The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

58 Telling Those That Matter (Book 2)

~Leo~

What Devin told me left me baffled.

I did not know what to do. If it was as serious as he described, it was only fair to involve the king. We could not deal with this bastard independently and were not genetically or physically equipped to push back.

After speaking to Devin, I took out my phone and called Alexei.

He was the only one I could talk to about this, and hopefully, I could get to meet Clay, and he could elaborate since he was in the southern region.

Amelia was overseeing the packhouse preparation for the arrival of our guests.

The place was too big and ostentatious for our liking, but it was a much-needed space at the moment.

Kyle and Max were helping her with the gym and training rooms. I was glad she was getting along with the alphas. It would make my life easier.

Alexei answered after a couple of rings, and I sighed with relief. I was getting worried when he did not answer the call immediately.

"Alpha Leo," he said, almost out of breath.

"I'm sorry I was training." He said, apologising, and I could not believe the extent of his humility.

He was hard to hate once you started knowing him.

"Have you spoken to your brother?" I asked him, and he paused a bit before answering.

"Not at all. Is there an issue?" He asked me, sounding worried.

"I just want to know the situation in the south. Devin just informed me that an entire settlement was wiped out by what I believe to be the Stepanov cult. They did not leave anyone. According to him, they wanted the land and asked the people to leave, but the Alpha there refused, and his refusal caused them to pump silver into the air, killing the people in the process." I said, and I heard him gasp.

"An entire settlement?!" he exclaimed.

"I can't wrap my head around it either," I confessed, and he was silent.

"It doesn't make sense why they would want to do that. The land is useless without the people. They were looking for people to lead," Alexei finally said, and I did not know how to respond.

For people that seemed to want to rule us, this was a pretty stupid move unless there was a good reason behind their behaviour that we were yet to find out.

"I wonder why Clay did not inform me of this," Alexei said, and I was silent. The question wasn't meant for me to answer.

"Do you mind if I call my brother and get back to you?" he asked, and I sighed.

"Not at all. Any insight into the matter would be great," I said, and he sighed.

"Andrew is on his way to me right now. He sounded hysterical when we spoke. I hope it had nothing to do with the southern attack. I will call Clay and get back to you. He is likely to know more," He said, and I thanked him and hung up.

I sat on my couch in the living room, raking my mind for ideas.

These people were beyond us.

They were enhanced, and they were strong.

They were also motivated and had nothing to lose.

They were not good enemies to have. We stood no chance in one-on-one combat with them. We did not stand a chance at all, and they knew it hence why they were emboldened.

I did not understand why they would come out now.

They had all these abilities, speed and skill; why did they not attack Maurice? Why try to use Larry twice? The second time around, they tried to mess Sylvester up politically. They did not come out until now.

What had changed?

I needed to find out what had shifted that made them either emboldened or desperate. It was one of the two.

These people were out of the shadows.

I took out my phone and decided to call Sylvester. I would have called Tamia instead, but I chose to speak to her husband this time around. Knowing they would soon be coming the east, I needed to inform them of the incident so they could be on guard.

The cult was moving, and it was time for us to devise a solid plan that would remain between us.

We do not need to trust anyone with it. We just needed a plan that was likely to work.

I dialled Sylvester's number, and he answered immediately.

"Leo!" Sylvester said, sounding jovial on the phone. It baffled me that what I had to say would spoil his happy mood. It wasn't my fault. It was just the way things were.

"When are you all coming to the east?" I asked, and he laughed.

"Eager to see us?" he said, thinking I was anxious about their arrival. I did not know how to put it to him, but I had to find a way.

"There was an attack in the south last night into the morning.

Devin called me to inform me about it," I said, and he did not say a word.

"They wiped out the entire settlement in Pridewood," I said, and Sylvester exclaimed.

"He said they came and asked the residents to leave. Exactly what they did to Kyle, but unlike Kyle, alpha Micheal did not think he should leave the place. He paid for his defiance with his life and that of the people on the settlement." I said, and we were quiet.

It took a while before Sylvester finally spoke.

I heard a crack in his voice, and I knew he was processing the news.

"Who are these people? What are these things?" he asked, and I cleared my throat to answer him. I was trying to put it off until they came, but things had sped up a bit. It was only fair I helped them catch up. NôvelDrama.Org owns this.

"I was going to tell you this in person, but as things are now, I should tell you over the phone," I said, and he told me he was listening. I composed myself before I mustered the strength to reveal what Alexei had told me.

"Alexei came by my pack yesterday morning. I invited him to study his body language because of what happened to Kyle. He honoured my invitation. I thought he was involved, but he blew everything wide open after speaking to him," I said and sighed.

"Alexei, Clay and Amelia are siblings," I confessed, hoping I wasn't getting my mate in trouble. I did not want to drag her into this, but she was in the middle of it.

"Please, Sylvester, Amelia has no hand in any of this shit," I said up front, and he assured me he wasn't thinking that way. I sighed and continued to speak.

"Apparently, when Dimitri Volkov killed Adrik Stepanov, he did not know Adrik had a pregnant mate. She fled to the east and had their son Luis Ivanov who later fathered Alexie, Clay and Amelia.

They aren't from the same mothers.

While Adrik's mate fled, other Stepanovs fled and went into hiding.

That was how the cult was formed.

The same cult that Larry joined.

The same cult that sponsored the uprising against your father and you. The very cult that troubles us now..." I said, and he exclaimed.

"Remember when Larry said there was more to come? He wasn't bluffing. We should have listened to Lord Lucas. We should have dug deeper," I told him, and he did not say a word.

"So, is this Alexei and Clay part of the cult?" he asked, and I said no.

"In fact, they have been hunting them. They tried to get Luis Ivanov to join them and their cause. He played it safe for a bit and soon outrightly refused. When he refused, they attacked him, and he

asked Alexei's mother to flee to the north with their son. She did so, and they survived until the cult caught and killed her, leaving Alexei alone to fend for himself.

At the same time Alexei and his mother were hiding in the north, Luis had to settle down with an easterner to blend in. That was how he had Clay, and his family in the north knew of his eastern family.

They finally found where he was, and he had to flee to the west to save their lives.

That was where he hooked up with Gezel Westwood, Amelia's mother, who is still in hiding because of the cult.

They had Amelia, and the cult no longer wanted him to join; they wanted Amelia so the head of their group, Erik Kozlov, could mate with her for superior pups. Taking them back to the days they practised inbreeding to concentrate the genes.

Erik's relatedness to Amelia is too distant to be regarded as inbreeding, but you get the logic," I said, and he sighed.

I told him the rest of the things Alexei told me, including what he said about Andrew.

Sylvester was silent for forty seconds before speaking.

"And he willingly volunteered this information?" he asked me, and as stupid as it sounded, that was the truth.

The burden must have been too much for Alexei to carry, so he confided in me. It could also be because he knew his sister was mine permanently. Whatever the case, something had urged him to open up to me, and it shone a light on the situation.

"So, we are dealing with a cult," Sylvester said, and I agreed.

"I was going to come next week, but expect us in two days." He said.

He also sounded urgent.

"I also want Alexei and Clay present. I want to interrogate them myself. Amelia is your mate, but I have no connection with them other than the fact that they are my relatives.

They are likely to show me their true colours faster," He said, and I feared that he might do something rash.

He was king.

I had no power over whatever he did. All I could do was plead on their behalf.

"Whatever you do, know that we need them in our corner," I said, and he chuckled.

"If they can be trusted, there will be no reason to do anything bad to them," He said.

I thanked him and hung up.

I knew their arrival would make things a bit hectic.