The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

20 Shocking and Unwelcomed

~Leo~

I received Tamia's letter and was shocked that the wolf Lord would help her send it.

Tamia was a loveable woman; I could imagine what she was doing there. The letters made it clear that she was okay, and I felt a bit jealous that she was happy without me.

I wasn't happy. My heart was still broken, and I had lost a part of me when I released her.

I wonder who was helping her through the difficult moment.

Amanda had moved back into the house and was gradually busy furnishing the living room.

I did not let her move into the room I shared with Tamia.

I wanted to hold on to her scent until time faded it away.

Rebuilding the damage caused by the attack had taken most of my time, and I had stopped attending the regional meetings.

I received two summon letters that I did not honour.

I could not help but blame Kyle for what happened to me.

People might argue that my marriage was over before the attackers came, but I was trying to fix it.

I felt stuck. Even though Amanda and I were fated and my feelings for her were strong, I felt stuck. I

felt fate had stolen my free will and fucked with my life; the Wolf lord took Tamia from me.

I wished her the best, but I prayed that one day, soon, the Wolf Lord would release her, and she will come home. I will be waiting with open arms, loving her with all my heart, and never making her cry again. It was a promise I made to myself.

I was sitting in my office when Casper brought me a parcel. It was huge, and a letter was attached to it.

"Who sent it?" I asked my Beta, and he looked worried.

"The Wolf Lord," he said, and I saw blood on the parcel. I became scared it was Tamia. My hands were shaking when I began to undo the strings that secured the box.

I opened it and saw the head of an eastern warrior. As gory and sad as the sight was, I was relieved that it wasn't Tamia.

I opened the letter.

"Alpha Leonardo Albert. I was kind to receive your letter and deliver it to your ex-wife. I was kind to allow her to send you a letter so you would have closure. I believe you are an honourable man, but I have issues with the east now.

Your region teamed up with Alpha Devin and sent men to attack my sanctuary in the north to abduct Tamia from me.

They came with poisoned gas and tried to eliminate my people.

This is to let you know that I won't sit idly by while your people insult me. I am sending you this parcel because I know you are in charge of the east.

Let this be a warning. I will not take another attack lightly.

I know your packs are yet to recover from the last one, which makes this a stupid move.

The only reason I won't strike now is because of Tamia.

I know she will be mad if I hurt you, but do not push me, Alpha Leonardo. Whatever you have going on with Devin should remain between the east and south. Tamia belongs to me now. She is mine; I will see another attempt to steal her as an act of war.

I won't be taking trophies, and I won't accept peace offerings.

I will burn the entire east to the ground. Sylvester Volkov." It read, and my hands shook.

I could feel his rage from reading the letter. I also noticed that he was possessive of Tamia.

I did not need to guess. He had made exceptions for her, which was against his character. He might have fallen for her.

I did not understand why Devin would send men to the north to rescue Tamia; I also wondered who gave him the eastern soldiers he needed. Missing the meeting had left me in the dark.

It was time for me to stop grieving over my loss and be the leader I was supposed to be. It was time to take the reigns.

I looked at my Beta.

"Casper, do you know of the attack?" I asked him.

"I just heard, Alpha. Apparently, Alpha Max wanted Avery back, and teamed up with Devin to get Avery and Tamia back," he said, and I became angry.

"Without my consent? Who the fuck do they think they are? I am in charge of the east. I feel insulted," I said, and Casper was silent.

"Call a meeting and invite that bastard Devin. I want to know why he and Max will do this to us." I said, and Casper left.

I wondered what gave Devin the right to risk a war over Tamia.

They met once. Danced once, and he suddenly felt he could.

Was he trying to say I did not love her enough to go after them?

Tamia gave herself up so that people would live.

If my life was all that was at stake, I would have risked it all to get her back, or died trying.

I called Kyle immediately because he was the one that brought Devin into our lives.

"Hello," He said, sounding drunk on the phone.

I did not know how he was drinking, but I didn't bother to ask him why.

"Do you know about the attack?" I asked him, and he was silent.

"I just heard about it. I can't believe Max and Devin will put us in this situation. I am afraid right now, Leo. I have nothing to give the Wolf Lord if he retaliates," he said, and I could understand why he was drinking.

"We better hope he doesn't because he doesn't plan to take anything. He sent me a message that he would burn the east to the ground," I told him, and he exclaimed.

"We need to prove to him we had no hand in it," Kyle said.

"And Max?" I asked, and he sighed.

" He dug his grave," he said

"But you were the one that brought Devin to the east. You made us forge the alliance with the scumbag; since then, we have had nothing but trouble. The wolf Lord never bothered with us, and we never looked for his trouble until we made the alliance with the south," I said.

"What are you saying, Leo?" He asked, and I sighed.

"If you said you didn't stage the first attack, then who do you think will do it on your behalf?" I asked, and he was silent. I knew he understood what I was driving at, but he was too afraid to say it.

"Do you think that Bane is trying to get us in trouble with the wolf lord?" he asked, and I laughed.

"I am not sure, but I suspect he has a hand in it. Hence why he will attack the north by joining forces with Max. We both know he knew he could not win. This is the wolf lord we are talking about." I said, and Kyle was silent.

"I will see you at the meeting tonight. Come sober," I told him and hung up.

After talking to Kyle, I thought of my deductions.

Bane was smart, it was supposed to be a get in get out mission, but Max was his fail-safe. If his warriors do not succeed, the south won't be the only region implicated. The east will be implicated, too, forcing us to join forces and go after the north if the Wolf lord tries to retaliate.

I hoped for all our sakes I am wrong because if that is the case, we are fucked. I fought the northern warriors, and they were too skilled and strong.

On my way home, my phone rang, and I answered; it was Max.

"Leo, I am sorry," were his first words.

"It sounded like a good idea at then. He didn't tell me he was going for Tamia. He just said he would help me get my Avery back." Max said, and I felt it was weird that he would want Avery back after all he made her endure because of Michelle. I heard he used to beat Avery. Why will he want her back so badly?

"I thought you wanted her out of your lives?" I asked him, and he sighed.

"I want her back. My life hasn't been the same. It's been almost a month, and everything is falling apart. All Michelle is good for is fucking, and she has a terrible attitude. I am beginning to suspect the things she said Avery did to her were lies. She just wanted my wife out of the picture. I regret everything. I should have given them Michelle. I am doing my job and Luna's duty now. Michelle is so dumb, and I am mad fate will join me with such a useless piece of shit. You know the fucked up part, I can't hate her. Whenever she is with me, I feel like a fool. My wolf just gives in. I should have risked being weak and rejected her." he said, ranting, and I sighed.

"Still, you had no right to go after her now. The Wolf Lord is mad," I said, and he growled.

"I did not care," he said, and I growled back.

"I care. I fucking care, damn it. People died last time; how many more are we willing to sacrifice? Let it go. I am sure she is fine. The man is treating them well," I said so he could be at peace.

"And how do you know this? That man is a sick fuck. Do you know what the north does to Lunas they capture?" he said, and I sighed.

"He is different, Max. Tamia sent me a letter saying she was fine. If anything was wrong, she would have found a way to put it in the letter without letting them know. I am sure Avery has accepted that she belongs to the north and moved on. Do the same," I said, and he was silent.

"See you at the meeting tonight, and make sure Devin shows up," I said and hung up. I returned to the house, and Amanda was weeping at the table.

I knew her blackmail tactics, and I was numb to them. So I walked to my bedroom. I showered and dressed, then returned to the living room to wait for the meeting.

"Leo," Amanda said, coming to join me on the couch with puffy eyes.

"You haven't touched me since I returned. I did not do anything to deserve this." She said, and I looked into her eyes. She was sad, even though I knew it wasn't her fault. I was still in mourning. Black wanted to comfort her, but I held back.

"Give me time," I said gently and kissed her forehead.

No matter how mad I was, I couldn't hate her. She remained with me on the couch until it was time for the meeting. I did not want her to follow me, but she insisted, so I let her. I waited for Amanda to get dressed, so I knew I would arrive at the meeting late.

When I arrived at the meeting hall, there was a full-blown argument, and I realised Max was trying to fight Devin, claiming he had tricked him.

"You wanted Avery, and I wanted Tamia. How did I trick you?" Devin said, stating what transpired. I walked up to him and tried to punch him, but he caught my fist.

"You won't hit me twice, Alpha Leo. I will give you your respect because of our alliance, but do not try to hit me again," He warned me, and his yellowish wolf eyes flashed.

"The Alliance is off. Go back to your region. You have done enough," I said.

There was no need to have a lengthy discussion. They had admitted what they had done, and everyone knew what might ensue. The only thing left was a response to their actions.

Devin looked around, wanting to see if they shared the same opinion, but no one countered me.

"I may not be as famous or as powerful as you are, but this is my region, these are my people, and I am the head. Kyle made that alliance with my permission. I am breaking it tonight," I said, and he nodded, accepting defeat.

"You will regret this, Alpha Leo. The north can't be trusted. The Lord of the north is sly and wicked, and he will come for all of you when you least expected it," He said, and I laughed.

"What does taking Tamia from the north have to do with conquering it?" I asked him, pointing out the stupidity of his words.

He looked at me funny.

"It wasn't a crime trying to get Tamia away from that bastard. She deserves better, Leo. You might not feel anything for her, but she deserves better than being a fuck toy for the wolf lord and his officers," He said with pain and anger, and I could swear he was in love with Tamia. I had never seen Devin break character before. What the fuck was his problem? They only met once.