Chapter 38

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Arianna turned her head to look at me the second she closed her mouth. Her eyes faded from the laughter over chasing Calista into the house to anger. I can see that the time away from home had no change in her attitude. Flynn must have talked until he was blue in the face.

I have been missing my sister, but after everything she has said and done, we will have to talk in depth later tonight. “Welcome home, Arianna.”

My mother came to stand next to me in the doorway. I could feel her anger and disappointment pouring off her in waves. From the way Arianna’s eyes widened, I could tell she felt it too. To her credit, she had the brains to look ashamed of herself. We were all saved from the confrontation for now when Flynn stumbled into the foyer with suitcases in his arms.

“Thanks for leaving me out there alone, Ari.”

Stepping forward to help him, I grabbed one case from his hand.

“Don’t bother bringing any bags in that are not Calista’s.” My mother stated firmly.

Quickly turning to face her, shock is obvious on every face in the room. “What are you saying mom?”

“Until Arianna changes her tune, she is not welcome in this house. This situation is not what Irina asked for, nor is Arianna’s attitude to her acceptable behavior. Flynn, you are welcome to stay here, but I am sure you will want to be with your mate. There is no room for discussion, I am still acting Luna, this is my order. Now take her bags out of this house, there is room in the pack house until she can face facts.”

With a stomp of her foot, my mother spun on her heels and walked back into the living room. Arianna stood there rooted in place, her mouth opening and losing like a fish gasping for air. She has always gotten along so well with our mother, this drastic action to put her in her place must come as a shock to her. Part of me wants to cheer for what my mother did, but I feel bad for her being cast out of her home.

Arianna recovered swiftly and rounded on Irina, her eyes spitting fire as she stalked to the base of the stairs. “Who the hell do you think you are? You come into our lives as a spy to seduce my brother with the goal to put us in cages for your boss. Now you have my mother wrapped around your finger! Did you ask her to kick me out of my home? You must love this.”

She raised her hand to slap Irina, but was stopped by Natalia who appeared just in time. “Don’t you dare lay a hand on my sister!”

Dropping the case in my hand, I walked to Irina’s side. “Ari, meet Natalia Belova, Irina’s older sister.”

Arianna tried to yank her arm out of Nat’s grip but failed as Nat gripped it harder. “Let go of my arm now!”

“I suggest you check your attitude, lady. You may be an Alpha born, I can smell it, but you have no right to treat my sister the way you have.” Nat let go and stepped next to her sister.

The expression on Arianna’s face when she saw the two women side by side made me chuckle. I had the same reaction when I saw them together for the first time. The resemblance between the two women makes it obvious that they are related.

“You are that designer that lives in town. I have some of your suits. What in the world is going on here? What has been happening in this house since I was sent away?” She turned to face me with a myriad of emotions in her eyes.

“How about you go get settled into the pack house, then come to my office later? We can have the conversation we need to have, then I will fill you in on what has happened while you were gone.” I grab Irina’s hand to pull her towards the den where her father is standing in the doorway.

“You are really going to let mother banish me to the pack house?”

“Yes, because there is more going on here than your unhappiness. There are lives at stake outside this pack and making drama where there doesn’t need to be isn’t helping the situation. Go, now!”

The wounded look in my sister’s eyes made my heart constrict painfully. Everything I said is true, and she knows it deep down even if she can’t get past the surface anger. Her anger at my putting our pack in danger to help my mate is understandable. What she needs to wrap her stubborn head around is that we were all in danger before Irina even came into our lives. All because of The Collectors and Vicktor Treadstone.

“Come on, Ari, let’s get our stuff to the pack house, then we can get Calista settled back in.” The tone in Flynn’s voice let me know he has had the same argument with her that I have.

“I am not leaving my home for anyone! I grew up here, my daughter lives here, and I will not be separated from my child!”

“But it is just fine for me to be denied my child because what I am asking for puts this pack and everyone in it in danger?” Irina spoke with deadly calm beside me.

“That little girl isn’t even your daughter! She is just a pawn in the game you are playing!”

**SLAP**

The sound of flesh connection with flesh echoed in the foyer. Natalia slapped Arianna so hard my sister fell to the floor. Her hand coming up to cup her cheek in shock. Pavel and Alexei were next to Natalia in an instant. Their gazes locked on my sister with anger and disgust. Flynn stepped up behind Arianna to help her up, only to be pushed away as she surged to her feet.

“That little girl is my granddaughter,” Alexei pulled a picture out of his shirt pocket and held it out for all to see. It was faded and torn at the edges, but the people in the picture were smiling.

In the picture, I recognized all those in the room with me now. Alexei had his arms wrapped around a beautiful woman that I could only assume from her facial features and eyes, to be Irina’s mother. The other two off to the side must be Oleg and Kat. Both had the same ice-blue eyes they inherited from their mother. Standing next to Irina was a man that made my heart constrict.

Gustav.

It was the little girl in Irina’s arms that got Arianna’s attention. She was just a baby, but it was clear who she was. The gasp of surprise from my sister made me shake my head. Reality just slapped her in the face in more ways than one.

“Who are those people?”

“My family.”

“You said they were dead.”

“We all got separated that day and believed each other to be dead.” Pavel told her with a growl.

“Come on, Ari, let it go,” I begged her.

“All of these people being here puts us at risk!”

“We get new wolves from all over the world all the time, Ari. I am accepting Irina’s family into our pack if they wish to stay. They are a family that has been through so much and deserve to have a place to call home. You now have to chance to right a wrong you have done to my mate, but I can tell by that look in your eyes that you are not going to.”

Her mouth opened and closed again before she turned around and walked to the door to grab one of the dropped suitcases. With her head held high, she walked right out the door without a backwards glance. The tension that filled the foyer left with her.

“Man, your sister is a piece of work,” Natalia stated loudly.

“Sebastion, can we have talk please?” Alexei looks at me with a gentle expression.

“Yeah, follow me up to my office.”

What could this be about? Is he going to grill me about my relationship with Irina? How much did she tell him about how we met? Does he know about Treadstone and his part in all of this? The look on Alexei’s face makes me hopeful that nothing bad will be asked or said, but with the confrontation with Arianna just now, who knows what he will want to talk about.

Bringing Irina’s hand to my lips, I gave it a gentle kiss on her knuckles, then I let her hand go. I motioned towards the stairs for Alexei to follow me up as I turned to walk up to my office. A sense of dread suddenly hit me as I felt him follow behind. Let’s just hope my paranoia is unwarranted.

(**Irina’s POV**)

Watching my father walk up the stairs behind Sebastion makes me frown. Curiosity has me taking a step to follow them, but Nat’s hand on my arm stops me. With my head down, I let her lead me back to the den where our family talked last night. Pavel followed silently behind us. I think we are all kind of shell shocked by Arianna’s childish tantrum.

That woman is holding me responsible for putting this pack at risk when she knows very well that it wasn’t my fault. Unless she still doesn’t believe my story. I had hoped with my family being here would be proof of what happened all those years ago. I guess I was wrong in thinking the two of us could come to an understanding.

“What is that woman’s problem?” Pavel asked when we were back in the den. He paced around the room, and I know he had something to say to me. Did he want to have this conversation with Nat in the room, or does she know?

“She was friendly at first on the day I met her.”

“What did she mean about the game you are playing?” Nat asked as she sat on the sofa.

“She doesn’t believe my story about being Vicktor’s victim too.”

“What are you talking about?” Pavel demands.

“Vicktor sent me to Drakos Enterprises to lure Sebastion into a trap.” I tell Pavel everything that I told Nat and then waited until he absorbed it all.

“Is there nothing he will not do for you?” Sarcasm dripped from his voice as he spun around to face us.

“Here it comes. Give me the reason you are angry at him for taking steps to help me find my child.”

“Gustav’s child! Not his!”

“So that means Sebastion can’t do anything to help me find her because he isn’t her father?”

“Yes, that is exactly what it means. He needs to but his Richie Rich nose out of it and let your family take care of it.”

“Do you have allies that can help find her? Money to pay private detectives to help find Oleg and Kat? If so, cough it up and start doing what you claim is none of his concern.” Natalia pipes in anger at how Pavel is acting clear in her voice.

“We found you both with none of that!”

Someone knocking on the door made me turn my head to see who it was. Lenore stood in the doorway with a tray in her hands. A pitcher of what tea and three glasses sit on the tray. I nod my head for her to come in. When she sits the tray on the coffee table, the looks she sends Pavel could wither any man on the spot. Facing him, she held up a hand to silence him as he tried to speak.

“No, you are going to listen to what I have to say before you open your mouth. My son does not deserve your hatred. He was not responsible for the death of your pack or Irina’s mate. What he is doing now is trying to do the right thing. Now, you can either respect that he is trying to help your sister in every way that he can, or you can get out of my house. I am done with people treating my son and his mate like shit!” Lenore spun on her heels and let the room in a swirl of anger.

Natalia let out a low whistle, then glanced at Pavel. His face had gone a shade of green while Lenore laid into him. I am slightly sorry for him being put in his place in a way only a mother can. It is deserved no doubt about it.

“What is your issue with Sebastion, Pavel?” Natalia asked him once he plopped down in a chair. “He is using everything he has to help find Zasha and our siblings. I would thing you would be grateful to him for that.”

“Tell her, Pavel. Tell her the real reason you hate Sebastion.”

“Do we really have to do this now?”

“Yes, now is the perfect time. Let’s get it out in the open already. I want to know the truth, Pavel, all of it.”

His face paled as I put him on the spot in front of Natalia. “What good will any of that do now?”

“I will know how much my life was a lie with Gustav.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Rinny? Gustav loved you.”

“Tell her, Pavel or I will.”

“I was and still am in love with Gustav. He knew about my feelings after Zasha was born. He told me he felt the same, but he was also in love with you. We never went further than a stolen kiss here and there. He would always pull away from me and tell me it was wrong. He chose you every single time. You were his mate, not me. I could never compete with that fucking mate bond.” Tears were rolling down his face as he looked up at me.

I felt some relief when he told me Gustav never crossed the line with my brother. Yet, knowing how much pain Pavel has been in since Gustav and I became mates makes my heart hurt for him. To be in love with someone who wouldn’t choose you first must have been unbearable. He never once let his pain show in all those years. Would I have let Gustav go had I known then that he also loved Pavel?

“You were right, knowing all of this now changes nothing of the past. Now what I need for you to do is find a way to accept Sebastion as my mate. If you can’t do that, then we have nothing further to say to each other. You are my brother and I will always love you, but right now I need to be alone.” I ran from the room, out of the house, and towards the lake.

Knowing Gustav was in love with my brother and I at the same time made everything we experienced together look like a funhouse mirror. Images bigger than they should be or small then they were. Now I am second guessing everything I lived through with my mate. Is this what Sebastion felt like when he learned about who Gia really was?

Oh, holy shit, Sebastion. I need to talk to him. I made him feel like shit this morning. Will he forgive me?