Chapter 88

(**Irina**)

When I learned Gustav was still alive, there were so many unresolved feelings that came crashing down on me. Emotions that I have never really faced. Well, I have, but not fully. Seeing him now makes all the anger I feel come to the surface.

Gone is the powerful warrior I used to know. His once toned body is now gaunt and almost skeletal. I can see each of his ribs as he breathes. His once lustrous dark hair is hanging in thin, greasy looking strands. The defiance that was always in his grey eyes is now gone. In its place is a look I know well.

Treadstone broke Gustav to his will.

The boy I grew up with is gone. The man he turned into had his demons, but he fought to save me and our daughter in the end. That man died the day Treadstone attacked our pack. The man before me is a shell of who he once was.

Anger at the loss of my pack, friends, family, and the life I had. A life I don’t want back. So much of that life was a lie. I was blind to what was happening in my relationship. I couldn’t see what was right in front of me.

My brother hates me and would happily kill me if given the opportunity. All because of man that Treadstone is now threatening to kill. A man that is no longer worth my tears. For me, Gustav is a stranger. I never really knew him at all.

However, he is as much a victim of Treadstone as I am.

“Where is Zasha? Where is my child?” Vicktor demands.

All our warriors move at once to surround and subdue the human soldiers. They all gave up easier than I thought they would. Soon, every man who came with Treadstone to do us harm is bound and unconscious. Now all that remain standing are Vicktor and his new ally.

*His child?* Anya growls in my mind.

White fiery rage flares through every fiber of my body at the sound of him calling Zasha that.

*Let me out and I will end him now!* Anya pushes hard to gain control. I shove her to the back of my mind and slam the wall between us shut.

“My daughter will never be your hostage again. She is far from here with her family. The family you told me was dead. My father, my sister, and one of my brothers. They are alive and safe from you.”

“I see you have grown a backbone, little wolf. It will not last. You are weak and always have been.”

“NO!” I scream at him.

I can feel my alpha aura crawling over my skin like a hot summer wind. Justin and Wade whimper slightly as it builds within me. I want to shift now, and rip Vicktor’s heart out, then tear it to shreds. I want to watch the life fade from his eyes as he dies.

*You will have that chance soon, I promise.* Sebastion whispers through our link.

I feel him squeeze my shoulder. It soothes me, causing me to glance up at him. I give him a nod, then turn my attention back to Vicktor. I want to rip that disgusting smirk off his face.

“Where is Zasha? Give her back to me, and I will give this one back to you.” He says.

The laugh that leaves my mouth shocks me. I am not sure what came over me, but I can’t help it. Soon I am almost doubled over with laughter, to the point of gasping for air. When I feel it subside, I straighten up then look back at Vicktor. The unamused expression on his face almost makes me laugh again.

When my eyes collide with Gustav’s, I instantly sober up. Anger fills me when I see the hurt in his eyes. I hurt him just now, but he hurt me long before today.

“How long have you known Gustav was alive? How long have you had him in a cage?”

Vicktor yanks Gustav’s head back by his hair, causing him to hiss in pain. “That is a funny story. I wasn’t the only one to put him in a cage.”

I narrow my eyes as I watch Vicktor’s free hand go behind his back. The man behind him moves up closer to him. It makes it look like they are exchanging something. Vicktor smoothly turns Gustav around as the other man grabs him. He is spun around once more, so his back is to the other man’s chest.

A flash of metal causes me to take a step forward, but I stop when he places the knife at Gustav’s throat. I may hold no love for him, but he doesn’t deserve to die like this. I take a step back.

“Smart move. I think that is that best choice you have made so far today. Now, I want answers and my daughter, or he dies.”

“Look around, Treadstone. My warriors surround you. The only thing stopping me from killing you is the fact that you are not my kill to take.” Sebastion says.

I glance over at him. His eyes keep flickering from brown to onyx. Aries is close to the surface. I glance back at Vicktor. He is looking around the area with wide eyes. Our warriors growl at him as he assesses the situation. His face pales and fear slides into his eyes. It is like he is just now realizing he is no longer the hunter. He is now the prey.

“I see you realize you are on the losing end of this fight.” I tell him.

“Enough of this shit. Tell us where the fucking girl is. She is the only reason I am here.” The man with the knife to Gustav’s throat yells.

As he yells, the knife digs into Gustav’s throat. The rich coppery smell of his blood makes smile. From the way his wound is healing, I know the dagger isn’t made of silver. He will be fine.

“Shut the fuck up, Banecroft. You were just a means to an end. I have no intention of giving Zasha to you. She is mine.” Vicktor spins around to face his ally.

*Maybe if we just wait this out, they will kill each other?* Sebastion says through our link.

I can’t help but laugh. My laugher causes Vicktor to spin around and rush at me. With my head held high, I walk down the stairs to greet him. His steps falter at my actions. I tilt my head to look at him when he stops in his tracks.

“Do I seem different to you, Vicktor?”

“You grew a backbone. I wonder how much of that is from your alpha werewolf lover?”

“Some of it. However, I want to set the record straight. You are to blame for this turn of events. Want to know why?”

“I am getting bored with this. Give me Zasha and I will make your death quick.”

Before I quite know what I am doing, my left-hand transforms into a paw and I have my right hand wrapped around Vicktor’s throat. The smell of his fear is nauseating to me. I meet his wide stare as I drag one claw down his cheek slowly, as if I was caressing him.

My lips tug up in a smile as I see and smell his blood. Anya is howling in my mind for me to just tear his heart out right now. That would be too quick. I want him to suffer the same way he made me suffer. I want him to bleed, to beg me to stop, to hear him call for his mother like I did mine.

Killing him now is not good enough. I drag my claw down his face again, but this time I twist it then angle towards his eye, then I ruin the eye. The wet, hot splatter of blood hits my face as he screams. I shred the left side of his face until it is a bloody ruin. Raw meat hanging by skin.

I drop him to the ground, then step back. His wails of pain make me smile. Part of me recoils at what I did, but he deserves far worse than that.

“Oh, how the tables have turned on you, Vicktor. All because you sent me to the one man who turned out to be my salvation. The same man you wanted to put in a cage. That man is my mate. Guess you didn’t see that one coming, did you?”

I turn away from him to give my attention to Banecroft and Gustav. Both men are staring at me in shock. In his dazed state, Banecroft dropped the knife from Gustav’s throat. He turns around to run but is tackled to the ground by one of our warriors before he got too far.

*Kill him* I say through the pack link.

Without hesitation, the warrior rips Bancroft’s head off. With his death, the fight is over. However, I will not be satisfied until Treadstone is dead. I glance at Gustav, then turn back to finish what I started. Sebastion’s chest stops me in my tracks.

“That was by far the hottest thing I have ever seen you do. However, I think you need to get some answers from Treadstone before you kill him. He has valuable information we need. Once we get all we can from him, then you and Anya can do what you planned.”

I growl because he stopped me, but I know he is correct, so I don’t push him out of my way. “I think Vicktor should spend a little time in a cell. Let his spy see what has become of him. Then I want my children back.”

Sebastion pulls me to him, wipes the blood off my face, then kisses my nose. “Let’s deal with the rest of the humans first. Then I will have Monroe call Arabella. Our children are safe. I promise you they will be back in your arms by tonight.”

“Lynn and I can deal with the soldiers.”

The sound of Jazmine’s voice makes me glance away from Sebastion. I had forgotten she was even here. “What can you do for them? Why would you even try to save men who were willing to come in here and kill us all?”

I take a few steps toward her, but stop when I see the anger in her eyes. Brave little witch. I have no fight with her.

“They have lives too. Families. They were paid to do this and told very little. We can erase it from their memories. For them, this day will have never happened.”

“Then do it. I want them out of my pack as soon as possible.”

I watch as she walks away. Monroe falls in step behind her like a protective shadow. One day I hope they get ending they both deserve.

A groan of pain makes me look down at Vicktor. What I did to his face made me happy at the time. Now that the adrenaline has worn off, it makes me sick to my stomach. I don’t regret doing it. I remember every single second of the torture he put me through.

He deserves worse than what I did.

“Justin, take this mess down to the dungeons. Put him in the cell across from his spy. Then stay there with Wade until we come down.” Sebastion says.

I watch as Justin and Wade shift to their human forms. Together they drag Vicktor to the back of the pack house. After they were out of sight, I turned my attention to Gustav. I can feel Sebastion’s irritation through our bond. I glance at him and see that his eyes are now focused on Gustav.

“Sebastion, look at me.”

His head snaps around to look at me. I step back to him, grab his left hand, then place it over my heart. He looks into my eyes. The irritation fades a little.

“Gustav holds no place here. I am yours in every way. You are the only man I will ever love for the rest of my life.”

He yanks me to him, causing me to laugh. He crushes his mouth to mine for a searing kiss that makes my toes curl and fire swirl in my belly. Desire for him is sharp like a knife. If I could, I would take him to our room right now and show him just how he owns me.

“What is to become of me now?”

The sound of Gustav’s voice makes me break the kiss to glance at him. The pain swirling in his eyes makes me feel a little guilty for the display of affection Sebastion and I just showed him.

“You will be safe here until you are healthy enough to move on.” Sebastion tells him.

“What about Zasha? Where is she?”

“You will see her when I feel the time is right. Let’s get you to the clinic,” I tell him, but make no move to help him up.

Two warriors silently step up behind him, then help him to his feet. He nods his head in my direction as he allows them to lead him away. Sebastion and I follow behind them. I can tell Gustav wants to talk to me by the way he keeps glancing over his shoulder. This is something I am not looking forward to. Nothing positive can come from a conversation between us.

There is one question I want to ask him, however. I need to know if he still loves Pavel. If his answer is yes, then I will tell him that Pavel is still alive. They can be together at last with nothing to stand in their way.

I will demand that they both leave Redstone and never come back. Pavel stopped being my brother the day Gustav became my mate. That was the day he began to hate me. The hate grew and grew until it completely consumed him. There is nothing left of my brother in him.

Sebastion squeezes my hand, which causes me to blink up at him. I look around and realize we are standing outside the clinic. I was so lost in thought that I didn’t even notice we have stopped walking. He leads me over to a bench, then sits down. I sit next to him, lean my head on his shoulder, then exhale a heavy sigh.

“Do you want me to stay with you when you go in there to talk to him?” He asks.

“There is nothing he can say that you don’t already know, but yes, I want you by my side. I need you by my side. I would tell you he can’t hurt me anymore, but that would be a lie. We grew up together, had a life together, we made Zasha together. I need answers from him that will hurt me.”

“Then when you get those answers, get the resolution you need, I be here. I will love you, cherish you, and if the Goddess blesses us, have many more children with you.”

I lift my head off his shoulder to look into his eye. The love I see shining back at me holds so much promise. I can see my future in his eyes.

“How about we practice making more babies for a few more years before we have another one?”

“Deal.” Sebastion smiles at me.

Now we wait to hear from the doctor about Gustav.


*Author’s note*

*I would like to give thanks to all my readers for their patience. This books is coming to it's conclusion soon. To my two Rosies, Lakeshia Kee and Shannon, thank you for your support.*