The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

158 King's Hall Sentencing

~Sylvester~

Everyone was finally around. Other than Jake’s wolf that wasn’t likely coming back, we had all survived Yuri and his cult.

They had attacked and attempted to destroy me and everyone I cared about but we had persevered against all odds.

I was grateful for how things played out. We made new friends and strengthened old bonds in the process.

I was grateful for it.

We wanted to go get our children immediately but we all soon decided that it was best to get on with the sentencing before we reunite with our children. Because of this, we had set the hearing for the following day, and every noble family leader was to be in attendance. I did not want Yuri’s death to be easy and quick. I wanted it to be hard and slow and I had devised the best way to have that happen.

I planned to chip away at his sanity and life as he did to others for many years. I planned to make him beg for death. He was an arrogant fool and I planned to crush his pride until there was nothing left. He deserved no sympathy and he wasn’t going to get any. As for Ighor, I was going to leave him at the mercy of Vino and Andrew. He had deceived them greatly and it was only befitting that they get their pound of flesh back.

I exited the closet in my official attire and looked at Tamia who stood in front of the mirror, admiring her figure in her cream short dress and tweeded suit jacket. She looked beautiful. Gracing her neck was a pearl necklace with pear earrings to match. The golden metal holding the pearls together

glittered. She had her hair in a bun. She looked regal and serious-minded, she also looked delicate and charming. She was a beauty. She turned to look at me and smiled.

“How are you feeling your majesty,” She said and I laughed. This text is property of Nô/velD/rama.Org.

“Anxious. Can't wait to get it over with so we can get Liam and Harper back. I miss them,” I said, confessing my true feelings towards the separation for the first time. Tamia gently covered her lips with moistened eyes fighting back her tears of joy.

“Me too,” Was all she could manage and I went to hold her. I held her in my arms until she was calm.

“After this no more. This is it,” I said and she nodded while breaking away from my embrace. She admired my outfit and helped make some adjustments then stepped away from the mirror and stood behind me so I could see myself.

I pulled her to my side and then looked in the mirror to see us together. We had indeed come a long way.

She looked just as gorgeous as she did the day I set my eyes on her. There was still mischieve in her eyes the type that would make me place her over my shoulder and spank her. She was still Tamia and I love her dearly.

"Shall we?” I asked her and she nodded.

We left the estate in a convoy. Travelling through the road that led to the city was easy for the first time in a while. We were glad we wouldn't have to watch our backs. There wouldn’t be an Ighor in the woods with a bazooka or a machine gun firing bullets at us. No one would have the bright idea of ramming into our vehicles and sprinkling silver dust in the air to incapacitate us. It was finally over.

We arrived at the King’s hall and met a massive crowd.

People were screaming with joy and jubilating.

One thing that caught my eye about the crowd was the Stepanovs in their midst. They had finally come out of hiding. I saw them with signs jubilating and expressing their gratitude.

The Fair-haired people blended nicely with the crowd. The lords were the first to alight their vehicles and when the Stepanovs came out the scream of Joy was Intensified. I saw Alexei, Clay, Amelia and Leo wave at the crowd.

While Andrew and Erik made their way into the hall. People were happy and they were throwing flower petals at them. I could guess the reaction came mostly from the women in the crowd. Too bad only Clay was available and he did not seem interested. They made their way in and it was time for Tamia and me to alight and enter the hall.

The moment we stepped out, the crowd began to hail us, singing the northern anthem, grateful that we were victorious and indeed there will only be one king. Tamia and I waved at them and allowed people to take pictures before entering the hall. There was a big screen outside with speakers so the crowd could witness what was going on in the hall. It was a judgement and sentencing so it was traditional that everyone will be a part of it. We also made provision for the events to be televised so that people from all over would see it.

Tamia and I entered and made our way to our Loge.

Everyone was seated in their places. Leo, Erik, Andrew, Devin and the rest of the council members were in their seats, Likewise the lords too. They were in their place. Marcel's father, Lucas, My mother and Jake were in their place too. Jake looked frail and shouldn’t have come but he insisted he wanted to witness the sentencing. I could understand him. They had no reason for what they did to him. To think he lost his wolf for nothing. It was a hard thing but we were glad to have him with us

and their wedding was still going to take place. Erik was hopeful Jake’s wolf will return but there was no guarantee. Gezel sat beside her daughter in the Lord’s Loge where Leo should have been seated if he wasn't the head of the council. I noticed Gezel’s eyes wandered to Erik from time to time and he looked at her and smiled. I was ready to bet that something was up between them, but I will do that in a less serious situation.

Leo addressed everyone and started the hearing. The southern Alphas were the first to be arraigned.

“You all are guilty of committing treason, against your people, against the head alpha of the south and your King, what do you plead?” Leo asked them. The tone indicated this was just a formality.

One of them stepped forward in tears.

“I honestly had no choice, your Majesty, it was either we joined up or die like Micahel of Pridewood. Alpha Corrigan had left the south so we chose the only way we knew to survive,” He said and I did not know his name.

“Your name?” Leo asked him.

“His alpha Klein of the Pinetree pack in the south,” Devin volunteered and I noted.

"You could have left the South and tried to settle elsewhere, After all, that was what my alphas did when their packs were taken over. If Devin wasn’t around you could have reached out to King's office for help. Why didn’t you that?” Leo asked and he could not talk.

“You didn’t only betray the King and your alpha, you also followed the enemy to battle, to fight against the people that were sent to liberate the south. Do you still claim innocence? After all, Beta Lukaman was among you. He was held captive and freed. He found a way to give us information and help us regain control of the South. He risked his life in the last minutes to warn of the bomb,

while the rest of you stood in defence, defending the intruders and laughing at the alphas sent to rescue the people. Do you want to say you had no choice still because it seems to me you had plenty of choices but chose the treasonous option?" Leo said summing it up and they were silent.

“You would have died in the field because the intruders did not have plans for a future for all of you. They knew you weren’t immune to silver like they were, yet they rigged the place with bombs that would spray silver in the air, injuring most of you and killing some of your men. What do you have to say to that?” Leo said and there was total silence.

“Very well since you have nothing to say, here is the judgement of the council; you have all been found guilty of treason, against, the King, your leader and your people. We will leave his majesty to pronounce the punishment for your crimes,” Leo said and people began to murmur.

The alphas were silent. All of them resigned to their fate. Luckily for them, Sylvester had abolished the law that state the family should be wiped out if any member is guilty of treason. If not the population in the south would have reduced drastically after this.

"Silence,” Devin said and Leo banged the gavel making everyone to be quiet so that I can pronounce his judgement.

“I hereby sentence you all to death by handing in your various packs. The alpha title and office will be stripped away from your families,” I stated. And that was my judgment. I knew it would be a sight for the pack members to watch but it was necessary and it will act as a deterrent to others.

Other people were brought forwards that played an active role in the uprising. Mostly Yuri’s cult members including Ighor and Melvin.

We figured most of them had no choice so those that did not move against me deliberately, like Inkabod, were sentenced to serve jail time and would be released to integrate with the world in

future. Although I meant to kill everyone, we could not bring ourselves to do it knowing that these people acted the way they did because they had no choice.

Finally, it was time to sentence Yuri. The moment he was brought to the floor people outside began to boo him. It was the moment everyone was waiting for. To see what would become of the man that shook our world and almost ruined everything.

Leo stood and began to read his crimes. The man had no remorse in his eyes. He sat there on the floor, laughing like a madman. Bryce had broken his legs again so he could not walk. The man had indeed lost it.

After Leo finished listing his crimes he asked to speak.

Yuri laughed and then looked at me.

“Your lineage and everything that has to do about the pathetic crown on your head is a sham. The Stepanovs will always be the true heirs. You might end me, but the greed and malice in your bloodline will surely be your undoing,” He said and looked at everyone around.

"It is amazing to see how you can all gather today for this. Where were your conscience and sense of duty, when Dimitri cheated Adrik? Where were your conscience and sense of duty, when Dimitri framed Adrik for treason and had us hunted down like animals and slaughtered? Where were all of you then?" He said and then looked at Erik.

“Having gone through the same things and suffered the same outcome, you dare to work against me, your brother? You dare to work with the enemy knowing victory would have been ours? You're a traitor," he said and Erik smiled at him.

“You stopped being family the day you sent Mikhail to murder Luis the true heir, and you stopped being my blood the day you sent Mikhail to kill me. A world under your leadership will be stained

with innocent blood and plagued with hardship. I have chosen well and sided with the real king,” Erik said letting his cousin know his conviction.

I could see tears in. Yuri’s eyes. He was truly beaten and as he sat helplessly on the floor in tears I knew we had won.

No new villain was coming for us in the future, the madness would indeed end with him.

“Yuri Stepanov. I hereby sentence you to death. Unlike the others, your death will be slow and painful. It will give you time to reflect on all the evil you have committed and figure out if it was worth it. Your being would be cut away piece by piece until there is nothing left. Each cut agonising and painful ensuring the body is not buried in one place but scattered like a carcass all over, as you killed, burned, pillaged and destroyed everyone and everything you came in contact with that refused to bow to your will," I said and promised.

“Although it will be death, I promise you it would be quick,” I said and he was lifted by the men.

He wanted to speak when Bryce punched him and shifted his jaw with the punch.

We had wrapped up all that concerned Yuri and his cult it was now time to reunite with our children and plan a wedding. I knew all the weddings won't take place in the north but I hoped they will agree to have it all in the estate so we won't have to pick and choose. They were all important to me and I would not want to miss any of them.