3. Sebastian

The look on Frederick’s face was something I’d never forget. I was too happy to leave my cousin behind me, shocked that I’d actually found my One. I, of course, owed him a huge thank-you. I wasn’t sure how much longer I would have gone without knowing my One, but I would no longer have to wonder.

Drew was adorable. He wasn’t quite as tiny as some omegas, but he wasn’t nearly as muscular as some of the alphas I’d been with in my lifetime either. Now, it wouldn’t matter going forward because I had my fated mate to spend the rest of my life with.

“Hey, Slater,” I said as I entered the council building and waved at the enforcer behind the front desk.

“Hi, Sebastian. Is Frederick not with you?”

I pointed over my shoulder. “He’s outside. I’m not sure when he’ll be in. I needed to talk to Master Edison before I head back to work.” I held out my badge, and after Slater scanned it, he waved me through.

“As far as I know, he’s here somewhere.”

“Thanks. How’s the new baby?” I asked. That brought an immediate smile to Slater’s face.

“She’s good. Growing like a weed.”

I chuckled. “Or perhaps like the little bear cub she is?”

Slater chuckled. “Yes, that. Melissa dotes on her, but that’s the way it should be.”

I nodded. “Have a good one,” I told him as I walked off. First stop would be Master Edison’s office. It was a good place to start, and if he wasn’t there, perhaps Alistair would be and could tell me where he was. If not, then maybe Justin would be, and I could hopefully locate him and ask all of the questions I had.

It didn’t take me long to cross the main entryway and disappear into the hallway that had Master Edison’s office in it. I noticed that many of the doors were open, their occupants inside and either typing on their keyboards or were talking to others. I saw Master Edison’s office door open as I approached, and when I heard his voice, my spirits lifted. When I heard another, I winced a little. I didn’t want to interrupt, but I really needed to talk to him.

I stood in the doorway, ready to knock on the frame, when Master Edison looked up immediately.

“Sebastian. Perfect timing,” he said. “Please come in.”

I saw Master Edison glance around me, and when he found it Frederick-less, I had a sinking feeling.

“Where is your cousin? I was told the pair of you were having lunch together and then were seen heading off to the bakery.”

I nodded. “Yes, sir. We visited the bakery and then the store.” I glanced at Rainier, whom Master Edison had obviously been talking to. “Hello again.”

“Did you decide against the bread?”

I looked down and grinned. “Actually…”

“Sebastian Benedict Ainsworth. How dare you drop news like that—I beg your pardon.”

I rolled my eyes at my cousin.

“And there he is.” I sent Frederick a look. Why would he be begging for a pardon? He knew this was Master Edison’s office. Who did he expect to find in here?

“I would say perfect timing for you as well, Frederick, but you mentioned news.” Master Edison was standing now and had rounded his desk and was leaning against the front of it. “News?” he asked, looking directly at me.

“Yes, sir. I need advice. I’ve met my One, and I’m not sure how to go about courting him. I don’t wish to push him too hard too fast, but I’m not sure how long I’ll have before I need to claim him. Did the goddess extend it to an indefinite amount of time? Do I have a couple of weeks? Do you know what I’m working with here?”

“Your One? Congratulations.” Master Edison’s smile was immediate. I found myself pulled into a hug, and when I was released, Rainier was immediately there to congratulate me as well.

“Thank you,” I told them.

“Who is the lucky one?” Master Edison asked.

“Drew.” I froze. I hadn’t thought to ask his last name. I looked at Frederick, hoping he knew. He seemed to know quite a bit more about the store and those that worked there than I did, as I’d never set foot in there until today. Something I was going to kick myself about for some time. “Frederick? Do you know his last name?”

My cousin smirked at me, and I wanted desperately to throw another magic ball at him, but I wouldn’t dare in front of Master Edison. I most likely wouldn’t in front of Rainier either. Not that our uncle would do anything to us except roll his eyes.

“Fred,” I said, a warning in my voice. I wasn’t really in the mood. Thankfully, he seemed to catch on to that.

“Yes, I know,” Frederick said. He looked toward Master Edison. “His One is Drew Nelson. The cheetah shifter that works at the council store.”

Master Edison’s eyes showed surprise. “Are you certain?”

“Yes, Master Edison. Is that going to be an issue? I understand he works there because he was rescued from a less-than-ideal situation.” I didn’t yet know what those circumstances were, but I’d find out. I needed to know what I was going to be up against.

“It shouldn’t be an issue as far as I understand. Drew was rescued by Ramsey’s team last fall. As far as I understand, he’s doing well around others, and he’s been seeing Dr. Bennett since shortly after he arrived.” Master Edison paused, seeming to contemplate something. “Did he shy away from you?”

I shook my head. “Not that I noticed. He seemed open to seeing me again this afternoon.”

“This afternoon?” Rainier asked.

“Yes. I plan on seeing him again after work.”

Uncle Rainier gave me a look, and Master Edison shook his head. “Sebastian, why are you here if you’ve met your One? You should be with him instead of planning on work.”

“Speaking of work,” Rainier said. “We will have to find someone else for this assignment with this new news.”

“What assignment?” Frederick and I asked together.

Master Edison sighed. “I need someone to go to Portland and track down a few more members of the pride there. Alpha Gaines and Beta Hill let it slip that it wasn’t just those two enforcers we should be looking into. There is another enforcer, as well as three other pride members, who aren’t in the inner circle in any way. We need them brought in for questioning. If what the alpha and beta stated, none of them will be leaving the council unless it’s to go to Sergei’s territory to join the others that are already being held there.”

“I’ll go,” Frederick volunteered.

I was torn. This was my job, and Frederick and I were a team. Usually, a team of two since we were both warlocks and already knew each other so well.

“I can go as well,” I said. Immediately, I wanted to take the words back, but I was an enforcer, and this was why I was here. I had a job to do, and I wasn’t going to avoid it.

“No,” Master Edison said, looking directly at me. “Frederick and Warwick can go.” Master Edison looked to my cousin. “Warwick should be in the training room with Garic.”

“Sounds good. Do we leave immediately? Or are we being briefed?”

“I’ll be in conference room three to brief you in fifteen minutes,” Rainier said.

I could only stand there and watch as my cousin turned to leave. He froze, looked back at me, and gave me a smile. “Congratulations, Seb. You should be thrilled to have found your One. So many of us want that.”

I smiled. “I am. I just feel bad about missing the assignment.” I also felt a bit bad about finding my One before Frederick. He was older than I was and had longed for a family of his own for far longer than I had.

“There will be other assignments,” Master Edison said. “We are nowhere near where we need to be as a whole.”

I nodded. We all knew that. The council was making progress, but they had a far way to come from where they started. Frederick and Rainier left the office, leaving me with Master Edison.

“Benedict and Arturo will be thrilled. One of their sons has finally met his One.”

I couldn’t help but smile. Master Edison wasn’t wrong. My fathers had been waiting for any of us to find our fated one. I had thought it would be one of my older brothers at this point. But nope. Fate had decided to start with the youngest in our family. I wasn’t going to question it.

“They will be thrilled, I’m sure.” I took a deep breath. “I’m going to wait to tell them though.”

Master Edison raised an eyebrow at me. I chuckled.

“Well, I’m going to have to try and ease my One into a relationship, am I not? And if I tell my fathers, I have no doubt they and my brothers will be here in a blink, which will make wooing Drew even more difficult because I’ll end up spending the majority of my time trying to run interference between them. I love my family immensely, but I want to have Drew claimed and be able to ease him into my family, who is going to wrap him up and never let him go, in small increments.”

Master Edison started laughing. It was quiet at first—just a chuckle. But it didn’t take long before it was a full-out laugh. When he shook his head, I sighed.

“Tell me I’m wrong?”

Master Edison laughed harder at that. “I wish I could,” he said when he was able to stop laughing so hard. “They’re excited, and rightly should be, Sebastian. Benedict and Arturo have been through a lot, and the fact that one of their children has finally found the one they are fated to will be a huge reason for celebration.”

“I understand that, and I’m not begrudging them any type of celebration. I only wish to push that off for a bit. Until I’ve had a chance to get to know Drew, get him used to having a family such as mine. Things of that nature.”

“I understand. I won’t share news of your mating.”

“Thank you.” I took a deep breath. “Do you have any words of advice? I know he was hurt. I am unfamiliar with his file though.”

Master Edison nodded. “I’ll unlock his file for you if you wish to read up. His isn’t one of the more tragic stories, nothing nearly as horrid as those that you just rescued from Colombia. But Drew does have some demons, I’m afraid. My best piece of advice is communication. Talk to your One. Ask questions. Get to know him. Let him guide you in what he is and isn’t ready for.” Master Edison sighed. “It’s not that I’m not happy for anyone to find their fated mate. Wallace and I had our own obstacles to overcome when we first met. But it would be easier if we had some sort of guidebook at this point. I’m happy that so many we are rescuing are finding their forever mates. I only wish I could help them better navigate their way through it all.”

That would truly be wonderful, but I had a feeling that any guidebook would work for one person and then be moot come the next.

“I can do communication. I don’t want to push him for more than he’s ready for, but at the same time, I’m obviously hesitant to take too long. I don’t know how much additional time the goddess has given us. A week? Two? Indefinite? Will it work for all of us?”

“I understand your hesitation and wish I could reassure you. Sadly, I know no more than you do. You are the first warlock to find your One since the goddess granted us reprieve that she inflicted upon us so long ago.” Master Edison chuckled. “It’s a bit ironic that it was your great-grandfathers who actually started it all.”

“I don’t understand. What do you mean?”

Master Edison chuckled again and shook his head. “It was long, long ago, Sebastian. Your great-grandfathers Frederick and Oliver were already very attracted to one another, but they fought their attraction as if it would deny them their next breath. The goddess grew tired of their avoidance, and they were soon left with no choice but to claim one another.”

How had I not known that? “Seriously?”

“Yes. They were always sniping at one another, sending each other glares, and just always at one another’s throats about one thing or other.” Master Edison’s eyes seemed as if they were suddenly staring into a far-off place, and perhaps they were. “One time, Frederick threw a ball of magic at a hawk that was swooping down at Oliver. Frederick saved Oliver from much more painful injury, but Oliver couldn’t even bring himself to thank Frederick.”

“And they were somehow fated to be together?” I asked.

“Yes. And went on to have eight children,” Master Edison said. “They had five before Wallace and I had our second.” Master Edison chuckled. “They made up for lost time, I guess you could say. Now it’s your turn to try out things and see if you are given longer than others. If you start to experience pain, please let me know. I want to make a note of things.”

“Yes, Master Edison. I’ll be sure to keep you informed of my progress.”

“Thank you.” Master Edison placed his hand on my shoulder. “Now, go home, figure out a romantic date for you and your One, and then go to the store and see about rescuing him from an afternoon of work that will surely drag on.”

I smiled at that. “I can do that. Thank you again. For everything. I’ll be back at work tom—”

“In a month. You have a month as of now. More if you need more. We’ll get you into mated enforcer housing soon as well.”

I was going to argue but didn’t. It would do no good. I needed to remember that Master Edison did this for all of the mated enforcers. They were all given time off and then were offered additional time once their mate went into labor. Realization suddenly hit. Drew was an omega. He would…did he want children?

“You suddenly seem concerned.”

“Oh. Yes, well, I was suddenly wondering if Drew wanted to have children or not. Especially after what he must have gone through.”

Master Edison nodded slowly. “Go to your desk, pull up his file, and give it a quick read. There isn’t a whole lot compared to some. Drew Nelson. He grew up in Kansas, if I remember correctly. It’s possible that it was Nebraska though. I have had so many in recent months, and his was last fall.”

“Completely understandable, Master Edison,” I said. “Thank you. I’ll do just that and then go and see if I can plan a romantic date for my One. I remember my parents never letting the romance die from their relationship. To this day, our sire takes Papa out for romantic evenings. I would hope that I could replicate one, even here in Montana.”

Master Edison gave me a devious grin. “Who says the date has to be here in Montana? You are a powerful warlock, are you not?”

My mouth opened in surprise. I was a warlock. And I supposed you could consider me to be a powerful one, thanks to my bloodline. Why hadn’t I ever thought about that? I could take Drew anywhere. We could go to Paris for dinner. Or Rome. Or Tuscany. Or Barcelona. I loved Barcelona and all of the gorgeous buildings. Especially the gothic cathedrals. I suddenly wondered if Drew liked architecture. Had he ever been anywhere to experience it?

“I am. You’ve just given me a fantastic idea. Now to see if Drew will go along with it.” I grinned at Master Edison. “Thank you, sir. If you don’t mind, I’d like to go to my office so I can see about setting everything up for the evening.”

“Of course. Please keep someone updated if you require more than a month.”

I nodded. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that, but one never knew. I left Master Edison’s office, quickly making my way out of his hallway and down into the one where a lot of enforcers seemed to have their own offices. I had three office mates, Frederick as well as Walter and Dion. We used to have Luca, but he’d been sent to Europe, and from what I understood, he wasn’t going to be returning, ever. He’d tried to come between Benjamin and his One, Elias, and that simply wasn’t acceptable. Especially not from one of Master Edison’s warlocks.

I found the office empty, which made me wonder if Dion and Walter had gone back to Europe again. Frederick had mentioned he was planning on staying here for a bit longer, and I wondered if my cousin would find his own One while working for the council. Benjamin had. Now, I had. Perhaps the council was good for our family?

I grinned, curious if my brothers would suddenly wish to join the council in hopes of finding their own mates. It couldn’t possibly hurt, as far as I believed. They didn’t seem to be locating their forever loves in Spain. Would they find them in Montana? Or perhaps out on an assignment somewhere?

Not wanting to give my brothers too much thought at the moment, I powered on my computer and waited for it to go through everything it needed to do in order for me to be able to access the file on Drew. I was conflicted about reading it, but I felt it would be beneficial to know what I was up against when it came to dealing with my One’s time in captivity. It wouldn’t change the fact that he was my One and I wished for us to be together more than anything. But it would hopefully give me a little bit more information about what I knew he’d gone through and what to expect.

Would he be completely avoidant? I couldn’t answer that until I got to know him in person. But at least this way, I would have insight into what he’d been subjected to and what possible triggers he might experience. Then again, nothing was foolproof. It was possible that something completely unrelated could cause a trigger simply because it did. I would take it one day at a time. For now though, I needed to see about getting to know my One’s experience a little better before I went to ask him to run away with me. At least for a little while.