Chapter 73

(**Sebastion**) 

The clock on the wall by the door to my office says it is now three in the morning. Wade and Justing left the meeting at midnight. Irina’s guards left right after. Flint stands up with a yawn and heads to the door. He gives me a nod as he leaves.  

“I think it is time to go get some sleep, Little Alpha.” 

All I can do is nod in agreement. I am so tired that I could fall asleep right here at my desk. However, my beautiful mate is asleep in our bed. That thought has me standing and walking out of my office with Monroe. 

“This is nothing else we can do right now but wait. Goodnight, Little Alpha.” 

Monroe heads down the hall to the stairs that will take him to the front door while I turn to the stairs that lead to the third floor. When I reach the top of the stairs, Irina is opening our door. Her eyes are still sleepy but clear when she sees me coming towards her. 

“It is very late, Sebastion. Did you get the plans all set?” 

“We did, but there may be some tweaks made here and there before we are ready.” 

Irina holds her hand out for me to join her. I take her hand and let her lead me into the room, kicking the door closed behind me. She heads to the bed, dropping my hand so she can climb under the covers. Once I am in my pajama pants, I join her. 

“Tell me why you closed the link today,” she says as she snuggles close to me. 

“Please listen to everything I say before you get angry at me.” 

Irina nods her head against my chest. 

After telling her what I went to do and how I felt after I left the cemetery, I look down at her. I can see right there in her eyes that she has questions, so I nod my head to signal for her to ask them. We agreed to be completely open and honest with each other. I will answer anything she wants to know. 

“Do you think I should do something like that for Gustav?” 

That was a question I wasn’t expecting. I don’t know why, but the mention of her first mate still feels like someone has punched me in the solar plexus. It is a knee jerk reaction and I know she doesn’t love him anymore. Just like she knows I don’t love Gia. 

The idea of her having one last goodbye for Gustav is good. It can put the past to rest like she never had the chance to do before. It can also give Pavel and the rest of her family the same chance. Healing takes time and comes in stages. The Belova family has a lot more healing to do. 

“If you want to do something for him, then yes, I think it will be a step closer for you on your road of recovery.” 

“Pavel will be angry if we do it here.” 

Traveling to Russia for this hadn’t crossed my mind. It should have. Should they even go back to their village? With Vicktor still out there, would it be safe?

“Would he think to look for you there?” 

“I won’t do this thing until Treadstone is dead. There is no way I will risk my family again just to say goodbye to Gustav.” 

Irina buries her face into my chest then hugs me tight. Soon her steady, even breathing lets me know she has fallen asleep. Sleep eludes me for another hour, as all I can think about is Treadstone coming for us. Everything we do after is just a dream at this point. 

There are so many things that can go wrong between now and the day he shows up to capture his prizes. I will do everything I can to keep Irina, Zasha, and my sister from being in one of his cages. I will die fighting to keep them safe if that is what it will take.  

My life for theirs seems like a fair trade. If it comes down to me, being a caged animal or them, I will make that choice to let it be me in their place. Irina and Zasha will not live through that again. Ever. 

“You are thinking too loud, Sebastion. Go to sleep,” Irina whispers against my chest.  

“I am sorry, my love. Treadstone has nothing left in his path to keep him occupied now.” 

“The problem will still be there in the morning. Sleep now, or do I need to distract you?” 

Irina lifts her head to look up at me. The sleep in her eyes is gone. Replaced by desire for me. I smile at her, then lean down to capture her lips with mine. 

Like always, passion flares between us instantly. Soon I roll her over onto her back, then kiss and nibble my way down her belly through the cotton of her sleep shirt. When I reach the hem of her shirt, I move it up her torso as I kiss my way to her breasts. 

Her hands fist in my hair when I flick my tongue over a nipple. She has become insatiable as her pregnancy progresses. I have no complaints about it at all. Irina wraps her legs around my waist and grinds her core against my erection to get the friction she desires. 

With one hand, I lower my pajama pants enough to allow my cock to spring free. With an upward thrust, I slide inside her eager pussy. The way she grips me as I thrust within her is an amazing feeling. She is so tight, and I love it. 

“Oh, Sebastion,” she moans as she orgasms.  

I slow my pace when the ripples of her orgasm fade. I make love to my make slowly. Every sigh of pleasure from her drives me higher and higher into bliss. Each time she cries out my name as her pleasure peaks to orgasm takes me closer to my release.  

We make love throughout the night. When sleep finally claims us, the golden rays of sunrise are coming through the curtains. Irina sighs happily as she snuggles against me. This time, when I close my eyes, sleep sweeps me into its beautiful, dark embrace. 

Hours later, I am in the backyard helping Flint and Wade put together a new treehouse for the children. He wanted to move the tree, and all we built on it to the backyard. That isn’t a logical plan, so we picked the largest tree in the mansion's backyard.  

I told him that his old one will still be there when he gets older and wants to use it again. It made him happy to know we wouldn’t tear it down. So, afterwards he helped us design the new one.  

This time it will be big enough for three kids with room for them to grow. Zasha has been by my side for the last hour. She is handing me tools or holding up the box of nails for me. Jace is Flint’s designated helper. He was mine, but when Zasha came out to help; he abandoned his post to go help flint. His reasoning was simple. 

Zasha needed time with me because I am her daddy now, too. That made smile when he raced away to help Flint. Zasha is my daughter now and Jace is right about her needing to spend time with me. I have an idea for a daddy/daughter day out. 

I will talk to Irina about my idea later today.  

At the sound of Jace’s laughter, I turn to look to where he and Flint stand. Wade and Justin are up in the tree, working on the base platform. I follow Jace’s gaze to see that Justin has bird poop all down one side of his face. The look he is giving Wade says that the other man saw it happen but said nothing. 

So, since Justin insists on stopping to go wash the bird poop off his face, we decide to stop for lunch. Jace runs inside to beg Flynn to make us all some roast beef sandwiches. Flint and Wade take this time to go grab another pile of lumbers.  

I am now alone with my daughter. It feels right to call her that, even though she isn’t mine by blood. Zasha is the daughter I have claimed by heart. I will help Irina raise her from here on out.  

“What do you want to do once we finish the treehouse?” 

Zasha sits down on the ground at my feet and plays with a blade of grass. Her head tilts to the side as she thinks about my question. While she thinks about it, I lower myself to the ground to sit next to her, tucking my legs underneath me as I kneel next to her.  

“Can I have a sleepover out here with Jace and Callie? Maybe have a campfire with marshmallows?” 

“That can be arranged,” I tell her with a smile.  

I send Zasha’s request to Irina through our link to let her know that is the plan for tonight. I will talk to Flynn and Arianna about it too, and we can make it a family affair. All of us gathered around a fire with the children as we roast marshmallows will be fun.  

It was also something Arianna and I used to do with Theo. We haven’t done a campfire like that since he died. It is time we bring back some of our old traditions now that there will soon be two new babies in the family. The three we have now will help pave the way for their younger siblings. 

“When I was your age, my sister and I used to do camp-outs with our older brother. He would tell us stories, help us roast the marshmallows, and then stay out here with us all night.” 

“Would you do that with us? Tonight?” 

For that look of sheer joy in her eyes, I will do anything. “Why don’t we invite everyone in the house out here with us? Then when the rest go back inside, I will stay out here with you three all night, just me.” 

“Momma too?” 

“Yes, your mother can stay with us too.” 

Zasha launches herself at me and wraps her small arms around my neck. Her grip is stronger than I expected, and I fall back on my butt. Her laugh is infectious and soon we are laughing together. My fingers find her ribs to tickle her. The full-on belly giggles she lets out make me smile. 

When I hear Jace’s voice from the house coming our way, I stand up, then toss Zasha over my shoulder. “Let’s go give them a hand with our lunch.” 

*Much later that night* 

The crackling of the campfire, childish laughter, and the sound of cheerful voices fills the night air. We set the up fire about twenty feet from the newly finished treehouse. Flynn set up a small folding table for snacks and drinks while I skewered marshmallows with sticks the kids collected. 

Arianna and Irina spread blankets out for us all to lie on. Once everything ready, we gather the children around to roast marshmallows while Flynn tells stories. It is the most relaxed I have been in ages. 

Memories of times when Theo would sit up with Arianna and me like this pass through my head. He would tell us ghost stories, then stay up with us all night when we couldn’t sleep afterwards. We stopped doing these camp-outs after Theo died.  

Tonight is the perfect night to bring back that tradition. With the addition of Zasha and two new babies coming soon, this can become a family tradition. As I look around the campfire, all I can do is smile at the thought of more nights like this in our future. 

My thoughts are interrupted when Irina comes to sit with me on a blanket. She snuggles close to my side then looks up at me with those intense ice-blue eyes of hers. She says nothing at all but presses her body against mine in a side hug of sorts. 

“This was a good idea.” 

“Zasha made me think of it, so I figured why not make it a family affair.” 

“You are fantastic with her.” 

“Jace pointed something out to me today. I have already thought of it when we rescued her. But to hear it from my son made me smile. I am her father now, too. I will never replace Gustav in her memories, but I want to make the rest of her life a happy one.” 

Irina lifted her hand up, then turns my head back to the fire. Zasha is sandwiched between Jace and Callie in small, child-size chairs in front of the fire. Her blonde head leans in to hear something Jace says to her then she throws her head back in laughter.  

A warm feeling settles in my heart at the sight of our children together. Irina didn’t have to say the words because the scene before us says it all. Zasha is happy. Part of that is Jace alone. The rest of it is just being able to be that child she is. 

“Thank you,” I tell Irina softly. 

“No, my love, it is I who must thank you. Without you, she would still be in that basement. You believed me and helped me get her back. We are both here, safe for now, because of you.” 

“Daddy, come help us roast more mashmells,” Jace yells from his seat. He can’t say marshmallows correctly and it makes me smile.

Standing up, I pull Irina to her feet, then we both go to help our children. I sit down cross-legged on the ground, then Zasha sits in my lap. Irina mimics me and Jace sits in her lap. The four of us grab our sticks, then hold them over the open flames. 

Flynn and Arianna join us with Callie in Fynn’s lap.  

“Do you remember the stories Theo used to tell us?” Arianna asks. She looks over at me with a sad look in her eyes at the mention of Theo. 

“I remember the scary ones.” 

“Tell us one, Daddy.” Zasha asks. 

Those are too scary for the three kids here, so instead I will make something up. As tell my tale, I can feel every around the fire watching me. The feeling of their eyes on me is creepy given the setting, but when I make the kids squeal in excitement, I can’t help but laugh. 

I didn’t know our family needed this when I suggested it to Zasha. Seeing their relaxed and happy faces lets me know I did something good for all of us. Then, for a split second, when my eyes land on the tree line at the edge of the backyard, my eyes filled with tears. 

The figure I see is that of a teenage boy. His face is clear in the shaft of moonlight he sands in. Theo nods his head, then smiles before he steps back into the trees. It feels like he approves of the scene he sees. 

Thank you, big brother.