Chapter 50

(**Irina’s POV**)

Panic grips me the second I open my eyes. Finding my arms empty causes me to jump up out of bed. I wildly look around the room for Zasha, but she isn’t here. Was finding her last night all a dream? I rush across the room to yank the door open, and the sight that greets me makes my frantic heart beat faster.

Sebastion and Jace are laying on the floor outside my door. From the looks of it, they spent the night out there. Jace is sprawled out on Sebastion’s chest with his little black stuffed wolf. One of Sebastion’s arms is wrapped around the boy so he doesn’t fall onto the floor. I go to step over him, but his other hand wraps around my leg.

“Please, don’t go,” he says in a sleepy voice.

That simple request has my chest tightening in pain. He knows I intend to leave Redwood. Is that why he slept out here in the hall? To try to talk me out of going? Before I can say anything to him, I hear a noise from inside my room. Turning around, I watch Zasha crawls out from under the bed with a white stuffed wolf in her hand. Where had that come from?

Without closing the door behind me, I walk to her, then pull her up on the bed with me. “Why were you under the bed?”

“Vicky came for me in my sleep.”

Anger spikes in my heart when she tells me that. Her tiny frame is shaking in fear now that she is no longer under the bed. “Did you hide from him often?”

“Sometimes, but it made him mad at me.”

Pulling her closer to me, I rock her back and forth as I hum a song for her. The song is one my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. I sang it for Zasha when she was a baby, when she was upset or fussing. I feel her body relax as I continue to hum the song. What did Vicktor do to her during all the times when I was kept away from her?

One day I will have to ask her.

“Mommy, who is that?”

I look down at her and see that she is pointing to the doorway. As I look up to see who she is talking about, I am reminded of Sebastion and Jace. Jace is standing in the doorway with Sebastion behind him, gathering up blankets. Jace’s eyes are locked on Zasha’s as he just stands there. How am I going to leave that sweet little boy behind?

“If you guys need anything, you can call one of the omegas, and they will bring you something. Come, Jace, let’s leave the ladies alone.” Sebastion looks at me as he reaches for Jace’s hand.

The look in his beautiful brown eyes makes my heart flip over painfully in my chest. It is like his eyes are telling me goodbye without him saying the words. Anya is whining in my head to go to our mate. To tell him I won’t leave. How can I do that when I know the risks if I stay? How can I put all those who live here in danger any longer?

“He has a wolf like this one, Mommy,” Zasha’s voice makes me look away from Sebastion.

The stuffed animal in her hands looks just like the one Jace’s sleeps with. Did he give her this one? If so, when did he come in here to give it to her? I look up to ask him, but both he and Sebastion are no longer in the doorway.

**They slept in the hall all night. Jace wanted to protect you both from the wicked man. Sebastion stayed to do the same. Are you really so blind that you will walk away from that?** Anya growls at me in anger and frustration.

*They will be in danger if I stay.*

**They were in danger long before today and you know it. The moment Vicktor set his sights on Sebastion, Arianna, and his actual goal of Drakos Enterprises, everyone here was put in danger.**

*Yes, but he will come for Zasha first. I will not let him take my child back. I will not be separated from her again.*

**Then stay here where she will be safe, cared for, and loved more that we have ever thought possible.**

“Mommy, I am hungry.”

“Did someone say they were hungry?” My father says from the doorway with a tray of food in his hands. From the smell of the food, he has brought pancakes with bacon and eggs.

Zasha’s body tenses up the moment my dad speaks, but after her little nose gets a whiff of the food, she climbs off my lap. I watch as she cautiously walks to my father. The look in his eyes as she walks to him is happy but tinged with pain. He missed out on her entire life just as much as I have. Vicktor let me see some of her milestones, like the day she started walking on her own. He stole so much from my family and myself.

I am not letting him take anymore from me ever again

“Mommy, he has friendly eyes,” Zasha tells me as she stops in front of my father. He bends down but stops when she flinches, then he moves slower until he is sitting on the floor in front of her.

“Do you know who this is, Za?”

“He smells good.”

“Those are the pancakes, little one.”

She sniffs the air for a moment before looking back at him, then shakes her head. “No, that is you. Mommy, who is he? Is he going to take me back to Vicky?”

“No one will ever take you back to him.” A growl bubbles up my throat before I can stop it. The fear that slides into my child’s eyes makes me go to her instantly.

I sit with her on my lap with my arms wrapped around her, humming my mother’s song to soothe her. Soon my father joins in the song, but he sings the lyrics. Tears gather at the corner of my eyes as I remember how he used to sing with my mother some nights. When Zasha hums along with me, I relax a little.

“He knows mommy’s song. How does he know it?”

“Because he used to sing it to me when I was little.”

“Like me?”

“Yes, little like you are now. Zasha, this man is your grandpa, my father.”

She twists her head so she can look up at me. Her eyes are wide with surprise and wonder. Then she surprises us both by launching herself at my father. Thankfully, he placed the tray of food on the floor next to his leg or there would be a mess. Seeing my daughter in my father’s arms for the first time in five years makes me cry. He releases one arm from her back to pull me in for this hug.

How long we stayed like that I have don’t know, but the sound of growling stomachs makes me pull back from his arms. I sit back and pull the try between us so we can all eat. Zasha goes straight for the pancakes, tearing one apart with her little hands and stuffing it into her mouth. Her eyes going over everything on the plate like she has eaten none of it before.

What did Vicktor feed her all these years? She looks healthy, so I know it wasn’t anything bad. Did he never give her treats?

“Mom...my,” she says around a mouthful of food.

“Chew your food and then talk, Za,” I scold her.

She chews slowly, then swallows. Pointing at the syrup on the tray she asks, “What is that?”

“Have you not had syrup on your pancakes before?”

“Vicky only lets me have fruit with my pancakes. What does the syrup do?” She pronounced syrup one syllable at a time, as if she was trying out how the word sounded to her ears.

“It is sweet and makes the pancakes taste better. Here, do you want to try it?” I cut off a small bite of my pancake, dip it in the syrup, then hold the fork out for her. “You will not get in trouble for trying it. No one here will punish you for trying food.”

She hesitates for a second, then leans forward to take the fork from my hand. Her ice-blue eyes study the dripping bite of food, then she looks up at my father. He gives her a nod, and she puts the food into her mouth. A look of surprise passes over her face, quickly followed by happiness as she wiggles her little body while she chews. A satisfied smile plays over her face.

Her smile makes my heart jump with joy. Syrup and pancakes win the day,

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

The battle of getting Jace dressed, fed, and out the door, was a quiet one today. I think he picked up on my mood after we left Irina’s room. Once we were out of the house, I took him to the pack house where Sarah said the attic room is ready. Jace squeezed my hand the entire walk there.

I call out greetings to pack members as we walk and Jace gives them each a brief wave. When we reach the attic room, I can hear childish laughter coming from up the stairs. Jace pulls his hand out of mine to rush up the stairs to join his teacher. I laugh as I follow him up so I can to see what Sarah has done with the dark, dusty, and long forgotten attic.

The moment I walk through the door, I am pleasantly surprised. The main room has been dusted, cleaned spotless, and painted. Dingy grey walls are now a bright white with a rainbow, a tree, and a sunny scene painted on the wall to the right of the door. Five desks are spread out to face a large chalkboard set up on the wall to the left of the door.

In the middle of the room is a large blue rug where four other kids are now with Jace. Sarah is by the room’s only window rearranging books on a low bookshelf. When she turns around, there is a bright smile on her face. She looks happy and eager to prove herself. I am glad I gave her this chance to shine. She brought my son out of the shell he put himself in. For that I will do anything I can to help her grow to her full potential as a teacher.

“This place looks amazing. Did you do all three rooms or just this one?”

“Just this one for now, but I have ideas for the other two. For now, I have them locked up so the kiddos don’t get in there. We cleaned them out so there is nothing in there to get hurt on, I just think having the door closed will be safer.”

“You prove time and time again that I made the right choice with you. I will let you get to the lessons and can come get him when you are done.”

“Alright, come back around two this afternoon.”

I give her a nod then make my way back downstairs, mind-linking Flint and Justin as I make my way back to the mansion. We will all be storming the castle tonight, so to speak. I want to make sure they are both ready for what could happen. They both responded by telling me they would meet me in my office.

When I get to the house, my mother calls my name from the kitchen. I join her in the kitchen to see my mother covered in flour and cake batter. “What in the world happened in here?”

“I had a minor accident with the hand mixer.”

“What are you making?”

“I wanted to make a cake for Zasha. To celebrate her coming home.”

Coming home, that is a phrase that strikes a painful chord in my heart. This place will not be her home for very long if Irina has her way. When will they all be leaving? If she leaves, will her family go with her? Of course, they will go with her when she leaves. What reason would they have to stay here? Irina is the only reason they are even here.

“What has that sad look on your face?”

My mother is just staring at me when I look up at her. “I have a meeting with Flint, Justin, and Wade.” I spin around to walk to my office, leaving her covered in flour and wondering what is going on.

Flint, Justin, and Wade are waiting for me when I reach my office. Getting straight down to business, I walk to my desk and start going over the plans for later this evening. I have the blueprints of the building that Gabriel acquired for us, spread out on my desk. Nowhere in any of the blueprints is it showing another way out of Treadstone’s office.

Did Eric lie about that or is this just like the house where Treadstone had Zasha? The room and secret entrance were not in the plans for the house. The logical conclusion is that the room leading to his collection wouldn’t be on the building plans either. So, just like last night, we will all be walking into the unknown once we are in his office.

A knock on my door makes me look up. Irina’s orange blossom scent hits me when she opens the door. There is a smile on her face, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?”

Taking the hint, Flint and the boys leave the room. I gesture for her to take a seat as I prepare for her to say the words I am dreading. At least she is telling me goodbye rather than just leaving without a word.

“I know you heard what I was thinking on the way home last night. I still think it is best that I leave and taking Zasha with me.”

“To keep us safe, I know.”

“Did you and Jace sleep in the hallway all night?”

“He insisted. He even had his pillow and blanket in the hall when waiting.”

“You both stood guard over us all night?”

“Jace wanted to protect his new mommy and sister from the evil woman. I didn’t tell him who was after you but just said that the wicked woman will never hurt him or anyone else again.”

“That is what I told Zasha today. I will not let Vicktor take or hurt anyone I love ever again.” With that, she walks to me and throws her arms around my neck. “I will not leave you. It was foolish of me to think that leaving here would keep you safe. My heart is right here, Sebastion, I will never be safe without you.”

Crushing her to me, I claim her lips in a searing kiss. I had no intention of letting her leave. I was even prepared to beg her to stay. Looks like I won’t have to do that now. What made her change her mind is a question I will ask later. For now, I will just hold her tight, and savor the feel of her lips on mine.