The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

99 Meeting Erik

~Leo~

I got ready for the meeting the next day. I was a bit tired because Amelia woke me up at night to discuss the meeting with the Sullivans.

She could not come because she was sleeping then, and no one was allowed to wake her.

I wished she was there, I knew she would have had plenty to say, but she wasn't, so I had to discuss the situation. She wasn't happy about it but understood she needed the rest.

Contrary to what I thought, Amelia trusted the Sullivans and had her reasons for it.

She said it was normal for them to want to protect their daughter and her mate.

I could see it from that angle, but Susan and Devin were yet to claim each other. I let the matter drop so I could sleep.

The night's discussion had messed up my sleep, and now that I was getting ready for my trip to Hayland, I was feeling the effect.

I left the room and headed to the kitchen to drink coffee.

To my surprise, the men were there making sandwiches.

I remembered the darn bet we lost and grumbled. I was hoping to eat something nice for a change.

"Can't we just do something spontaneous and cancel this bet? We ate sandwiches three times yesterday. I love Amelia's sandwich recipes, but I am tired," I said, and Sylvester laughed and showed me a cookbook.

"We plan to take it up a notch today." He said with his messy apron.

I looked at Kyle and Max, who seemed the least interested in what was going on in the kitchen.

"I will eat with the staff," Kyle said, and Sylvester forbade him.

"We had a bet, and we lost. We cook and eat. That was the deal. We have to be men of our word," He said, and Max grumbled.

Sylvester putting it that way, had backed them into a corner. They weren't men of their word; that was how they lost a lot, to begin with. It was a silent jab, and we all knew it, so when everyone started laughing, I could not help but join in.

"Time to turn a new leaf, guys," Dominic said, elaborating on the matter, and Kyle placed his head on the table, grumbling.

The food was plated on the table, and to our surprise, the women had a different breakfast from us. It was mouth-watering too.

They had baked potatoes, Danish pastries, juice, smoked sausages, baked beans, fruit salad, toast, salad and different types of dressing.

"We had a deal," Sylvester grumbled while Tamia ate the spread.

"Yes, we did, my darling husband, but as I stated, we do not have to eat what you prepare. Besides, we can only eat so many sandwiches," She said. Looking at the sandwiches we made. They looked great this time, but everyone was tired of them.

"Leo, Devin, Theodore and Clay can join us because they have a meeting to attend, and a full and satisfied stomach is required for it, but the rest of you must finish the bet. Be men of your word," She said, and all the men started laughing, including Kyle and Max, because she had said the same exact words that Sylvester had said to Kyle in the kitchen.

I ate some of the food, and soon, the others joined in. The women allowed it because the spread was much, but we still had to cook for the rest of the week. I was grateful for the meeting because I would miss a day of bad food.

Soon it was time for us to leave, and the Kappa that would drive us brought the van to the front.

We left for the meeting.

I noticed Devin and Clay were super excited, and I wondered what was special about this meeting.

Theodore seemed indifferent but very confident.

The drive to Hayland was about two hours on the express road. We had to be extra careful in case we were ambushed or something. I didn't want any surprises. We had no Nitric gas or masks. We were taking a considerable risk, and I hoped it would be worth it.

We arrived in Hayland peacefully but could not rest until we were out of the place. We had to avoid Alpha Gordon because he was a foe.

We could not tell him that Erik was in town, especially after learning that Erik was on Yuri's personal hit list.

I decided to call the number my father had given me to inform Erik that I was around.

The line rang a couple of times before it was answered.

"Hello," A deep, masculine voice answered with confidence.

"This is Leonardo Albert; I am in Hayland," I said, going straight to the point because it did seem like the person on the line had time for pleasantries.

"Come to Vision route. There is an abandoned warehouse by a dead gas station called Fill It. Once you get there, walk into the warehouse. Someone will join you. How many are you?" He asked, and I did not know if giving him our real number would be wise. We honestly had nothing to lose, so I told him our number.

"I see you came with the calvary. No surprises, Albert," he said and hung up.

He did not seem like a nice dude.

I began to suspect I had come with the wrong crew. David would have been best to liven him up. I guess our humour and confidence would have to do.

We ensured we weren't followed while driving through until we reached the Gas station.

It was a dead, run-down dump, and I wondered who the owner was.

The warehouse was there. It was a run-down building with part of the roofings gone.

I wondered if Erik was living in the place. We found a place to hide our van in the woods and went to the warehouse. We were extra careful to ensure we weren't being watched.

We entered the warehouse, and it was empty.

I wondered if we had been played.

I could smell and feel our tension, but we were calm and silent. Clay was growling, and I knew his wolf was on standby.

A latch in the ground opened, and a shirtless white-haired man with moon-coloured eyes came out of the opening. He looked young, so he couldn't be Erik.

"Clay, relax," The guy said, smiling at Clay, and it was weird because he looked like Clay and Amelia.

"Nelson, what are you doing here?" Clay asked him, and he approached Clay and hugged him.

"Joining the cause, bro. Yuri has gotten out of hand. I heard you are on the Volkov team now," He said, breaking the hug and looking at me warily.

"I am on my father's team," Clay said, and Nelson laughed.

"Come on." He said, and we followed him.

"Leo, Theo, Devin meet my cousin, Nelson; he is Yuri's youngest son. His father disowned him a few years ago. He stayed with me a while before he went missing. Yuri is after him, by the way, but it has nothing to do with what is going on," Clay said, and Nelson laughed.

"I stole his coin and a shit load of money," Nelson said, and they both laughed. I relaxed a bit, and we went underground.

It was a lab.

Alexei wasn't lying when he said Erik saw himself as a scientist. I wondered what he was doing here.

I wondered if Gordon knew Stepanovs were working on various mixtures and lab apparatus in a hidden lab in Hayland. My guess was he didn't. The Stepanovs in the lab seemed happy and relaxed.

I saw two girls that looked a bit like Amelia but not as pretty. I wasn't being sentimental; it was true.

We were ushered to a door, and Nelson knocked.

"Who is it," I heard a loud, deep voice. The same voice I heard on the phone.

"They are here, Uncle," Nelson said, and there was silence.

Erik must have linked Nelson because he opened the door and let us in.

I walked in, and I was surprised to see a small-frame man.

About five feet seven inches tall. He was slender and had a lot of white hair on his head and beard. He looked neat and healthy. He had one blue eye and the other moon coloured.

"Have a seat," He said and looked at Clay.

We remained standing just in case it was a trap. It wasn't like we could do much in our situation, but it was best to go down fighting than go down quickly.

"Luis did replicate himself," He said, staring at Clay, and Clay greeted him.

"I won't want to waste your time. I am sure you all know by now what is going on; that is why you are here. What are the Volkovs offering in exchange for my help?" He asked, getting straight to the point. I swallowed immediately and tabled the offer.

"Lordship to the legitimate heirs, restoration of the Stepanov name and the Western region," I added. There was no way I wanted Sean to still head the West. Erik laughed.

"A region already compromised," he said, and I shook my head.

"Sean would be dealt with and his title revoked. The King still owns the West," I said, and he nodded.

"He sent the right guy. I was expecting he would send one of his distant cousins for this," he said and laughed.Material © of NôvelDrama.Org.

"Oh, but he did. I almost forgot that you are a Volov too, Albert," He said, correcting himself and laughing.

"When Ricky said you were coming, I thought the King wouldn't allow you, but he did. He must trust you. Even though he took your wife," he said, and I smiled and maintained my cool.

"We are where we were meant to be," I replied.

"Loyal to a fault," he said, observing, and I remained silent.

"What about you, Lord Orlov? You would allow the council leader to speak where you are present?" He asked Theodore, and he nodded.

"I am only here so you would know the King has a hand in this, and we respect you. Leo is in charge of this meeting," Theodore said, and Erik nodded with approval.

"Tell Sylvester that his offer is good enough for me. All the people that committed the crime against my lineage are dead. I have no qualms with him. I just want to walk in the daylight without dying my hair, wearing contact lenses and hiding my name. I want to be a noble again. I want my bloodline to be free." He said, and his eyes were misty. Their situation wasn't rosy, and it showed.

"Why does Yuri want to kill you?" I asked him, and he became angry.

"My mother made a mistake bringing that bastard along. He is too greedy for his good. He has wanted to be a king ever since we were little. I did not know he would pursue his ambitions like this. It seemed we were trying to preserve the family name and avenge our relatives, but after a while, I realised we were turning into monsters, which made me want out of the group. That was why we divided the group. But that isn't why he wants me dead," he said, and I frowned at him.

"So why does he want you dead?" Theodore asked.

"Because of AgK32," he said, and I frowned at him.

"Silver serum. While trying to replicate our genes, I made a serum that helps normal werewolves resistant to silver for a short period. It was meant to have a lasting effect, but it doesn't. See it more like a temporary preventive measure. The side effects are not so harmful. A rash and fever after twenty-four hours of usage.

You see, the serum makes us less unique because our immunity to silver is our superpower. Giving others the power, even if it is for a short period, would be risky for his plans to take over by force and rule," He said and laughed. A lightbulb went on in my head, but I held my tongue.

"Tell Volkov to put all he has promised in place, and he will have five hundred true Stepanovs at his disposal. I do not know Yuri's location, but we will snuff him out. His last known Location was Mountain, but I think he has moved. He is a master of disguise, so you won't catch him easily.." he said, and he had lost me when he said Yuri's last known location was Mountain.

"When was he in Mountain?" I asked, and Erik understood my fear.

"When Amelia arrived. I had people watching her from your woods," he said with a guilty expression because he wasn't supposed to do that. I wondered why he watched my mate, but I would ask later.

"I am also sorry that I tried to capture you," he said, laughing as if it were nothing. I held my tongue and let him finish his statement.

"My people saw him in your settlement a couple of times, I have photos, but they won't be helpful because he was disguised. He left after they burnt down your plant. Gordon is in on it too. I have my ears to the ground. Yuri has much support, but we can take him out together. I need Sylvester just as much as he needs me. I am not too proud to admit that, you see," He said and went to sit.

He offered us seats again, and this time, we sat down.

Erik ordered Nelson to bring us something to eat. I still could not get over Yuri being in Mountain without my knowledge and Erik having his men in my woods watching us.