The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

08 Arriving The North

~Tamia~

The men dragged me all the way. My heart broke to see wounded and dead wolves on the ground.

What did Kyle do to doom our entire region? I wondered and fought the tears welling in my eyes.

The Dark Alpha was ruthless, and I now understood why people feared him.

I was dragged to the border between Mountain Pack and Valley hill pack. There I saw a massacre.

Warriors were killed. Looking at the casualties, I noticed only our wolves were killed. None of the northern wolves died.

It made me wonder who trained them and also made me dread the Dark Alpha.

Where was Devin? He was supposed to be in our region to help when something like this happened, but he was nowhere to be found.

I could not fathom the lives that were affected by this.

A white van was waiting, and the men dragging me opened the door and ordered me to get in.

I did what they said without question. My goal was to leave Leo; it wasn't to get killed.

After all I saw on our way, I made a conscious decision not to aggravate or irritate the northern soldiers.

I sat down, surprised to see the other people in the truck with me.

Someone hit the side of the truck twice, and the engine started.

"So he threw you to them, too?" Avery asked me, and I frowned at her, not understanding what she meant. I looked at Linda, and she didn't look pregnant.

"I mean, Leo gave you to them as a peace offering to the Dark Alpha so they can leave him and Amanda alone and spare his pack," Avery said, explaining her question, and I shook my head. She was surprised by my response.

"He didn't. He shifted and fought to protect us, but they overpowered him. They were going to kill him, so I asked them to take me," I said, and she was shocked.

"Are you out of your mind?" she asked, and I frowned.

"How can you make that sacrifice? You are a good warrior; you two would have stood a chance together," she said, and tears welled in my eyes, remembering the real reason I surrendered.

"I was tired of everything, Avery. I couldn't take it anymore." I told my friend, and tears streamed down her face.

"You should have stayed. However it was, you had it better than Linda and I. We would have given anything to remain if our husband didn't give us up as peace offerings. Whatever you were going through with Leo is better than being the Dark Alpha's trophy and slave. Leo cared for you and still gave you your respect. You said it yourself. Four nights in a week, Tamia, I rarely get one. His love is true. It is unfortunate that fate fucked you two up, but you should have fought beside him and stayed." She said, and I wiped away my tears and looked at her.

"He got her pregnant, Ave," I said and began to weep.

There was no point hiding my feelings. I had no shame to cover. It was best I bare it all for all to see.

"He took precautions with me for five years, telling me he wasn't ready, but he got her pregnant in months. I could not be the third wheel. They were already a family. Leo wouldn't have surrendered or given me up. He had proven it already. I had to do what was best for all of us. His heart was no longer in it. Everything he did was out of duty. Now he and Black are free to be with Amanda and live the lives they want. I will take my chances with the Dark Alpha. Nothing can hurt me as much as what fate did to me." I said, and Avery nodded and looked at Linda, who remained quiet all through.

"What is wrong with her?" I asked Avery, unable to link each other because of the silver chains in our hands.

"She has been quiet since I entered. Her pack was the first to go down. She lost the baby due to stress and malnutrition, and then Kyle pointed her as his luna and gave her away as a peace offering. Max did the same to me. He took his bitch to the shelter and asked me to stay and fight. When he noticed they were strong, he surrendered and gave me to them. If only these people knew we weren't the Lunas anymore, they would be mad," she said and smiled.

"Just like you, I believe life in captivity is freedom compared to where I am coming from," Avery said.

I leaned forward and touched Linda's lap gently. She snapped out of it and looked at me. Then she began to cry. Kyle had broken the woman in irreparable ways.

I went to sit next to her so she could rest her head on my shoulder. She did so and wept.

Linda did not utter a word, but Avery complained all through. We made some long stops, and I wondered what they stopped to do, but because we were not let down, we could not see or know what they were doing at the various stops.

Linda eventually fell asleep; gradually, sleep came for me too.

I felt someone tapping me, and I woke up. I found myself resting on Avery's shoulder; she was awake. I must have slept all through.

"They want us to get down," Avery said, and I looked around, a bit disoriented. Then I remembered what had happened.

The van door opened; Avery was the first to get out, followed by Linda and me.

I was shocked to see we were at a hangar, and a jet was waiting for us.

"Get in, Lunas, do not keep us waiting," a man said.

I knew the north was far, so I was grateful they would spare us the trouble of driving all the way there.

"Not all the captives get this privilege; move it," a man said, pushing Linda to move.

"Hey, take it easy. Can't you see she isn't well?" I told the man coming to Linda's defence.

He walked up to me and smiled, then landed a painful slap on my cheek. It stung badly, and I had silver on, so I knew his hands would print on my cheek.

"This isn't your pack, bitch, and you aren't my Luna. You are a trophy, a glorified slave. If you talk back at me again, I will make it worse," he said calmly, and I made sure his face registered because there was no way he was going to get away with that. No one slaps me and gets away with it. I might have decided not to fight by my husband's side, but I will not take shit from anyone. I remained silent and made a mental note.

We got into the jet. We were all given seats. I wondered what happened to the other Alphas that didn't have a luna to offer or refused to provide their Lunas as a peace offering. Were they dead? or

did they manage to push back? Were we the ones that got the brunt of the attack being the first packs to be hit before the others?

We were served food and had to manage to eat in chains. The distance between my right hand and left wasn't much, so every time I put the food in my mouth, I had to lift the other hand.

I stared out the window, wondering what Leo was doing right now. If he was okay and glad to be rid of me. I guess I would never find out because that aspect of my life was over.

I said goodbye long ago, but I am doing it now.

The jet landed, and we were ushered out of the aircraft, loaded into a black van and taken to goddess knows where.

Avery wasn't so chatty after the slap I received. According to her, it was still printed on my face.

The van arrived at an ancient castle-like estate, and we were led in by the bastard who slapped me.

We followed quietly. With Linda's walking, I knew she would pass out soon. I hoped they take us to our cells so she could rest.

The castle was cold, old and dark, but it had the taste of affluence. It was like a beautiful antique that was well cared for. I knew the Dark Alpha came from old money but seeing this castle, I needed help to guess how old.

We were taken to a room and asked to wait, standing. A few minutes later, a tall, dark-skinned, brown-haired, grey-eyed man walked in. He was brawny and wore a black shirt that hugged his muscles tightly. He had long hair, which he packed in a ponytail. His beard was bushy, but it didn't hide his pink lips. The man was handsome, and he walked up to us with a stern face.

"Are these the trophies?" He asked, and the bastard that slapped me stepped forward.

"Yes, Gamma, These are the lunas; the others will arrive soon. They are travelling by road," he said, and I realised we were in the presence of the third man in charge.

"So they surrendered," he said.

"Brent and Hill Valley. Mountain didn't. She gave herself up to save him." He said, pointing at me. The man looked at me and squinted.

"What is your name, Luna?" He asked me, and I knew I shouldn't keep eye contact, but I couldn't help it. It wasn't in my nature to cower.

"Tamia Albert," I said as respectfully as I could manage. He lifted my chin and examined the handprint on my cheek.

"Who hit you, Tamia?" He asked me calmly and very gently too. I did not hesitate to point at the bastard.

"He did," I said quickly, hoping that would get him in trouble.

The man released my chin and turned towards the arsehole.

"Did you do that, Kappa?" He asked, and I could not believe he was a bloody kappa.

"She was being mouthy," he said quickly.

"She is a luna; what did you expect? Besides, you know how the Alpha feels about tampering with his things. Did she pose a threat to you?" He asked him, and the man shook his head.

"Then why hit a defenceless woman?" he asked, and the man could not answer.

"Did you somehow feel threatened by her, or were you overcompensating for something?" He asked, and I wanted to laugh, but I held it. The kappa became scared.

"How do I explain this to Alpha? His gifts are meant to be well cared for, and you know it," he said before the man could say anything. The Gamma punched his jaw, and we all heard a crack. I did not need anyone to point out what that meant. The Kappa's jaw had been shifted.

"Only the Alpha, beta and I are allowed to touch these women." He said to the kappa and then turned to us.

"My apologies, ladies. That would never happen again. I must assure you, northern men are civilised and professional. He will be dealt with accordingly." He said, and I swallowed without saying a word.

"What does the Alpha want to use us for?" Avery asked him, and he stepped to her and sniffed the air around her.

"Never mind. He doesn't touch used goods," he said to her, and I felt relief because the last thing I wanted was to end up as a sex slave in the north. We were used goods alright. Used and abused.

"When the others arrive, take them to the Alpha so he can choose the ones he wants. Let the lunas rest while we wait for the rest of the trophies," he ordered and walked away. I did not know what he meant by choosing, but it didn't sit well with me.