The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

28 Back In The East.

~Leo~

Protecting what was left of my territory from Bane's invasion was hard, but I had to.

These were times when I would have loved Tamia on my team.

She knew exactly what to do and how to act.

I was leaning on Max and Kyle, and our odds didn't seem great.

When the lesser Alphas joined with Bane, it didn't hurt.

I felt it was their choice.

They wanted to go after the wolf lord and get their daughters back; some wanted revenge for their loved ones. I could understand their pain. However the Wolf Lord tried to justify his attack, his actions were wrong. Attacking the entire East because a pack from the East dared to attack him was wrong.

I knew it was cowardly to accept defeat and urge the East to rebuild and move on, but I did not want us to lose more than we had already.

The northern soldiers were strong, and they had a larger army.

Combining our strength with the south would have evened the playing field, but I did not trust Bane's intentions, and I still don't.

I had called a meeting with the remaining Alphas under me, and they answered. Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

When the alphas arrived, they were angry and scared at the same time.

Everyone blamed Kyle for our misfortunes because he was the one that brought Bane to us.

What pissed all of us off was Bane wanted us to join up by force.

It was as if the part of the East that willingly went with him was not good enough. He wanted Kyle, Max and me on his team too.

During the meeting, I watched the alphas argue and push blame around, which wasn't why I called the meeting. I called the meeting because I needed to find the best solution for peace. Joining Bane was out of the question.

"We need to call a truce," I said, and the hall went quiet.

"We can't do that, Alpha Leo; the man is mad. I heard something about him calling himself the rightful Wolf lord because he killed Maurice Volkov," Ramsey said. I was surprised about how ambitious Bane was.

"We need to find a way to tell him we do not share in his views and we won't go to war against the North," I told them, and they agreed.

"How will we do that? We have already told him we maintain a neutral stance. How else can we tell that bastard that we are not interested in his promises and helping him further his cause?" Alpha Christian said.

"Since you told us Luna Tamia spoke highly of the Wolf Lord, and that he has been treating our sisters and daughters well, we have made peace. How many more do we have to lose?" Timothy said, sounding as frail as he was.

He was one of the Alphas that did not bother fighting. He just handed his granddaughter over as tribute because his daughter was already mated. I could understand his fear.

"I say we take the war to Bane and let him know he has his limits. What he took from the East isn't the best of the East; we can take him down," Gaston said, and I shook my head.

"Luna Tamia was one of our best strategists, Luna Avery dealt with welfare, and Luna Linda dealt with shelter protection. With those three aspects of our society unattended, we stand no chance. The north crippled us already by taking the three most powerful Lunas of the east. We have to rely on strength, and as my wife always said, smart beats strength any day," I said, remembering Tamia, and we were silent.

"We can still manage with what we have," Gaston said, and I nodded.

"Of course, we can, but we do not want any more bloodshed. I suggest we have a peace talk with him," I said, and they began to grumble.

"The man is mad. He will not answer us or anyone. He is greedy and covetous. He won't stop until he gets what he wants," Gaston argued. It seemed the Alpha had made up his mind about fighting Bane.

"I will try and have a peaceful meeting with him," I said, and Ramzey refused.

"This is Kyle's mess. He brought the bastard upon us; he should have a peaceful meeting with him. Why should you risk your life?" Ramzey said, and I nodded.

"I understand your anger, Alpha Ramzey, but this is beyond pettiness. Yes, Kyle brought him, but we all agreed. Even though Tamia warned that the Wolf Lord wasn't bothering us, we still chose to Join forces with the south to protect ourselves. Kyle did not force us to accept the alliance; we did it wholeheartedly; it can't be his cross alone to bear. As the leader of the East, I am to have that peace talk with Bane," I said, owning up to my responsibility, and everyone was silent.

"If anything happens to you, we will go to war with Bane. It is as simple as that. He wants us for the army he is building, and going to war with him will cripple the size and strength of his army. We might not win, but we will do damage. I rather hurt the bastard and die than take orders from him," Max said, and I realised he, too, had it in for Bane.

Max claimed he had written several letters to Avery in the north but never got any response. He tried to insinuate that Tamia wrote her letter under duress, but I had to point out the difference to him.

Other than breaking my promise to my wife, I never maltreated her for Amanda's sake.

I never lay a finger on her and I performed my duties as a husband towards her.

I refused to give her up and would have laid down my life for her sake; he did the opposite.

If anything, he should take her silence as moving on. She was probably enjoying herself there and had moved on.

Knowing that it was a tradition in the north to split Lunas among the top officers, she was probably with the Alpha, Beta, Gamma or Delta and having the time of her life.

Any life would be better than what she and Mia had with him.

During our community full moon walks, I saw the silver scars on Mia's white fur several times. I ignored it because it wasn't my business.

Although I had been pleading with Max to let go, he didn't want to, and now he wanted to go to war against Bane. All I could see was a desperate alpha looking for a thrill.

He never loved his Luna enough to treat her well.

I looked at Kyle.

"Set up a meeting with Bane for tomorrow evening, to take place on Hill valley land, where it shares a border with Krane. He will feel safe meeting me there," I said and ended the meeting.

Amanda buzzed my phone throughout the meeting, so I decided to rush home to see what the problem was.

I arrived and found northern warriors at my home.

Although they did not seem like they came to fight me, I had to be on my guard.

They took my wife away the last time they were at my home.

I composed myself and walked into the house.

Amanda was showing, and we had learned we were expecting triplets. Meaning we will have a full house soon.

As happy as the news was, my joy wasn't complete.

This wasn't the life I wanted for myself.

The fact that I would be taking this transition into parenthood without Tamia was heartbreaking.

I slowly began to accept that I was the cause of my heartbreak, not fate.

I was too weak to keep my promise, and it will stay with me like that.

"Alpha Leo, the Council of the North sends us," The man leading the envoy said to me, and I nodded and sat down on the couch in my living room.

I did not like what Amanda did with the place; I prefered the way Tamia decorated it, but it was Amanda's home now, and she could do whatever she liked.

I noticed she had served them some small bites and drinks.

I just hoped she wasn't stupid enough to slip them something.

The last thing I wanted was for both Bane and the Wolf Lord to come at me.

Amanda smiled at me and went to her room.

I was still yet to let her move into the master bedroom.

Tamia's clothes were still there, and her pictures graced the walls. Amanda had come to accept it, and it didn't bother her anymore.

"To what do I owe this visit?" I asked the man in charge.

"I am Jacob Mikhailov. The Northern Council spokesman," he said, and I nodded, he looked more like a warrior to me, but I let it be.

I did not need to introduce myself; he knew who I was.

"The north wants to know if you are interested in working for them. We know that Alpha Devin Corrigan has taken part of the East, and threatens to force your remaining region to come under his command. We are willing to help liberate your people and end his reign of terror," He said, and I shook my head.

"At what expense, Mr Jacob? The part that joined with Devin did it willingly; I do not want them back. He has promised to give them what I can't. I do not believe in violence. The north has brought this hardship upon my people by attacking us and taking our wives, daughters, and sisters. It is the

north that has wronged us. They dealt the first blow. If they wanted peace, they would have had peace talks about the alleged attack instigated by Brent pack before wrecking our lives. Most of us will never recover from the loss we incurred due to that attack. Devin has gained allies because of it. While some of us are willing to let go of our loved ones, however painful it may be, others have sworn revenge. I am sorry, but I won't be teaming up with the people that wrecked my home and my life," I said with finality, and Jacob and his men stood up.

"I believe you are still grieving the loss of your Luna, Alpha; know that she is well cared for in the north. The Lord has personally made sure of it. If you ever change your mind, please reach out to us," he said, and I nodded to end the conversation.

They left quietly, and I relaxed.

A few hours later, Kyle called me to say that Devin was ready to meet.

I hoped the meeting would occur the next day, but Devin was eager to get on with it.

I told Amanda where I was off to, and she was scared.

She had been making many efforts lately, even training while pregnant. I knew she was hoping to fill Tamia's shoes.

I told her not to worry, that it was a peaceful conversation and that I would return.

She released me eventually, and I left for Hill Valley pack.

I arrived at Max's pack house and was surprised to see Devin. He must have trusted my intentions to come there all by himself.

"He has the place surrounded," Max told me with a low growl and excused us. I guess Devin did not trust us that well.

"Hello, Leo," Devin said, smiling at me, and I did not return the smile.

I might have come to have a peaceful discussion with him, but I was still mad at him for all he did and didn't do.

Everyone excused us; it was just me and him in Max's office.

"I see you are doing well without Tamia," he said, and I did not respond.

I sat on the couch in the office and looked at him.

"Why are you doing this? Why must we join forces with you to attack the north? Why do you want to go after a man minding his business? What is the deal, Devin?" I asked him calmly, and he sighed.

"That man ruined my life, Leo," he confessed.

"Just like he ruined your life, he ruined mine," He said.

"How are things with your fated?" he asked an unrelated question, but I answered because I called the meeting, so the burden was on me to be polite.

"What did he do to you that warrants such hatred?" I asked him, and he sighed.

I knew I could not trust his words, but I would hear him out.

"I was fifteen when Maurice Volkov attacked the south and tried to force us to pay taxes. My father revolted, and my mother was taken in the process. He won, and we were forced to pay those taxes. We thought he would return her after we agreed to pay, but we soon found out the north never returns what it takes. My father sank into depression and lost his mind. So when everyone was acting their age, waiting to turn of age so they could find their fated, I was forced to grow up and take over as Alpha. Maurice robbed me of my life. When I killed him, I saw it as an opportunity to

liberate our world from the evils of the north. Automatically I should be the wolf lord, but his son took over. My request for a match between that bastard and me for the seat was denied," he said and sighed.

"I let it go and took care of the south. Then I met Tamia," he said and looked at me.

"Your mark sat on her neck. A great deterrent for me, but knowing that you had found your fated, I knew the union was over; it would only take a matter of time before both of you called it quits, and then I could approach. Meanwhile, I planned on courting her. It seemed like a good plan then, and I was eager to get to know the green-eyed beauty," He said. I wanted to punch him but held my cool.

"Then I find out the north attacked and took her away, just like they took my mother; I was done being nice," he said, and his eyes turned golden yellow, which indicated his wolf.

"All this over a woman you met once?" I asked him, pointing out the ridiculousness of the matter, and he laughed.

"You see, unlike we Alphas that can detect our mates whether we have been claimed or not, it doesn't work the same for other wolves. It doesn't matter how long I spent with her or how many times I met her, Leo. All that matters is that Tamia is my fated," he said, and the shock was so much that I just stared at him, stunned.

Everything he did makes a lot of sense now.