The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

23 Getting to The Estate (Book 2)

~Amelia~

I was nervous about accompanying Leo to the King's hall. I did not think we were there yet, but I joined him since he insisted.

When we got there, I was taken to a loge. As grateful as I was that I would not be sitting where there were multitudes of people, I was nervous about being around a Volkov.

The very people that cost me my home and food truck and set me on the journey I was on. I was grateful, but I missed my food truck.

I had reservations about them since they were the reason I was displaced, but I was determined to set aside my grudges and get to know them.

"Dear, they say you are with Alpha Leo," Stephanie Volkov said, and honestly, if I did not know better, I wouldn't believe she was as old as people made her seem. She was stunning.

I looked at her, and she gasped before I could answer.

It made me look away immediately because I knew my eyes had shocked her.

"Oh my, those eyes," she said, and I did not need to guess anymore.

She placed her hand on mine gently.

"Look at me, dear," she said, and the man beside her cleared his throat. Text content © NôvelDrama.Org.

"You are making the young woman uncomfortable," he told her. The way he said it was gentle and endearing, and I figured they might be together, but the man looked more like a westerner than a Northerner. I kept my questions to myself and smiled at Stephanie.

"Oh my, your eyes are stunning," She said, admiring my not-so-normal feature.

"Never imagined I would get to see moon eyes in my lifetime. I have read of them and seen them in pictures, but my oh my, they are gorgeous," She said, staring at me to the point that I started blushing.

"You look like a Stephanov. How can this be?" Stephanie said, and I was a bit confused.

"Where are your parents, dear?" She asked, which was the question I avoided because I had no answer.

"I do not know. I grew up in an orphanage in the west," I replied, and she looked at me with pity.

"I am sorry to hear that, dear; it is just that you look like a distant relative of my late husband," She said. It made me chuckle a bit because there was nothing royal and noble about an Omega that got knocked up by a Delta. There was nothing regal about me.

I smiled, and she frowned at me.

"Are you together with Leo?" she asked me, and I did not know the answer to her question because Leo had not fully committed himself to me yet. In fact, I was the only one that felt the bond, so I did not know how to answer the question.

"We are friends" was the best I could come up with, but the look in her eyes showed she did not believe me. She squeezed my hand gently.

"We will talk later when you are more relaxed. Give it time," She said as if she understood what I was going through.

It would be nice to have someone to talk to about my fears and feelings for Leo. It was hard to sort through everything alone, but I kept calm because I was yet to know and trust her.

The hearing started, and I saw Kyle at the centre.

After hearing everything, I felt the guy had a serious sense of entitlement.

The woman he mistreated was so pretty and graceful, and I wondered how sick Kyle was to do those things to her.

She was blessed to have found a way out of the abusive marriage. She had obviously upgraded, and Kyle was the loser.

After Leo pronounced the judgement, I was proud of the fairness and realised his power.

Seeing him conduct and coordinate the hearing made me feel stupid. What was I thinking breaking into his home?

It also made me lose hope that he might want anything serious with me because I was a nobody. All the women there seemed like they brought something to the table. I had nothing to offer. Nothing at all. I tried not to let the realisation faze me.

Even though I felt inferior, I brushed it aside and tried to enjoy the moment. Sitting in the loge with Lady Volkov and her friend, I decided to enjoy the moment and not take it hard if everything ends between Leo and me. With how he has been from the moment we met, I doubted we had a future, but there was no harm in trying.

The hearing was over, and Leo asked me to join him.

He took me to the King and Queens loge. I wasn't comfortable about it because of the things I said about Queen Tamia and my reservations towards the Monarchs, but I complied and plastered a smile on my face. If I wanted Leo to try with me, then it was only fair I give his friends a chance, especially his ex, whom everyone claimed he was still hung up on.

I might learn a thing or two from her.

I wouldn't see her as an adversary where Leo was concerned. I intended to see her as his standard. I might not make the cut, and I won't try to change myself, but it will help me understand him better.

Leo was so friendly with them that I found it hard to believe he was once married to Queen Tamia. There was no way he was still hung up on her. I firmly believed he was just being careful.

I could see what Leah was talking about when she mentioned Tamia. She was beautiful and looked completely normal; she was also the first person not to act funny when she saw my eyes. Instead, she smiled warmly and said hello.

Hearing the King repeat what Lady Stephanie said about the Stepanovs piqued my interest because I wanted to know the Volkov relatives that I might look like.

Leo and I left their royal loge and prepared to leave when a woman accosted us at the entrance.

"Councilman Albert," The woman said respectfully and completely ignored me. I would have thought she was interested in Leo if she did not look older. I ignored her rudeness and remained beside Leo.

She looked at me, somewhat uncomfortable as if she did not want to speak in my presence. I decided to excuse them, but Leo held my hand and urged me to remain.

"What is it, Councilwoman Clayman," he asked, and I figured she was Leah's relative. The realisation made me almost laugh. I briefly had fun with Leah when she was in Leo's house.

"I am sure you can say whatever it is in Amelia's presence," Leo urged her so that she would know he was in a hurry.

"I. I ..." She said, looking at me and then at Leo.

"I want to invite you to dinner at our place. Lord Dominic and Marcel are coming," She said.

Leo nodded, agreeing to come and moved away from her, still holding my hand, so I followed.

We rushed to the unmarked cab we came with, away from the cameras and the press.

Max was already sitting in front when we entered, and Leo placed his hand on my thigh and squeezed gently.

"Where are we going to?" Max asked.

"The Volkov estate. The cab went to the hotel to get our bags. We will be staying at the estate," Leo said, and I looked at him surprised.

"I might have to return to Mountian today," he added.

"What about me?" I asked him, and he squeezed my thigh gently.

"We will talk when we get to the Estate," he linked me, and I became uncomfortable.

"I want to talk about it now," I linked him back, and he sighed.

"There were trackers in the forest we were attacked in. I need to secure my pack and region; something isn't right about the recent activities," he linked me.

Even though I knew he was being honest, I felt like he was trying to abandon me with the Volkovs since I looked like a distant relative of theirs. I wasn't interested in all that, so I shook my head.

"I am coming with you," I linked him, and he looked at me.

"You are not going to follow me, Amelia. You will remain here with the Volkovs. I will come back once I am done," He said with finality, making me chuckle.

"Just say you came to dump me here," I told him, laughing at myself.

I moved away from him and closer to the door to look out the window and fight my tears. I hardly cried. I wasn't going to allow this to make me cry.

"Amelia," he said, and I ignored him, refusing to look in his direction.

I focused on the buildings and trees outside the window, trying to escape my feelings.

I didn't want to come across as desperate because I wasn't, I was only giving it a try, but by the look of things, my heart might not be able to take it.

I needed to prepare myself for it and get ready to move on.

"Amelia," he called again and touched my thigh gently.

"Come on, please," he said gently, pleading with me to look at him, but I couldn't because If I did, my tears would fall, and I was still trying to fight them away.

Leo pulled me close with force and made me look at him, then touched my chin and raised my face to look at him.

I knew my eyes were a bit misty, but I tried to look defiant. I dared not speak, or I will lose the battle with my tears.

Leo crashed his lips on mine and kissed me fiercely and gently simultaneously. I could not explain it because I was feeling everything at once.

He held me close, and I finally relaxed in his arms while he kissed away my tears and fears.

"I am not abandoning you here, Amelia. I can't do that to you." he linked me while he kissed me, helping me to relax.

He moved from my lips to my neck and sucked on the skin of my sweet spot, making me moan.

Then he broke the kiss and caressed my cheek gently. He looked a bit worried too.

"I do not want you to think I am planning to abandon you," he said sincerely.

"I won't dare it, Amelia. I said I will try, and I mean it," he said, and I nodded gently.

Leo held me in the backseat until we got to the estate.

The place was grand.

I could not believe what I saw. The building was large and ancient. I wondered about the number of people that lived there because it looked like a settlement.

I wondered how the queen was able to make this place her home.

We alighted the cab, and some people came to help us carry bags from the back of the Cab.

We entered the building, and Leo held my hand and led me through.

He knew where we were going, so I guess I was the only person that did not know the place.

We walked quickly up a staircase, down a hall and into a room.

The room was beautiful, and it was elegantly furnished.

I was still admiring the room when someone knocked on the door, and Leo went to see who it was.

The staff brought in our bags and left immediately. Leo locked the door and pulled me close to him.

"Why will you think I will want to abandon you in this place," He asked, kissing my neck and undoing my blouse. All I could; do was moan in response.

Leo opened my blouse and carried me to bed. It made me giggle, and he smiled at me, undoing the buttons on his shirt too. There was an eagerness in his eyes that made me giddy.

He got into bed with me and went to work.

Leo understood my body enough to know what to do and how to touch me. I was a moaning mess all through.

We laid spent on the bed, and I giggled, laughing at myself for almost getting emotional in the cab.

Leo pulled me close and looked at me.

"Once I am sure all is okay, I will return to the north or ask Max to bring you home," he said, and I nodded.

I knew I would miss him, but I also knew he had a duty to fulfil to his people. I did not want to hold him back.

Soon we got dressed to attend lunch with everyone. I was nervous, but Leo promised everything would be alright. I smiled at his words of assurance and wore a peach sundress to attend the lunch.