Chapter 55

(**Sebastion’s POV**)

*Mature scene*

The moment Flint parked the van in the driveway, the door to the house flew open. Irina’s beautiful ice-blue eyes are wild and frantic as they land on me. I open the mate bond wide so she can feel everything I am feeling. I want her to know that despite what happened last night, my love for her hasn’t changed. With every fiber of my being, I will love her until the day I die.

Again.

She is next to me as soon as I exit the van. When she flings her arms around me, I pick up a change in her sent. A change that has Aries howling with joy in my head. Without saying a word, I lift her up in my arms, bridal-style, and carry her inside. Her mouth fuses with mine as I walk up the stairs and head straight to my room. I lay her down gently on the bed, then pepper her belly with kisses.

“How did you know?” Her voice is low as she whispers to me.

“I can smell the change in your natural scent.”

As I am kissing her belly, I feel her stiffen when she touches my neck. Anger flares through our link like a firestorm. Irina pushes me off her, then stands up to stare at my new neck adornment. Tears pool in her eyes as her thoughts move instantly to my betrayal of our bond. She thinks I did this willingly. Before I can tell her that isn’t what happened, Jace and Zasha burst into the room.

“Daddy, you’re back!” Jace rushes across the room to throw himself at me.

“Hey, buddy, can you take Zasha to your playroom? Irina and Daddy need to talk about adult stuff.”

“Can I take her to my treehouse?”

That question makes me look down at him with a frown. He hasn’t wanted to go there since Gia took. It was where she found him that day. All I can do is nod my head as he continues to surprise me. My son is a very resilient little boy. I will do everything in my power to keep what is about to happen from splattering back on him. With my nod of approval, Jace and Zasha leave to have an adventure. I mind link Justin to have him put a guard near the treehouse to monitor things. Not because I think someone will take Jace, but for someone to be there in case he has a panic attack. The guard will alert me, and I will go help Jace.

“Did our bond mean so little to you that the moment I was out of the picture you turned to someone else?” Irina’s voice is filled with ice as she turns to me when the door closes behind our children.

“It wasn’t anything like that. Can I explain what happened before you continue to jump to conclusions?”

“What was it like? Did you put a great deal of thought into cheating on me or was it a spur-of-the-moment decision?”

“I didn’t cheat on you.”

“I felt your lust through the bond. You were sexually attracted to someone else. Are you really going to stand there and tell me you didn’t act on it?”

“Look at this mark.” I turn my head so she can see the angry red skin. “This mark was made against my will, Irina, or it would have healed already. I was attacked, forcefully marked, and left wondering what the fuck just happened.”

The sharp intake of breath let me know I got through to her. Turning back to look at her, I see she is slowly walking to me while her eyes are locked on the mark. The hurt in her eyes makes me want to scream in frustration. Why the hell is the Moon Goddess doing this to us. One obstacle after another has been thrown in our way. Just when I thought everything would be alright, that Irina would have a chance to heal, this new threat presents itself.

“How did this happen? Tell me everything from the time you left here last night to the moment another woman marked you.”

I share her everything, sparing no details. Her facial features give away all she feels as I tell her what we found in the prison. I guide her to sit at the end of the bed when her legs buckle after I described the living conditions down there. Her guilt swamps me through the link. She feels guilty for not being forced to live down there like all the others. Her special abilities made her valuable to Vicktor, which allowed her certain freedoms that all his other captives did not.

When I get to the part about Fiona, Irina pulls away from me again. I honestly don’t blame her. I feel tainted by what happened to me. What Fiona did to me is a violation. All I wanted after it happened was to come home and have my mate cleanse me of the violent act. Now all I want is to go back in time a few hours and never get on that cargo ship. Neither of the things I want are going to happen.

“How is it possible that it drew you to her like a mate when you already have one?”

“I don’t know. There must be an answer somewhere about someone having two mates at once. I will have to do some research.”

“Where is she?”

“Monroe took her with him and the others to his compound in Canada. He said he will bring her back with him when he returns to Bodega Bay.”

“Then that gives us plenty of time to figure out what the fuck is happening.” Irina surprises me as she moves onto my lap to straddle me.

The look in her eyes scares me yet sends a hot thread of lust straight to my loins. The fire in her ice-blue eyes is something to behold, that is for sure. Possessiveness and the need to mark her territory come through our bond loud and clear. Before I have time to react, she leans forward and sinks her teeth into her mark on my neck. The feeling is euphoric as her teeth pierce my flesh.

My instincts scream at me to sink my teeth into her neck. I move her long hair out of the way so I can. The moment my teeth piece her skin, something breaks open between us that wasn’t there before. Not only can I feel her emotions, hear her thoughts, but I can see a bright light surrounding her. Irina is glowing like an angel. It must be the baby in her womb that is calling out to me.

Our child.

With an urgent hand, Irina pushes me back onto the bed, then pulls my shirt off. She bites her way down my chest, leaving bite marks as she makes her way lower. She pulls my belt out of my pants, then rips the button open in her urgency to get me naked. I left my hips to help her lower my pants. When I am fully naked for her eyes to feast on, all I can think of is how amazing she looks as she hovers above me.

With her blonde hair in a wild tangle around her face, her eyes wide with that possessive glow, I flip her over onto her back. She growls at me, then fights for dominance. I shred her clothes with my claws as she flips us back over, so she is on top again. Having her naked above me has my shaft swelling to an almost painful degree. I want to be buried to the hilt, deep inside her right now.

A smile tugs at her lips, then a throaty moan fills the room as she sinks down over me. Closing my eyes, I breathe back my orgasm. I don’t want this to end before it has begun. Her nails dig into my chest, making me open my eyes to look at her.

“I want your eyes on me while I ride you, Sebastion.” She moves the moment my eyes lock on hers.

I bring one hand up to the column of her throat, then glide it down to cup her breast. She throws her head back when I flick my thumb over her clit, causing another moan to come from her lips. Picking up speed, she rides me with all her pent-up sexual frustration. It has only been a few days since we last had sex, but we are a primal species. The need to mate often is strong. With her being pregnant now, that need is in overdrive.

“You are so fucking beautiful, Irina.” I slide my hand to her flat belly to caress it. “I can’t wait to see you grow with our child.”

A scream rips from her throat as she orgasms. Her core milking my shaft as she rides the rippling waves of her release. When the ripples fade, I flip her over to take control. I make love to her slowly. Pouring everything I feel for her into every caress of my hand, the feather light kisses I leave on her body, and each slow thrust of my body into hers.

The orgasms we both have at the climax of our lovemaking leaves us both gasping for breath. A sense of peace settles over me, but I know deep down is fleeting. However, as long as I have Irina with me, I know we can make it through to the other side of this fresh problem. I try hard to resist the fatigue, but in the end, I hold her close and let sleep claim me.

*Hours later*

The smell of burnt meat wakes me up hours later. The room is pitch black, letting me know I slept all day. My arms are empty, making me jolt up in bed to look for Irina. Her scent lingers in the room, which means she hasn’t been gone long. She must have gone to find the children. Getting up from the bed, I grab a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from my dresser. After I get dressed, I follow my nose to the kitchen.

The smoke cloud that greets me when I walk in has me coughing and tears watering from my eyes. I can hear childish giggles coming from somewhere in the room, but I can’t see anyone through all the smoke. The sound of the smoke alarms going off and the steady stream of swearing makes me look towards the wall oven.

Irina is standing in front of the oven frantically waving a potholder to clear the surrounding air. With a shake of my head, I walk to the French doors, open them wide, then go open the window above the sink to create a cross draft of air. The cool air rushed inside when I flip the switch to turn the ceiling fan in.

“Daddy, Rinny burnt the rum roast she was making you.” Jace declares from the table at the bay window.

“Rump roast, that would have been a good meal to have. How did she burn it?”

I walk over to stand behind Irina. Looking over her shoulder, I can see a lump of charcoaled meat that once resembled a rump roast. The glare she sends me over her shoulder makes me laugh. I leave her alone and walk to the table where Jace and Zasha sit staring at the oven. Their eyes are filled with mirth as they watch her take the roast out of the oven to dump it in the compost barrel.

“These children of ours are a menace together. I set a timer, then went to get them both washed up. Instead, what followed was a game of hide and seek. They were not at the tree house but in the attic of the pack house. By the time I got them both back here and bathed, the roast in the oven caused the kitchen to fill with smoke. One of these little beasts turned the timer off.”

When she finished with her explanation, both kids were rolling on the floor in fits of laughter. I pounded my fist on the table to get their attention. Jace looks at me with a guilty expression on his face. Zasha looks everywhere but at the floor. The shaking of her little body makes me instantly regret the way I got their attention. When she looks up, there are tears in her eyes.

“I am sorry,” her voice trembles as she apologizes to Irina.

“Zasha? That was you?” Irina asks with a shocked expression on her face. She walks to Zasha then kneels to look her in the eyes. “Why?”

“I heard you two fighting earlier, and I wanted to make you both laugh. I am sorry, mommy, I didn’t mean to cause a fire.”

Little children have big ears. I make a mental note to soundproof my bedroom better. Did they hear more than just the fight? Did they hear what happened after? The lovemaking? Fuck, I need to get that room soundproofed much better if they did.

*You didn’t close the door all the way when we first went in there. That is how they heard us.* Irina laughs at me through our link.

*These two children are going to drive us crazy.*

*Three children soon.* She reminds me with a smile on her face.

Holy shit, how the fuck did I forget. My goodness, Irina is pregnant with my child. We are going to have a baby. Pure happiness has me jumping up from the table, picking her up, then spinning her around in the middle of the kitchen. When I sit her on her feet, I claim her lips in a searing kiss. The giggling from behind us brings my attention back to our mischievous children.

*Have you told them?*

*No, I want to confirm with one of your doctors first before we tell anyone.*

*First thing in the morning we will go visit with Dr. Murphy. She is an OBGYN.*

After we clear the kitchen of smoke, we make dinner. Jace and Zasha insist on helping to make up for ruining the roast. As we cook, I watch my family work together to make a meal. The kids wash the vegetables for Irina to chop. I sear the steaks in a pan while we talk about what to do tomorrow. It is time for a full tour of Redwood for both my girls. Jace is eager to show Zasha all his favorite places in the territory.

Seeing how her presence has brought him back to his old self makes me happy. Callie calmed him, but she could never get him to break out of the darkness that Gia’s actions drove him to. Irina tells me she thinks it is Zasha’s spirit and the trauma she endured that Jace feels drawn to. A sense of a past darkness for both of them that has helped them bond.

Dinner goes well, with both children chattering away about what they did at the treehouse. They both help us do the dishes and are visibly wilting with tiredness by the time we are done. When Irina scoops Zasha up and moves to walk to the front door, I am reminded of what I decided before I left to go free Treadstone’s captives.

“Stay here with me and Jace,” I ask her as she walks to the door. I can hear the plea in my voice as she turns to look at me.

**Author's Note**
*Here is my update schedule for all my readers. This book is updated on Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays only. I update Her Returned Mate on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I post on my Instagram@northrose28 every day after I upload a new chapter for either book. I also post on Instagram if there is something that comes up that causes me not to be able to update. I appreciate all of you being patient with me while I deal with my personal issues.*