Chapter 46

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

Waking up with Jace’s elbow buried in my ribs is not a pleasant way to wake up. I untangle myself from my little bed hog and head to the bathroom for a shower. Frowning when I see Irina is not in bed, but from the feelings I am getting from her, she is in a foul mood. I shut the mate link before I get in the shower. Whatever has made her angry at seven in the morning, I will figure it out after I shower.

I know she is still dealing with the emotional fallout from the truth bomb her father and brother dropped on her about Gustav. More accurately, Gustav and her own brother Pavel. I will be there when she needs me to lean on, but otherwise I want no part of it. I know that makes me sound heartless, but this is for her to figure out.

I have already dealt with my feelings for my ex-girlfriend and all her lies. Now it is time for Irina to face her truths. We may be fully mated now, but that doesn’t mean that all of our problems have just up and disappeared. This will make a few of our problems worse. One of those problems is leaving today.

Arianna.

I am sad to see her go, but I hope she will return with a better attitude and frame of mind. After opening all those old wounds again with my parents and her, she left looking shell-shocked. Bringing up all the pain from our brother’s death, my putting distance between us because of her hatred for Gia, and her recent actions towards Irina. Her fear is understandable, but her anger is misplaced.

Instead of directing it towards Irina, who is desperately trying to get free, Arianna’s anger should be directed at the man responsible for it all.

Vicktor Treadstone.

Knowing what I know now, even if we bring him down, that will not be the end of The Collectors. They are smart, devious, and have probably been around far longer than any of us know. What options does the supernatural world have to work against The Collectors? Fighting to free those in captivity is a good fight. Yet there has to be more that can be done.

Exposing them for what they are to the rest of the human world will only put more lives in danger. Fear is a powerful thing, and it is ugly. Both sides will be fearful of each other if we expose the supernatural world along with The Collectors. Neither side will win. More lives will be lost. Yet something soon will break the balance of the peaceful existence with humans that most supernaturals have strived to achieve for almost two hundred years.

That is a brief time span in the grand scheme of it all, but the balance has worked for the most part. Blending in with the human world has kept most of us alive. It has also caused some of us to lose parts of ourselves in the process. Like those who live directly among the humans. Walking the streets shoulder to shoulder, day after day.

Not all humans are evil, and I know it. They have lost just as much of themselves over the centuries. As their heritages are lost or forgotten about. Time erodes what they fight to preserve and what some fight to erase. Humans, vampires, werewolves and just about every other supernatural species to exist or have once existed, have all had their share of ugly histories.

Right now, there is a dark cloud over all of us.

“What are you thinking that has that look on your face and you staring at the wall in your closet?” Irina’s voice shakes me out of my thoughts.

I hadn’t realized I was standing in my closet. Looking down at my hand, I see a pair of dark jeans fisted in my hands. I was so lost in my thoughts that I lost all track of time. Looking around at the bed, I see Jace is snuggled into my pillow still. That makes me feel relieved to know that I wasn’t so deep in my thoughts that my son woke up and I was unaware.

“I was just thinking of what to do to expose The Collectors.” I give her a brief rundown of what I thought of but leaving out the deeper philosophical shit.

“Let’s not talk about that stuff right now. There are pancakes downstairs with Jace’s name on them.”

“I want pancakes!” Jace’s sleepy voice carries to us from the bed, making us both laugh.

“Oh, do you now? Well, someone needs to go to their room to get dressed. Give me two minutes and I will come help you.” I tell him with a grin on my face.

“Can Rina help me?”

Oh, my boy, he has that look. The way his brown eyes flicker from me to Irina. The small tremble of his lower lip has me wanting to just scoop him up in a hug. Before I can do just that, Irina walks to the bed and scoops him up in her arm. Jace wraps his little hands around her neck as she carries him out of the room. The smile he gives me over her shoulder makes me burst out laughing.

He is happy with himself and got just what he wanted. That sneaky little man.

Getting my act together, I finish dressing, then make my way to Jace’s room to check in on their progress. The sight that greets me melts my heart. Irina is standing in the middle of his room with her hands on her hips. Jace is running in circles around her in nothing but his little boxer briefs while waving his pants around in the air. My lovely mate looks like she is ready to blow her top and just when I think she is going to, she surprises me. Scooping him up by his legs and hanging the poor boy upside down to tickle his tummy.

The giggles and snorts of laughter are music to my ears. Seeing that she has him well under control, I back out of the room to go downstairs. The smell of pancakes and coffee are calling my name. My mother’s raised voice has me frowning, but the laughter that greets me when I enter the kitchen has me turning right back around and heading to my office instead.

I may be an adult, but seeing my parents half naked in the kitchen is not something I wanted to witness this early in the morning. Or ever in my life. Hearing them have sex when I was a kid is one thing, kids are curious and have big ears, but seeing them getting it on is a whole different story. I want to sear my eyes out.

**Please man, after the things you have done with our mate and that tramp, you have literally no room to talk.**

*But that are my parents, man!*

**Grow up, my friend, you are a parent too.**

Shit! He has a point. At the rate my son has nightmares and that sneaky smile on his face today, I am sure he will see far more than I want him to see one of these days. Good grief, where did the time go? One minute I am a horny teenage boy and the next I am a parent. The horny part will never change. My mate brings that out of me naturally.

Opening my office door, I am surprised to find Flint and Justin inside. Did we have a meeting scheduled that I forgot about? When they see me, both their expressions turn serious. Well, this isn’t good.

“What’s going on, guys?”

“We see there has been a change you haven’t told us about.” Flint says as he stands from my chair.

“What are you talking about? I have told you both everything up until what we found last night. Which I planned on telling you after breakfast.”

“We are referring to that mark on your neck there, buddy.” Justin points his finger at me.

Oh, my mate mark. The one Irina left on me last night.

“Yeah, about that, it kind of just happened.”

“Welcome to the club, my friend.” Flint walks over to me and claps me on the back.

That was not where I expected that to go, but I will take it over him being pissy with me. Going to my chair, I fill them in on the events of last night. Both of them immediately volunteer to go with us tonight to storm Treadstone’s office. Their fierce determination to help free those in his cages makes me proud of them.

“Ok, now about what I wanted to talk to you both about.” I turn to look at Justin, then back at Flint. “Have you thought about what I asked you, Flint?”

“Yes, and he deserves it.”

“Justin, how do you feel about becoming not just my third in command but a Beta in rank?”

Justin’s eyes go wide as he hears what I asked him. He looks at Flint but says nothing.

“You have gone above and beyond on so many things for this pack. Flint and I both think you deserve this promotion. I know some packs that have more than one Beta, and usually they are born into that role and rank. However, it is possible for one to be of lower rank and promoted to the position of Beta. I want to give you the rank you have proven you deserve.”

“Who will take my place as Gamma or will there be a need?”

“We thought it would be a good idea to have you pick your replacement.” Flint tells him as he sits down in a chair.

“Wade, he was with us in Jade Moon and helps me often.”

“Then call him in here. I will call my mother and we will make it official now. Then we can have a party or something later to celebrate your promotions.”

“Sebastion, thank you for trusting me enough for this.”

“Don’t thank me, Justin, you earned it. Wade will be yours to teach and guide until he learns his role.”

Once Wade and my mother join us in my office, I fill both of them in on what I am doing. Wade was just as shocked as Justin was, but he gladly accepted. My mother, our Luna, stood at my side as I declared Justin my third in command and second Beta, then Wade as our new Gamma. The power surge through both of them left them reeling for a few minutes.

Flint escorts them out to the training fields to let off some excess energy. Then he will start training them more heavily tomorrow. My mother and I then go downstairs to the kitchen so she can feed me. Jace is in the library with Sarah for his lessons while Irina has gone to talk to her family at the small house they moved into.

I send her a message through our link to tell her when I need her back at the house. We are to meet the vampires after sunset to go find Zasha. Being with her family until then will do her good. She has yet to talk to her brother about Gustav, but for her sake I hope she doesn’t do that tonight. Her mind will already be in turmoil over Zasha and reuniting with her, the last thing she needs it all those other thoughts in her head too.

After I eat and it satisfies my mother that I have filled my belly, I head back to my office to call Tori. I want to touch base with her to let her know Arianna is taking a leave of absence from the company for a while. I am prepared to give her the same time off or allow her to stay on and help me. Knowing Tori, she will want to stay on. Sitting idle is not something she likes to do.

There is work to do that has nothing to do with the pack, The Collectors, or my family drama. Drakos Enterprises is a well-oiled machine and can run smoothly without my constant supervision. However, with recent staff changes, I want to make sure everything is in order.

In the last two weeks, I have gone into the office with Irina six times. That isn’t unusual, and if Vicktor has been watching me before he sent her in, he would know that. However, if he has another tracker out there, I don’t want him to get suspicious. Being out of the state for two days was enough, and I am honestly surprised that Vicktor hasn’t noticed or tried to contact Irina at all.

My phone rings as I am about to call Tori. Looking at the display, I see that it is Monroe. That is good timing. He is joining us for the raid on Treadstone’s office tomorrow. The scary ass Alpha has turned out to be a very valuable ally.

“Hey, I was just thinking that this was good timing that you called.”

“Is that so? I am in Portland now with a few of my men. We will be ready when you are.”

“That is good to hear. Is that why you have called?”

“No, I am calling about the something else. Your mate’s siblings.”

Holy shit, that was fast.

“Please tell me there is good news.”

“Good.”

Please let them be alive.

“Ok, give it to me straight.”

“Good news is that I found one of them. The bad is I only found one of them.”

“Which one?”

“The female.” There was a tone to his voice that put me on edge. Something feels off.

“Is she alive?”

“Yes, but you will not like where she is.”

Why can’t it be easy? Goddess, can you give us a break here? With a heavy sigh, I pinch the bridge of my nose and ask him where Ekatarina is. Please let her not be in one of Treadstone’s or another Collector’s cage.

“She never left Russia. I asked a few of my contacts there to ask around. Gave them the description Irina gave you. I got a big bite yesterday. She is in a werewolf work camp run by a man named Arkady who is the third in command of the Russian mob. Getting her out of there will not be easy.”

How the hell did she end up there? What happened between the time she parted ways with Natalia and Oleg?

“Can it be done?”

“Yes, but it will not be cheap.”

“Make inquires and we will go from there. I will pay whatever they need to get her out and home to her family.”

Monroe grunted, “About the other thing you told me about at the wedding. Tell your father to tell the council to go fuck themselves.”

With that, he hung up and left me shaking my head. There is a story there that one day I will want the answers too. Who exactly is Monroe?