The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

106 Last-Minute Discussions

~Leo~

I decided to meet with the people I would be leaving behind in Mountain before going to bed. My parents, the Sullivans, Max, Kyle, and Casper, waited for me in the living room.

As much as it was my duty to be at the council in the north, the east was my responsibility, and I would be damned if I let it fall. Devin did not have the same support as I did, so the South fell, but with the loyalty and eagerness of the Alphas of the East, it was my duty to ensure we did not fail.

I entered the living room and found a suitable place to sit where I could see all of them and would not have to turn to speak to anyone.

"Have you secured the prisoner?" I asked Casper, and he nodded.

"We found these in his pockets," Kyle said, handing me a small plastic bag. They must have dumped Gordon's pocket content in it.

Some things were unnecessary to show me, but I understood Kyle and Max's reason.

"Chewing gum, a condom, some weird-looking pills, a lighter, and receipts. I wondered if the light was what he used to set my plant ablaze.

"Thank you," I told Kyle, and Grey stretched his hands, wanting to view the content. I threw it to him, and he caught it easily.

"I need you to get all the information you can from him, Casper. I do not mind you going to the extreme," I told my beta, and he nodded.

"Kyle, Max, if there is an attack in Mountain, both of you should lead the battle as we did in Brentwood. All civilians should be underground before sunset. I know most of them have been

coming out during the daytime to handle their businesses throughout this week; no one should be caught roaming the streets, or their lives would be forfeited. We can't be worried about safety and victory at the same time. The two do not go hand in hand when dealing with the likes of Yuri," I said, and Kyle and Max agreed.

"You need to be careful in the north, Leo, Yuri might surprise you and strike there. If Gordon was his informant, then he knows of the meeting and might know of the topic of discussion. He could have had someone lurking around the vicinity of the town hall to eavesdrop on your discussion," my father said and sighed.

He bowed his head and then looked at me with a serious expression. My mother placed her hand over his to calm him down, and I could see the mist in his eyes.

"If I knew these people would turn out this way, I would have moved to expose and eradicate them, not helped them as my father instructed. They have caused much damage and ruined many lives in the name of greed and revenge," He said, feeling guilty for Stepanov's crimes. I would feel the same way if I were in his shoes, so there was no point in searching for words to make him feel better. Exclusive © content by N(ô)ve/l/Drama.Org.

My father had the duty to tell me of these people before handing the pack over to me. Instead, he chose to leave me in the dark, and thus they had room to work from the shadows and thrived.

Had I known of them, Larry wouldn't have been an issue, and many things would have happened differently.

"You are my only child Leo. I am glad Amelia is pregnant, and I hope we multiply more than this. Please be safe out there. Do not try to be a hero. I know you care about your friends, but when it comes down to it, it is a Volkov war," He said, and I sighed.

"Which puts us in the middle of it, Father, because we are Volkovs too. Yuri will not stop until every Volkov is wiped out, including us and my children. So it is personal," I said, and he nodded.

I knew what he was trying to say, but some things were unavoidable.

"I do not want to die either, and I hope I don't. Goddess willing, I hope I will live to tell the story, and I also hope so for everyone involved. The best we can do is act wisely and not move on impulse," I added to ease our minds, and he nodded.

"Yuri might surround the King's hall or find a way to attack. Have you set a date for the meeting?" Grey asked, and I contemplated telling him the truth.

I decided against it last minute.

Katya's advice rang in my head. We could not allow the space and time for the enemy to plan and set their plan into action.

I didn't think Grey was working for the enemy, but I did not trust him enough to gamble with our lives by telling him our exact plan.

"We are leaving for the north tomorrow, but the meeting won't be soon. I will inform you all when we finally set a date," I said.

Kyle looked at me, surprised and confused, because he and Max knew the meeting would occur in the evening the day after tomorrow. His surprise disappeared, and I knew he had figured out why I had lied.

"No need to tell us," My father said.

"The less we know, the safer. We do not know what will happen here. We have to be unable to give valuable information under duress. It is the only way," My father said, and Grey agreed.

"Just tell the King to remember what his sister-in-law said. Do not give Yuri time to mobilise his people," Grey said, and I nodded.

"I am sure Sylvester knows better," I replied.

"Very well, we will set everything in place tomorrow. Hopefully, he chooses not to attack, but I plan to get information from Gordon, make him suffer, and pay for that plant. Hayland would have to take responsibility for the damage their Alpha caused in Mountain," My father said through gritted teeth, and I knew Gordon would not have it easy.

We lingered a bit before we decided to retire.

I linked Max to talk by asking him to join me in the lounge. I had promised Timothy I would speak to him. It was time for me to discuss Mirabel with him before I left.

I felt weird about it knowing I would kick against it if I were in his shoes, but a promise was a promise.

I got to the lounge and poured both of us drinks.

"Nervous about tomorrow?" Max asked me, and I nodded.

"Heard they will be disguised," he said, laughing, and I nodded.

"They will be leaving in Kappa uniforms. So they won't be detected," I said, and he smiled.

"I can only imagine how they would look," Max said, laughing at the thought.

"So you will be going with a security detail of twenty people, you, Amelia, Devin, Susan, Clay, Alexei, and the two nurses Erik brought with him," he said, and I bobbed my head.

"I can see you disguising all of them as your security detail, but how would you pass Erik off? He is too small, and no matter what he does with his eyes and hair, you can't pass him off as part of your security. He doesn't fit the profile," He said, making a valid point. Something we had thought of.

"I know he won't be part of the security. I am contemplating disguising him as my secretary." I said, and Max laughed.

"I do not think that would work either. Most men do not come in that size; it would be a red light for an informant," He added, smiling, then gulped down the brandy I had poured him. It was indeed a dilemma I was yet to solve.

Max looked at the glass.

"I honestly thought it was malted whiskey," he said, scrunching his nose.

"What happened to the sense of smell?" I asked him, and he laughed at himself.

It was good to see him happy, even in the presence of Avery and Marcel. Just like me, both he and Kyle had come a long way.

"Back to the reason I called you here," I said, and he was attentive.

We both sat on the high stool by the bar of the lounge. I grabbed the bowl of nuts we had left there earlier and started picking on them. Max joined me too.

"Timothy is hoping you will mate with Mirabel and take over his pack," I said, and Max laughed a bit.

"He is looking at the wrong man," He said, laughing, and I knew his response was no.

I felt sorry for Timothy because he wanted to retire badly. It was best he found a strong beta for his granddaughter because Max would soon return to Hill Valley, and Kyle would return to Brent.

There isn't anyone I know with Alpha genes that can do the job. Most of them owned packs or belonged to packs and might want a merger which I know Timothy would not like. It was a difficult situation.

"He should be asking Andrew. Mirabel captured his attention in Brentwood. Although short, it was long enough to leave an impression," Max said, and my eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" I asked, and he nodded.

"He asked Casper that night who she was, and I recognised that look anytime. I guess you haven't noticed because she is in recovery, and we have been occupied, but Andrew checks on her before returning to the bungalow at night. I know this because I traced him two nights ago. You know we all suspect him. I was surprised that he went to the clinic to check on Mirabel," he said, and I started laughing with relief.

A pure Stepanov Delta is just as good as an Alpha. I am sure Timothy would be overjoyed with this. I decided to not tell him just yet and wait and see.

I knew many people did not trust Andrew, but hopefully, his hands are clean; Timothy can comfortably retire while Andrew runs Brentwood alongside Mirabel.

Max and I talked about trivial stuff and soon decided to retire. Tomorrow would be a long day, and I wasn't looking forward to it.