumped off him in waves when he was thinking of me in his clothes.

Vicktor wanted me to do exactly what I did last night, but I didn’t sleep with Sebastion because of Vicktor, I did it because it was all I could think of in that moment. I needed him to drive out all the bad with something good. Oh, boy, was it good. I lost count of the number of orgasms, sexual positions, and locations we made love in his office.

Sebastion is insatiable when it comes to sex. His stamina is downright fucking amazing. I can’t help but want more of him, and if I have my way later today, I will. Even if right now it is only sex, he doesn’t seem to mind at all, or at least he didn’t last night. That may be different now that I said what I did this morning.

I know how I hurt Sebastion by telling him what I did, but I need him to know the truth. I am not ready to let him into my heart yet, but in all honesty, he is already creeping his way in. Maybe that is why I told him about only being with Gustav, and the others were unwillingly forced on me. I wanted to piss him off to chase that hurt look from his eyes.

Aries taking control shocked me, but Sebastion took over faster than I have ever seen a werewolf control his beast. I have to respect that. His control over his wolf is amazing. Though I guess after years of being with a woman that wasn’t his true mate, he would have lots of practice shoving his wolf aside. That thought makes Anya mad at Sebastion for treating Aries that way.

The door opened to the office, bringing my attention back to the present. The office was silent as I stepped out into the reception area. I walked towards Sebastion’s office to see if he was ready to give me my assignments for the day.

“He isn’t up here,” Arianna’s voice makes me turn around to face her office.

“Oh, where did he go?” I ask, surprised that he wasn’t here waiting.

“To deal with a security issue downstairs. I am surprised he didn’t come get you and take you with him.” Arianna’s voice is laced with sarcasm and something else that makes me think she is suspicious of me.

“No, I was with Evans getting scanned into the security system. Then I came up here like Sebastion told me to. Is there something wrong here?” I ask her.

“How long do you expect me to believe this ruse you have going? You may have my brother fooled with your blue eyes, the tears, and your sob story about your daughter, but you don’t fool me. You are using his weakness for sex against him, and I am going to put a stop to it,” Arianna tells me with venom dripping from her voice.

Where the fuck did that come from? Before I can ponder that further, Sebastion step up behind me. I can feel the fury pumping off him, making me take a step away from him.

“That is quite enough of your shit, Ari,” Sebastion growls at his twin. His growl is so deep and powerful it rattles a glass on the reception desk.

Aries is so very close to the surface and I feel the shit it about to hit the fan.