Chapter 69

(**Irina**)

The sunset used to be my favorite time of day. Today, as I watch our pack members scour the territory for the person responsible for Sebastion’s disappearance, the sunset no longer holds that appeal to me. It is a beautiful sight to behold, but without him here by my side, it feels like the beauty of it has diminished.

Hours passed as every abled bodied member of the pack searched for clues. With each passing hour, the sky slowly darkened, all the scouts lost the scent of the intruder, and the morale of the pack sank. Time was not on their side.

After checking on Jace and Zasha, I walked down to the gates to talk to Flint. He told me they lost the scent they picked up earlier, right as the trees around our pack thinned and the long road to town started. That was over ten miles away from the gates.

Now, I am standing on one of the boat docks at the enormous lake in the center of our territory. The setting sun is making my mood even darker than it was a mere hour ago. With the trail now cold, I have sent everyone to their homes to eat, rest, and spend time with their families. We told everyone in the shelter to return to their homes as well.

Jace and Zasha are up in the mansion with Arianna and Flynn. I left them both sleeping in Jace’s bed. He sensed something was wrong, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him that his father was missing. It would be bad to tell him what happened. He was finally back to his old self, according to what Arianna told me.

After hearing about what he went through with his mother, if you can even call Gia that, I am glad I chose not to tell him about Sebastion. The father and son duo have become very close since Sebastion rescued him from Gia. Rage fills my heart every single time I think about that woman.

How could a mother do that to her child? If she were still alive today, I am not sure what I would do to her. Kill her or find another punishment that would make her long for death. I know that anything I did would be wasted time. Gia just isn’t worth it.

A sound behind me makes me turn around swiftly. Monroe stops when turn to face him. There is something in his eyes that makes me instantly alert. Fear slides over my heart again.

“What is it?” I ask.

He gives me a wary look before he closes the distance between us. I don't think this attack is related to Treadstone.

I don’t either. “Why do you think this?”

Monroe gestures to the bench nearby and I join him on the bench. “From everything I have been told about him, everything that I observed in his compound, magic on the level we witnessed today, is beyond him. He doesn’t like magic, but he found someone to do that spell on Fiona. Do you think he would find someone to kidnap Sebastion this way?”

That has been bothering me since Sebastion vanished. “No, Vicktor loves the hunt, the thrill of the chase, and to capture his victims when they are at their weakest. This isn’t something he would do. Of course, I was wrong about the magic when Fiona showed up. So, this could still be him, but I doubt it.”

Monroe falls silent as he digests my words. I still feel that there is something else he wants to say to me. Why is he hesitating?

“There is something more, isn’t there? What is it you don’t want to say?”

Monroe looks down at his hands before he looks over at me. “I just got off the phone with Arabella. She is one woman that was coming here to help with Fiona.”

“Spit it out already, Monroe.”

The minute the words left my mouth, I felt his power explode around me. I completely forgot who and what he is. In my impatience, I disregarded that. “I am sorry.”

“I am not the King. There is no need to be sorry.”

“It is your birthright and the very essence of what you are. You not being on the throne doesn’t change that fact.”

He waves his hand in the air to dismiss the topic. “I called Arabella to see if they could come sooner than planned. She informed me of a situation in California. Something that could involve Sebastion.”

At the mention of California, he has my instant attention. Rayne is in California. Why would she be involved in this? She is married to her new mate. “What situation?”

“Do you remember Rayne’s mate, Parker?” Monroe asks.

“Yes. Sebastion and I stayed with them when they helped us with a location spell to find my daughter. We also stayed for their wedding.”

It was a beautiful wedding too. As I watched Rayne and Parker bind themselves together, I could see the love they have for each other. She never looked at Sebastion the way she did Parker. I was jealous of her when we first met, but after seeing the way Rayne looked at her mate, all the jealousy faded away.

“Parker’s older brother, Owen, used to work for an Irish mobster named Killian, back in Ireland. He got out of the organization, but now his old boss wants him back. That man had someone shoot Parker to convince Owen to go back to Ireland with him. When he didn’t get what he wanted, he took Rayne.”

“What does that mean for Sebastion?”

“Here is where it gets complicated. Killian is working with a Warlock. Arabella believes this Warlock wants to use Rayne’s body to bring back his long-lost mate. She said that Rayne looks just like the woman he loved and lost.”

“Again, what does this have to do with Sebastion?”

“Even though Sebastion and Rayne are no longer mates, there is still a small thread that ties them together. Not enough to bind him to her as mates, but it is just enough that it will hinder this Warlock’s plans. So, in order to have Rayne’s body as a host for his mate, he needs to sever that thread.”

“He took Sebastion so that he could do some sort of spell?”

When Monroe doesn’t respond, I can feel that ball of fear in my stomach turn to ice. Please, Moon Goddess, let him not say the word that I know he is going to say. Let this not be real.

“Arabella thinks the Warlock plans to kill Sebastion to break the link.”

There it is. He spoke the words I feared he would. Is there no end to the threats coming at us? First Treadstone, now this crazy Warlock who is hellbent on bringing back the dead. What next?

Wait a damn minute! “What about Parker? He is tied to Rayne more than Sebastion.”

“I thought of that, too. Arabella thinks the Warlock isn’t aware that she has a new mate.”

“Then we need to go to California. Right now.”

I stand up faster than I meant to, and a wave of dizziness sweeps over me. Monroe’s powerful arms come around me to steady me. He lets go of me after a moment, then gestures for me to head toward the mansion.

“I figured you would say that, so I made arrangements to have a helicopter ready when you are packed.”

Well, isn’t that handy? Just how rich is he? Not even Sebastion has a helicopter.

My mood brightens a little when we reach the mansion and I see the black helicopter on the lawn. Flint, Justin, and Monroe’s men were standing at the ready. They are all dressed in combat attire.

“Give me five minutes to get what I need, then I will be ready to go.”

“Luna, I think it would be best if you stayed here. You are carrying our Alpha’s child. He would never forgive us if something happened to you.”

“I am pregnant and unable to shift, but there is no way I am not going with you. He may be your Alpha, but he is my mate and the father of my unborn child. I am going and that is final!”

I pushed my alpha power into my voice as I spoke. I may not be the official Luna of the yet, or their Alpha, but my bloodline commands respect. They will do what I need them to do.

“Go get you things. We will leave when you get back,” Monroe says.

Giving him a nod of thanks, I run up the lawn and into the house. There isn’t much that I will need, so I just grab a duffle bag and stuff clothes in it at random. Clothes for both me and Sebastion for when we are free of this mess.

Ten minutes later, we are in the air. Destination, Bodega Bay, California. This will be the second time I have traveled here for something regarding Sebastion’s original mate. I hope it will be the last time.

Not that I dislike Rayne; she is a nice person and what she does for our kind and others in the supernatural world is amazing. What I don’t like about the situation is that Sebastion is my mate now, yet he is still tied to her.

I guess only true death breaks the ties that bind mates together. Well, I have already lost one mate, there is no way I am going to lose another. Not to Treadstone, Rayne, or this Warlock.

Sebastion Drakos is mine.

*To find out what happened to Sebastion read the cross over event in Her Returned Mate, chapters 76-80 with the follow up to the cross over happening om chapter 70 of this book.