Chapter 34

(**Irina’s POV**)

Shock set in once we were back on the road towards Redwood. My mind is still in a fog. I barely register Sebastion’s hand on my thigh. The comfort he is trying to give me helps. I am just overwhelmed with everything that happened at the rest stop. Images from the past keep running through my head like a bad horror movie that I can’t escape from.

I try to hold back my sobs as each image causes old wounds to open. Failing to hold my tears back, I let those repressed emotions out. That day will forever be cemented in my mind. It started out as a normal day but quickly turned into a nightmare.

(Flashback)

*The humans came in first as hunters. They began shooting people on sight as they came out of their homes. Soon the sounds of screaming and the smell of blood filled our tiny village.*

*The screams wake me from the nap I was taking with Zasha. All my instincts are screaming at me to grab her and go to my parents’ house where the tunnel to the mountains is hidden. Panic hits me when I can’t find Gustav in the house. Grabbing Zasha, I run outside to rush to my parents’ house across the street.*

*The sight that greeted me nearly made my knees buckle. My mother was on the ground, blood spilling from the wound on her head. From the vacant stare, I knew she was dead. A scream tore from my throat as one man shot my father in the chest as he was running to my mother. When arms grab me from behind, I nearly scream before I realize who it is.*

*"Quiet, they haven’t seen you yet. Come, we can circle around and go in through the back," Gustav whispered in my ear.*

*Relief rushes through me at the sound of his voice. Hugging Zasha to me tighter, I follow behind him. He leads me around our house then behind all of our neighbors so we can get behind the hunters who just killed my parents. When we get back to the street, their backs are turned, so we rushed across. The next gunshot I hear is so much closer to us than all the others.*

*When I saw blood seep out of Gustav’s shoulder, I knew he had been shot. That was when I saw two men that stood out from the rest of the hunters. It was how they are dressed and how they are assessing the situation. Both men are in full tactical gear like they were soldiers, but only one of them had a gun. That gun is aimed my way. They are not with the other humans. A different purpose brought them here today.*

*I didn’t have to wait long to find out what that purpose was. The man who shot Gustav fires again. This time it hits him in the leg, causing him to fall to the ground. He didn’t hesitate any longer to shift. We both knew we were dead if we didn’t. I put Zasha down behind me to block her from their sight. Then I shifted to protect my family.*

*That was when the other man focused on me. He said something to his companion, then they both began walking towards us. That was when I knew they were here for me. I am a pure white wolf. The only one in our pack. A rare occurrence in werewolves. Those men must be trophy hunters.*

*I shifted back after they made their way towards us. Protecting my daughter was my priority. If they were coming for me, I would need to hide her. Whispering in her ear that everything would be alright, I tell her to close her eyes. Gustav’s growls are getting louder as the men get closer. He moves to stand in front of us. They would have to get through him to take us.*

*The smell of his blood is driving Anya crazy. She tries to take control so she can help him, but I lock her out. I want to help him as much as she does, Zasha would be unprotected if I did. My heart is breaking as my mate is prepared to protect us with his life. If our daughter was somewhere safe, I would help him defend our home.*

*As the two men got closer, one scent took me by surprise. One of them is not human. He is a werewolf. Why is there a werewolf hunting other of his own kind? What is going on here? There isn’t time to ponder the questions going through my head. Time has run out as the men reach us.*

*Gustav lunges at the one with the gun. As he did, the gunman fired again. A howl of pain causes my heart to beat faster and Zasha to cry. The feeling that we were all going to die descended on me as Gustav fought with more determination. The sound of bones breaking let me know that the other wolf was shifting.*

*I shivered because of the cold as I stood there naked with Zasha held tight against me. The look on the human’s face as he watched Gustav fight his wolf made my stomach clinch in fear. The look is calculating and has a sinister edge to it that made frightened me more than anything I have ever experienced before.*

*Who was this man and what was his plan for us?*

(End Flashback)

The car stopping and Sebastion calling my name brings me back to the present. Looking at him makes me realize we have arrived at the gates to the pack lands. I take deep breaths to calm down as the memories threaten to consume me. That place in my mind is not somewhere I am ready to be again. I am not ready to relive all of that with them.

Now, with my father and oldest brother being found alive, I will have no choice but to relive that day again. We will spend the rest of the day recounting that day over and over from all of my family’s viewpoints. I have heard my sister’s story of how she survived with Oleg and Ekatarina. Now it was time to hear how my father and brother survived that day.

“Are you ready to face them?”

“No, but I don’t have another choice.”

“We will be there soon. I linked Flink and Justin already to let them know we are not coming back alone. I also linked my mother to let her know we will have more guests. Their rooms are in the guest wing on the first floor. She asked me if I should tell Nat who we have with us.”

“Oh, Goddess, do I warn her before we get there or just spring it on her?”

“The shock will be the same either way, Irina. If you want to tell her when we get there, she will at least not be alone when she sees them.”

“Are you ok with all of this? We had plans for later. Now those plans are gone.”

“You are what matters to me. We will have another night. Your family has spent the last five years scattered, alone, or believed dead. Take the time you have with them. I am not going anywhere and will be here when you need me.”

“If I say I am not ready to do this with them, will you take me somewhere away from everyone?”

“To deal with the memories you had on the way here before you face them?”

“Something like that.”

“In a heartbeat. All you have to do is ask me and I will make it happen.”

Closing my eyes, I heave out a sigh. Right now, all I want to do is run. Run as far away as I can. Yet I know it will not help the situation. The memories haunt me no matter where I go. Staying where I am will not change that. Talking to my family will do nothing to chase them away. If anything, it will add more to my already heavy heart.

“Look at me.”

Turning my head to do as Sebastion asks, I see the depth of emotion in his eyes. He knows loss and has dealt with death, but not to the extreme that I have. Yet the understanding and compassion in his eyes gives me strength. When we park outside his house, I lean across the space between the seats, grab his face in my hands, then give him a passionate kiss.

We are both out of breath when I break the kiss. “I am falling for you hard.”

“The feeling is mutual.”

The sound of the other car pulling in behind us made me glance back at them. “I am sorry for how Pavel attacked you. He was Gustav’s best friend since they were pups. They did everything together.”

“I understand. Replacing Gustav is not my intention, nor would I want to. We are each other’s second chance. I threw my first chance away like garbage. They took yours from you. We will make what we can from the ashes of the past. Can you live with that?”

“I want to.”

“Then we build on that.”

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

The moment we get out of the car, the front door opens like they were waiting for us by the window. Natalia comes out to greet us with my mother right behind her. Did the news of who was with us already get spoiled? The look on Nat’s face showed she didn’t have a clue. I suck in a deep breath as she sees Irina has been crying.

“What did you do to my sister?” Her voice is full of anger as she stomps to my car.

“It had nothing to do with him, Nat, but everything to do with who is in the black car.”

“Did you run into one of his old lovers in town?”

That comment makes me angry. I was not the promiscuous one in my past relationship. The only relationship I have ever been in since I was a teenager. How dare Natalia insinuate I am a man-whore!

I know the moment she figured out what Irina meant. Natalia’s head whips toward the black car and the two men who had just exited it. Her nostrils flare out as their scents are carried to her. Then her blue eyes lit up with shock, pain, then joy. The sound of her feet hitting the stone driveway was the only noise in the courtyard.

Soon people are crying, talking over each other, and making demands in a language I assume is Russian. Do I leave them alone to deal with this as a family? One that I am not a part of. I step away from my car to go into the house, but as I do, Irina grabs my hand.

“Stay with me a little longer. This is for them right now, then when my sister is done with her tears, it will be for all of us. Just stay with me until then.”

Chancing her brother’s wrath, I pull her into my arms. Looking up at my mother, I see my father joined her.

*They can use the den for this. We are going to take Jace to the pack house for a movie with the other kids.*

As always, my mother knows what to do and when to do it. All I do is nod at her. They both go back into the house to give Irina’s family privacy. I will do the same once I lead them inside the house. From the sounds of Natalia’s crying, I can tell will be soon. She is winding down.

A throat being clears makes me look down at Irina. “Are you ready?”

“No, but they are.”

Turning my head towards the rest of her family, I see she is right. Natalia has steps away from Alexei then turns to face us. She holds her arm out to beckon Irina to join them. I kiss the top of Irina’s head before I step back to send her to her family. When she hesitates to join them, I give her shoulder a gently squeeze.

“I will be right here until you all are ready to go inside.”

With a small nod, she walks away from me to join her father and siblings. The moment she reaches them, she is pulled into her father’s arms along with her sister. Soon Pavel was in the hug too. I could hear my mate cry again, making my heart ache to soothe her. However, I know that what she needs right now, more than anything I can give her, is the comfort of her family.

The thought of family made me think of the current status of the relationship with my sister. When Arianna left for Virginia, she was furious with me. Though her fear for our pack is understandable, the rest of her behavior is unacceptable. With luck, Flynn will talk sense into her before they come home.

I miss my twin, yet there is a part of me that wonders how much she held back from me all these years. How much of our bond was a lie? Her genuine feelings being revealed now makes me question everything about our relationship. Being twins, I always thought our bond was unbreakable. Now I can see that it was cracked long before now.

How much of that damage can be repaired? Only time will tell when Arianna and her family come home. For now, all I can do is wait and hope for the best.

“Is there somewhere we can all talk inside?” Alexei’s voice brings me out of my thoughts.

“Yes, there is a large den where you will have privacy.”

“What about your parents? Where are they?”

“They took my son to the pack house for movie night. My mother wanted to give you all privacy without interruption.”

“You have a child? Irina is your second mate as well?”

“Yes.”

“We can talk about that another time. Let’s get inside now.” Irina joined me again.

Alexei nodded, then motioned for me to lead the way. I lead them into the house, then to the large den my father used to use for his meetings. He always preferred it over his office when he met with his Beta and Gamma for weekly reports. When I took over as Alpha, the den was no longer used.

“The doors are pockets doors and can be pulled out of the doorframe there.” I point them out after they are all inside the room.

“Thank you for opening your home for us.”

“You are Irina’s family. I will help you all in any way that can. For now, I will leave you to it so I can go check in on my son.”

With a nod from Alexei, and glare from Pavel, and a sheepish smile from Natalia, I take my leave of the Belova family. I will come back in an hour to see how Irina is doing.

Dinosaur movie with lots of kids in the room, here I come. Jace better save me some popcorn.