Chapte 20

"In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or step back into safety." - Abraham Maslow

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Since I could not get any work done, I grabbed Jace's toys that needed assembly, then took them all down to the sitting room. I moved all the furniture from the center of the room to line the walls. I will take everything out of the room but a few chairs. The walls will need to be repainted to reflect a child’s playroom rather than an old outdated sitting room that hadn’t been used in years. That can wait for later when I have time to discuss the change with my mother. She will want to decorate the room.

For now, I grab my tool box, put my earbuds in, and start the long process of assembling Jace’s toys. I finished assembling his bike, set it aside, and thought of tomorrow when I can teach him how to ride it. I was halfway through his little carpenter’s bench when the light in the room turned off and then back on. I looked up at the doorway to see Arianna standing in the doorway with our mother.

Great, it is a tag team situation.

I sigh heavily before I remove my earbuds, “You couldn’t face me alone? Had to bring mom into this?”

Arianna gasped in shock that I came right out with my anger. I am don’t care. I am done holding back my anger from her hurtful words today. I put my screwdriver down and got to my feet. Then I sauntered over to one chair I pushed against the wall. I sat down to wait for the inquisition to begin.

“That is uncalled for Sebastion,” my mother said.

“I don’t think it is. Did she tell you the truth or did she gloss over details so you would be on her side?” I ask my mother while looking straight at Arianna.

“Alright, I can see that is going to be an all-out fight. Arianna, close the door and go sit in the chair across from your brother,” Lenore said as she pointed to the chair opposite mine.

“Wait...” Arianna tried to protest but Lenore just gave her that look that would always have us doing what she told us no matter how much we wanted to fight.

“Sit down now,” Lenore yelled at Arianna. “You may be an adult with her own family, but you are acting like a child, so sit down NOW.”

Well, holy hell. Did our father tell her everything I told him earlier?

“Now, Sebastion, I want to hear from your what Arianna said to you today about your past. Arianna, I want you to listen to him when he recalls what you said. Do not speak until he is done,” the look Lenore gave Arianna made her instantly shut her mouth.

I take a deep breath and recounted everything Arianna said to me this morning. I couldn’t keep the hurt out of my voice as I replayed my sister’s words to our mother. When I finished, I stood up and grabbed my water bottle off the table where I was working. I looked at my mother when I finished drinking half the bottle. The look of shock and outrage clear on her face.

“You insinuated that your brother is weak-willed? That he let Gia control him with her vagina?” Lenore looked at Arianna as anger spiked in her voice.

“He was, that isn’t untrue. He let her lead him around this pack like a puppy. He would leave family functions to go fuck her. He left meetings to go fuck her. He even took her to work and had sex with her in the supply closet. If that isn’t weak-willed, I don’t know what else to say,” Arianna defended herself.

“Wow,” was all I said when her tirade was over.

“Let me ask you something, Arianna, were you in his relationship with Gia?” Lenore asks in a low tone that made me shiver. Oh, my mother is angry.

“No, of course not. What the hell does that have to do with the facts?” Arianna asked with a frown marring her beautiful face.

What has happened to my sister over the last few days? Has she always been like this and I just haven’t seen it? What has happened to us?

“Open your eyes, Arianna. Sebastion was deeply in love with Gia. Even if she wasn’t his mate, he still LOVED her. Gia, despite all of her faults, she loved him once. I saw her love sick eyes when they were kids. Despite all it turned into, there was something there that was real. You love Flynn and can understand how your brother felt. Sebastion explain to your sister the relationship you had with Gia from the beginning. Because while you were off with your friends doing your thing, Arianna, Sebastion was with his friend.” My mother sat in my vacated seat when she was done.

“Gia was more than my lover, Ari, she was my best friend. I know I made some mistakes, but loving Gia was not one of them.” I share how Gia and I progressed in our relationship until the day I found her in the cabin. Arianna went from angry to sad, then back to anger by the time I was done.

“Why did you not share any of this with my ever? I thought we were close. I always had your back when pack members came to me with their concerns over Gia’s behavior with men. Why did you feel you couldn’t share your relationship with me?” Arianna she as a tear slipped down her cheek.

“Because I knew you hated her. You never once hid that fact. Every chance you had at family gatherings, you would tear her down and make what we had seem torrid and dirty. Even if that is how it ended up on her part, it wasn’t like that at all for me. I loved her. Genuinely loved her as I loved no one else until now. You never asked me anything other than if I was out of my mind for dating someone like her. Never once did you ask how I felt. Do you understand why I would choose not to tell you any of that now?”

Arianna just stared at me with a hurt expression on her face. Was she still hurt that I kept all of that to myself all these years? Really?

“I have a question for you. One that I asked dad earlier when he and I spoke in my office. I will ask you the same thing, because what you said to me today and how you said it made me feel like a complete failure. Even more so than I did after I learned what Gia had turned into. Can you name a single instance that I failed to do my duty for our pack or for our company?” I ask her as I look her straight in the eye.

My mother smiled at me while she watched Arianna’s expression turn from anger to thoughtful. I could tell by how Arianna’s eyes looked down at the floor she realized something crucial. She looked back up at me with a wide-eyed expression on her face, like she realized what I just asked her. Did she really think I failed all this time? Even when I was breaking down on the side of the road on our way back from Arizona? Did she lie to my face while she comforted me in my fears?

“No, you never once failed this pack in any way that was important. You made sure they had everything they needed to thrive. Our company never showed cracks from your negligence. I am so sorry, Sebbie,” Arianna stood from her chair like she was going to come to me for a hug.

I held up my hand for her to stop. She looked hurt but stopped in her tracks as she looked at me. “This isn’t the end of our issues, Ari, not by a long shot.”

“What do you mean? I know I was wrong for insinuating that you failed our pack. I can see now that you didn’t. You let some of our members down by siding with Gia over them, but you have shown them you are making amends to not have that happen again. What more is there to talk about?” She asked me in a confused tone.

“The fact that you don’t know, proves my point. What is going on with you, Ari? What happened to my sweet-natured, calm and collected sister? You have let anger rule your thoughts all day. Why? It is because Irina is taking my time and energy? I am still doing my job at the company, and I can still perform my job as Alpha. I agreed to make you co-Alpha because you stepped up when I lost my shit after Gia’s betrayal came to light. As my twin, you were born an Alpha too, and deserved to help run this pack from the time father handed me the title. I was wrong to not insist you get the title too. Is that why you are angry with me? For only just now pushing that forward?” I demand with anger in my voice.

Arianna looked away for a moment, but when she looked at me again, I knew I hit a nerve. She really resented me for not making her my equal as co-Alpha all these years. All the time I ran our pack, I sought her advice before doing anything major, but never made the move to make her my equal until recently. No wonder she was angry with me for it.

“I can’t go back and change what I didn’t do then, but I have made it happen now. I am sorry for not doing it sooner,” I tell her as I move to the last open seat and sat down.

“I am angry with how you are putting our pack at risk for someone you don’t even know. For someone who was sent in to trap us for a monster. How can you just believe her story so easily, Sebbie? This is my pack too! My family too! All of us are at risk because of your eagerness to get laid!” She screamed at me.

“We were at risk the moment Vicktor Treadstone put us in his crosshairs. Irina is not responsible for that. Do I interfere in your relationship with your mate?” I demand from her.

“No, but my relationship with my mate is nothing like what is going on with you and Irina. She came into our lives to trap us, gave us a sob story about her child, then told us about Vicktor. How do we know the little girl in that photo isn’t his daughter with Irina?” She asked me. I honestly hadn’t even thought of that. I don’t believe it at all.

“I would know if she were lying about that through our bond. You know the mate bond that you are ignoring to be true? Irina is my mate, Aria, that isn’t something that can be faked or lied about. I can tell through our link if she is lying to me about anything. Nothing she has told me is a lie. Before you ask how I can believe it, I feel her emotions every single time she talks about Zasha or Vicktor. Our bond is getting stronger as you know happens with mates over time,” I couldn’t stop the growl that bubbled up my throat at the last part. Aries is tiring of having to defend our mate from Arianna.

“You are still putting our pack at risk by going out on this foolish rescue attempt of other creatures that have nothing to do with us! They are not our pack members and you are risking your life to do it. The life of an Alpha. Your death will cause this pack to be weakened tremendously,” Arianna yells at me. Frustration clear on her face because I am not seeing her side of this.

“Oh, my goodness, Arianna!!” My mother yelled in outrage.

“What? Everything I said is true!”

“You want your brother to turn his back on other supernaturals that are locked in cages? To sit idle and do nothing to help those that are victims to a group of humans who are treating us all like animals? Where did I go wrong in raising you?” My mother asks with a disappointed expression on her face.

“No, I want him to let those that are already out there fighting for their freedom to help them. They know what they are up against while Sebastion knows nothing about this fight. I want him to sit back fight to keep our pack safe! There is no reason to risk his life for a cause that has nothing to do with us!” She screams as tears flow down her cheeks.

“I am a skilled warrior, Ari. I know how to fight and defend myself. I am not a fucking weakling. What kind of Alpha would I be if I couldn’t fight to defend my pack? What kind of Alpha would it make me look like if I sat back and did nothing to help my mate get her daughter back? What message does that send to our pack members and other packs when this gets out? I will appear to be the weak-willed Alpha as you see me,” I tell her calmly as I just stare at her with the same disappointment my mother has.

From the look on Arianna’s face, I can see she hadn’t thought that far ahead in her anger.

“As for my mate, I will not tolerate you talking to her or about her like she is a whore. Everything she has done has been because she had no choice. She witnessed her mate die, her daughter is being used to keep her in line, and until now she thought she was alone. The minute she knew about my knowledge of The Collectors, she learned she wasn’t alone in wanting to be free. Your mistrust of Irina is based on your hate of Gia and I am done with it. Irina is a mother who wants nothing more than to be reunited with her child. I had thought you would get that since you are a mother too. I understand her in that want after Gia took Jace from me.” I look to my mother as I said the last part. Hoping she would know what to say to Arianna.

“Arianna, your father told me about an issue in Virgina with our largest distributer being on a labor strike with their employees. Sebastion was going to go there himself to see about finding a new distributer for our company or see what we can do to help our current one. I think you should go instead. Take Callie and Flynn with you. Make it a family vacation. I think so space between you two and the issue at hand will do you both good. It will also get you out of Treadstone’s sight for a while,” my mother made the same suggestion that Irina had earlier today.

“Fine, but when this all blows up in his face, don’t say I didn’t warn you guys.” Arianna stood up from her chair and left the room with a slam of the door on her way out.

Well, that was a shit show.