Chapter 84

(**Sebastion**)

After getting Pavel to tell me what I needed to know, I leave the cells with Flint. He stops me when we get outside again, and I can tell he has questions. I tell him to follow me to my office. There will be no one in the house since Irina is with her family.

There are so many questions that need to be answered. Irina told me she felt their bond break when Gustav died. Pavel buried him. How did the man’s heart start beating again after that? My thought about the hibernation thing could be true, but from what I read in the past, there would need to be a heartbeat for that to happen.

Unless Gustav had already gone into that hibernation before Pavel buried him.

Too many questions and not enough answers.

How the fuck am I going to tell Irina about this? ‘Oh, hey honey, do you remember you dead mate? Turns out he isn’t so dead after all.’ Like what the actual fuck? This is a conversation I never imagined I would have to have with her.

*What if we just don’t tell her?* Aries suggests.

What and have her find out for herself when he shows up here? Or have Pavel tell her I knew and said nothing? Yeah, that will go over well. She is already going to be shocked and angry after I tell her about Pavel’s treachery.

*I still want to kill him.*

I do too, but as satisfying as that would be, it will only hurt Irina in the end.

Aries grumbles, then goes silent.

“So, explain how you came to the conclusion that Gustav is still alive?” Flint asks when we get to my office.

“When Alexei and I were walking to his house, I got to thinking. How did Treadstone’s man know Pavel and Alexei were alive? How did he know about the family drama between Pavel, Irina, and Gustav?”

I can see that Flint is following my train of thought. “Someone in their family told him. Why did you jump to the conclusion that it was Gustav? Why not Oleg, Kat, or Natalia?”

After explaining my reasoning to him, he nods his head. This entire situation is messed up. Gustav being alive is like something out of my worst nightmare. I have his ex-mate and his daughter in my pack. Will he come for them when Treadstone does?

*If he does, he will die like Treadstone.* Aries growls.

That I agree on.

“How is he still alive, though?” Flint asks.

“Do you remember the old hibernation legends? It is so rare that we have only had a few recorded cases of it. I have a theory that is what happened. Gustav died, or at least his heart stopped long enough to have the mate bond break. Then he went into this form of hibernation. I think he was like that when Pavel buried him.”

“I remember that legend. How do you think he crossed paths with Treadstone?”

That right there is the most important question I need answered. Another Collector captured Oleg. Gustave could have crawled out of that grave, wandered around to find his family, only to be captured by a Collector. Treadstone could have found him in the hands of another in his order.

We throw ideas back and forth to each other until we run out of ideas about how Treadstone crossed paths with Gustav. Eventually, we conclude we won’t know the answer to that question until Treadstone arrives. Flint leaves my office to go on patrol around the walls.

I am left alone to brood over what to do next. I know I need to tell Irina about Gustav, but I am worried about telling her now. Her mind and heart are on our twins. She is in enough pain already. That is my doing. She claims she understands, but I fear she will hold it against me when this is all over.

*Give her more credit than that, Seb. Our mate just gave birth, only to have them taken away. She is feeling their loss. When this is all over and they are back in her arms, she will be better.*

I hate it when you are this logical, Aries.

*I know.*

He goes quiet on me again. To distract myself from thoughts of Gustav decide to go for a run. The forest within our walls isn’t deep, but it is enough to for what I need today. My father was wise when he built the wall to encompass some of the surrounding woodlands. The thick forest around us makes the wall well hidden from the outside world it.

That has benefited us in the past and will again when Treadstone comes for us.

I exit my office, then stop at the top of the stairs. The house is so quiet. My father decided at the last minute to go with my mother and all the children. I don’t blame him for not wanting to be separated from his mate.

With most of my family gone and Irina not here now, the house feels so empty. I don’t like it at all. Swiftly, I make my way down the stairs and to the back of the house. Once outside, I strip out of my clothes, then walk into the yard.

After shifting, I run into the woods at the edge of the yard. I let Aries take control so he can run. Since we are within the walls, he won’t be able to hunt, but he can burn off some energy and allow me to clear my head.

*Sebastion, where are you?* Irina asks through our link an hour later.

I am pulling on my pants when she asks, so I finish getting dressed before I answer her. *I am on the back patio at home.*

A few moments later, she is at the sliding glass doors that lead outside. Her eyes are red from crying, but there is a smile on her face when she sees me. She steps outside, then walks straight to me. I wrap my arms around her as soon as she reaches me. She lays her head on my chest and wraps her arms around my waist.

We just stand there in silence with our arms around each other. Her scent is soothing to me and Aries. He is content with being this close to our mate after the day we had. We both need this time together. I break away from the hug to scoop her up in my arms.

Irina lays her head on my shoulder as I carry her into the house then up to our room. I kick the door closed behind us and head straight to the bed. This has been an eventful day. Now all I want to do is spend the night with her wrapped in my arms.

I know the distance between us, and the twins is harder on her than it is on me, but I still yearn to have them in my arms. After pulling back the comforter, I gently lay Irina in the center of the bed, then pull her shoes off. I kick mine off, then slip into bed beside her.

Irina rolls over to snuggle close to me.

“Did you leave my father’s house earlier because of Oleg?”

That and other things, but all I say is yes.

“He was just being protective of me. When you left, he sensed you were angry at him. Please don’t be angry with him. He is coming out of his shell, becoming who he once was. I needed to be with my family today. Thank you for giving me the space I needed to just cry it out.”

That wasn’t really my intention, but Pavel’s actions pulled me away from her for longer than I wanted. Then my own...

“What did Pavel do?”

Shit! I forgot to put my walls back up after my run. I am not ready to have this conversation with her. It will open old wounds again and put us back in a terrible place.

“We worked out our differences and came to an understanding.”

“Really? Why do I feel you are hiding something from me? What did he say to you?”

“He has decided that Redwood isn’t a place he wants to stay. So, after we beat Treadstone, he will leave here to go live his life.”

Not entirely a lie.

“I think that is for the best. Pavel isn’t happy here. He will not be happy anywhere until he finally lets Gustav go. Maybe once he does that, he can come back here.”

I don’t see that happening soon. “If he can put the past behind him and truly move on with his life, then I don’t see what not.”

Soon sleep overcomes her, I pull her closer to my side. I don’t think I will be able to sleep, but I close my eyes to try. I need to be rested and alert until Treadstone finally shows his face.

(**Vicktor**)

The minute we landed in Portland, I felt rage like nothing I have ever felt before washed over me. Being back here after everything that happened in France and knowing my beautiful collection has been stolen from me, make me want to kill someone. I know just who I want to start with.

Sebastion Drakos. What was meant to be a simple seduction takedown turned into the loss of my whole collection. My most prized possession is now in his hands. All because of Irina. That little bitch turned on me.

However, what I have in store for her now will make her regret turning her back on me. The day Westly found a survivor of that godforsaken pack in the hands of another Collector, I flew straight to Russia to see who it was. Oh, the surprise I got that day made me smile.

The face looking back at me from the other side of the glass was one I recognized. He was none other than Irina’s mate, Gustav. I saw him fall that day and thought he was dead. Irina thought he was dead, too. Finding him alive three years later was amazing.

Finding her brother and father in that tacky tourist town was even more amazing. The information I beat out of Gustav was hilarious. Talk about family drama. I used that information to my advantage. Pavel fell for it so fast. His love for his sister’s mate played right into my hand.

All I had to do was tell him I would spare his father’s life, and he agreed to do everything I wanted. There is no way either of them is walking away from this. They will both die when I burn Drako’s pack to the ground.

The detour I asked Banecroft to take on the way to Oregon will be worth it when I see the look on Irina’s face. Gustav is now shackled with silver chains in the cargo hold of Banecroft’s plane. I will use him to weaken Irina. Her love for her precious mate and their daughter has always been her weakness.

I can’t wait to see her fucking face.

“Call your men and have them meet us at your office building. We will gather all our forces from there. I can have a drone in the air to help us search once we have a more solid location.”

He hands me a cellphone and walks to the waiting limo. This man is getting on my nerves. I can’t wait to get rid of him. My men have orders to kill Banecroft once we find Drakos and his pack. There is no way I plan on letting him walk out of the forest when I get what I want.

Zasha is why I am here now. She will be the only survivor after I am through with her bitch of a mother. I will slit Gustav’s throat while Irina watches. That will be my revenge for her betrayal. Then I will watch her die with the rest of the animals.

After I make the call, I walk to the limo and get inside. I have the phone to Banecroft after I secure my seatbelt. We wait until Banecroft’s men exit the plane and drag Gustav from the cargo hold to the tourist bus they will travel in. Once they are all ready, his driver pulls away from the tarmac to drive out of the airport.

Once we are on the road, Banecroft turns to me with a curious look. He has questions about Gustav. I have managed not to answer him so far, but now is a suitable time to set him at ease. I need him complacent in my plan, after all. The longer he thinks I will just hand Zasha over to him, the better.

“That pathetic dog is Zasha’s father. Somehow, he survived the slaughter of his pack. He wasn’t the only one. Two others survived that day as well. They will die when you get what we came here for. Help me get my revenge on Drakos, and you will get the girl.”

“She better be all that you say she is. If I find out that you lied to me, used me to get what you wanted, I will not hesitate to kill you.”

A shiver runs down my spine at his words. Out of all the Collectors, Banecroft is the deadliest. He never hires men to do his dirty work like most of us have done. He prefers to be hands on in his acquisitions. I was like that once, but when I captured Irina, my hunting party was complete.

They did my dirty work for me while I got rich.

Once I have Zasha back, I will start all over again. This time, I will be more hands on. I will make every single animal I capture know who is in charge from day one. I can feel my blood humming just thinking about breaking my first acquisition to my will. The thrill of it will be the soothing balm to this horrible chapter of my life.

“What is your plan with Gustav? Why do you need him now?”

“I will use him to destroy my pet, Irina. She is the girl’s mother. She is also the reason they took Zasha from me, and my entire collection was destroyed.”

Banecroft laughs. “You let her escape?”

“No, she was sent in to seduce Drakos. The little bitch turned traitor on me.”

Banecroft burst out laughing. “They are animals, Treadstone. They have no loyalty to humans. You took her child so she would obey you, correct?”

“It worked for the last four and a half years. She did everything I told her to do. Unfortunately, this time I underestimated her. She seduced Drakos for her own needs. Smart girl.”

I can’t wait to see her face when I slit Gustav’s throat.