Chapter 72

(**Sebastion**)

The next morning, I find myself siting around my kitchen table with three witches and the Alpha King of werewolves. I am a warrior and a very strong Alpha, but I have to admit that I am intimidated by the four of them.

The power lever Monroe gives off without even trying is amazing. I would like to live to see the day when takes his rightful place in the werewolf world as the true Alpha King. He claims it will never happen, but my father assures me that is why the council was looking for Monroe.

To finally make amends for something they did long ago to his family. When I asked Monroe what that was, he refused to answer. The only thing he would say was that there was much more to be done before he would consider speaking to the council.

I decided it was wise to not push him further for answers.

“Treadstone will come for you soon,” Jasmine says.

Her voice startles me out of my thoughts. The three witches have been silent all morning, as they are deciding when to leave Redwood. When they do, Monroe will leave with them. That is the plan, at least for now.

“How much time do we have?”

“From the news I received this morning when I woke, they breached the compound in Paris last night. I was told that Treadstone got away, but they severely wounded him in the battle. They have captured all his men. I must go back to Paris today. There are two phoenixes that need my help,” Arabella says.

“Those are real?”

Why that surprises me, after everything I have learned about the supernatural world, I don’t know. Knowing that my time is running out causes my mind to race with all the preparations that still need to me made.

“I will leave Lynn and Jazmine here to help set up some wards around your walls. These words will work as signal flares when anyone crosses them. If I had more time, more witches, and more resources, I would ward your entire fence line like I did Rayne’s house.”

“You can do that?”

“It will be extremely time consuming and cost a lot of money, but yes, it can be done.”

“Maybe one day I will take you up on that offer but for now I will settle for all the help I can get.”

“I will stay here. Fiona…”

“Can come to Paris with me. Her mate is there,” Arabella says.

Monroe looks irritated at being interrupted, but relieved that Fiona will reunite with her mate. “Very well. I will call all my rogues to join me here. We can plan a strategy of attack while we wait for them to arrive.”

He has over two thousand werewolves at his command. That is a goddamn army of wolves. With that many wolves around my borders, Treadstone would be a fool to attack us.

“The human town that is close to us, can your rogues surround it as well?”

Monroe nods his head, then gets up from the table to go make his phone call. I am now alone with the three witches. I can sense that Arabella doesn’t like me all that much, but she is cordial, and I will accept that.

“You were the one who knocked me out when I tried to attack Rayne’s bar, weren’t you?”

Arabella laughs. “Yes. You are mistaking my distance from you as dislike. For giving you that assumption, I am sorry. There have been many things happening recently and my mind is not fully here. There is so much to do and so little time to do it in.”

That sentiment I can fully understand.

“When will you leave?”

“As soon as I help Lynn and Jazmine prepare their spells.”

“Then I will leave you three to do what needs to be done. If there is anything you need from us, just call for Flint of Justin. They will see to it you have everything you need.”

“I wish you luck with Treadstone. He is a stubborn man that just doesn’t know when to give up. Prepare for an outcome that you may not like but will have to live with.”

I get up from my seat after those ominous words, then leave the room to go find my family. Irina kept Jace and Zasha home from school today so they could have some family bonding time. From everything I have observed from the three of them, they are as close as any family can be.

Our children have formed a bond that I know will last for the rest of their lives. When I asked Jace about how he feels about Zasha, he told me he was proud to be her brother. From the moment he learned about her, she has been his sister. My son is going to be an amazing Alpha someday.

His kindness, generosity, and open-minded nature will be his biggest strengths. I thank the Moon Goddess nightly for giving me the chance to be his father. I also thank her for helping him heal after what his mother did to him.

The thought of his mother makes me change my destination. I leave the house and make my way to the pack’s cemetery. I haven’t been there since the night we buried Eric. This time I go for a different reason.

This will be my last goodbye to Gia.

As I approach the large wrought-iron gate to the cemetery, I close my eyes for a moment then block my bond with Irina. I will explain to her later, but this something that I need to do alone. Gia may have done some horrible things, but she deserves this one last thing from me.

Her gave is in the left corner of the cemetery. The headstone her mother picked out is a light grey marble. There are no kind words of love on the front of the headstone. Only her name, date of birth, and date of death.

It seems harsh to not have an epitaph, but the way Gia lived her life towards the end wasn’t something anyone would be proud of. Her mother obviously wasn’t proud of Gia or she would have added words expressing her love for her daughter.

The only sign that someone comes here regularly is the stone bench in front of the grave and the flowers that rest in the built-in vase. They are fresh. I didn’t think to bring her flowers. Why had I not thought of that?

*It is because you know you won’t be coming back for her.* Aries says.

I nod my head in acknowledgement, then take a seat on the stone bench. The last time I sat at a grave like this it was for my brother when I took over the title of Alpha. Something that was always meant to be his before it was to be mine.

Briefly, I glance towards the center of the cemetery where our family mausoleum stands tall and proud. My heart breaks a little more because I know he gave his life for mine and Arianna’s. Our older brother, our protector, and the reason we are alive today.

Turning back to Gia’s grave, I take a deep breath to gather my thoughts.

“When we were kids, I wanted to believe that we would be together forever. You were the only one I could see myself with, so much so that I left my mate in the dirt for you. When did your feelings for me change?”

I know the answer to that question even before I say it out loud.

“It was when I started training to become the pack Alpha. Is that when you started plotting to become the Luna you knew you could never truly be?”

The cold, hard truth was that was exactly what happened. The love we shared as teenagers changed into something far less that what it once was. Now that I can see it all clearly, I know I held on to that life we dreamed of for way too long. I can see all the signs now that the blinders are off.

The knowledge of what she was really like will forever taint all the memories I have of our teenage years and all that followed. I will have to live with knowing I put her in this grave. I feel that will haunt me forever if I let it.

I can’t let this hang over my head for the rest of my life. Gia made her choices and the consequences of her actions put her here, not me. Even if it was my blade that killed her. I will not let her darken my life with her greed anymore.

With one last look at the headstone with Gia’s name engraved on it, I stand up from the stone bench. “I loved you more than it was healthy to love another person, but that love was true for me. Goodbye Gia.”

As I walk away, I can feel that heavy weight that her death caused lift from my shoulders. A sense of peace settles over me when I cross through the wrought-iron gates. With a more relaxed stance, I make my way to where I know my family is waiting.

Before I reach the house, Monroe steps up beside me on the path. I give him a nod, then stop walking so he can say what he needs to say. I hope there will be no more bad news today.

“My wolves are coming. They will trickle in over the next few days until they are all here. Before you offer them refuge within your walls, save your breath. None of them will join me inside.”

“How did you become their leader?”

Monroe held his hands up, lifted them up and down as if he was weighing something in the palm of his hands, then dropped them back to his sides.

“I tried to hide who and what I am since I came to the USA. Even hiding it as much as possible, they still sensed that I am a powerful leader. So, they come to me to seek guidance and shelter.”

“Are any of your rogues’ guilty of crimes that would get them exiled?”

“Not anymore. There was a time when I used to take in every rogue that came to me, but that time has long since passed. All those with me now have left their packs willingly. Pack life was just not for them. Even if we are a pack in our own way.”

“Thank you for doing this for my pack.”

“Treadstone and his kind are a blight on humanity. Not all humans who know about supernaturals are like them. I will help you and anyone who needs help to eradicate The Collectors from this world.”

When I look into Monroe’s eyes, I see a dangerous promise glittering in their depths. One that I vow to do all I can to help him if I survive whatever Treadstone sends my way. I have become a part of something much larger than I knew existed, and there is no backing out now.

“If I survive what is coming, I will do all that I can to aide those who are in their clutches and all those who are being hunted down like animals.”

“That is why I am helping you. I told you before, Little Alpha, that one day you will be worthy of the title you have. Today, I see you are becoming who you are meant to be every day. Now let’s go plan our strategy for this war.”

I bow my head in respect to him. To have the Alpha King of all werewolves show such confidence in me, I am truly humbled. I will do everything in my power to never let him down.

When I open the door to the house, laughter is the first thing I hear, then Jace and Zasha race across the foyer. They run into the dining room with the sound leaving the sound of their laughter behind them to echo through the house. Callie follows a few seconds later, growling like a monster as she chases after them.

Irina walks into the foyer a moment later but stops when she sees me. The brief look that crosses her face makes me close the distance between us in a few quick strides. I cup her face in my hands, then kiss her deeply before I step away.

“I will explain why I close the link later tonight when it is just the two of us. Please don’t be angry with me for that.”

“As long as you talk to me about it, then I will promise to only get angry if I don’t like the reason.”

I smile at her. “That is progress. Thank you, my love. What are those crazy kids up to?”

“Callie is the big bad wolf. Jace and Zasha are the little piggies. They blew her house down and now she is after them.”

A bark of laugher escapes my mouth before I can stop it. “Let me guess whose idea that was.”

We both say Jace at the same time with smiles on our faces. Irina leans up to give me a peck on the lips before she follows the children. When I turn back to look at Monroe, he has a wistful look on his face.

“You look like you want that someday. A mate and children. Are you thinking of doing that with Jazmine?”

Monroe shakes his head. “Jazmine is not mine to take. At least not until she is free to do so. She has a mate. One that doesn’t know what he had for the taking. However, one day, if the Moon Goddess blesses me with a mate, I will treasure the gift given to me.”

Shame washes through me at the last part of his statement. I didn’t treasure what I she gave me at first, but I have since learned it was for the best. Irina wouldn’t be my mate now if I didn’t. I worship the ground she walks on, and she is learning that fast.

“Let’s go check on those witches, then we can talk war strategies.”

With a nod of my head, I lead him to the growth room where Arabella set up her workstation. When we get there, only Jazmine and Lynn are there. Lynn explains Arabella left twenty minutes ago for Paris. Two phoenixes await to be revived and Fiona will finally be reunited with her mate.

Two more wins in this battle with Vicktor Treadstone.

Since Lynn and Jazmine are perfectly capable of doing what they need to do, Monroe and I head upstairs to my office, where I have told Flint, Justin, and Wade to meet us. I also liked Irina’s guards in this meeting. The more minds we have for this, the better we can prepare.

I will be ready for Treadstone when he comes for us all.