The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

98 Preparing For The Meeting

~Leo~

I could not believe Sean was a bastard.

Had we known he would betray us like this, we wouldn't have opted they give him head Alpha of the West.

It seemed right then because we needed the four regional alphas to agree to the kingship. Little did we know it would be a move we would regret.

I had suspected him when there was a high inflow of displaced people in the East and South. Every time the council reached out to him, he would have a logical explanation for it.

He would say they were packs belonging to alphas hanged for treason.

He would suggest that the pack members did not like the new alpha and decided to leave.

It did not corroborate what the people said, but how would we know? I had a region to run, Devin had a region to run, and the council had their hands full. The Royal family also had their hands full trying to balance Larry's stunt's financial and economic effects. We were too occupied to dig deep, and he took advantage of it.

What I did not understand was why he would think he deserved more. If anyone deserved more, it was Christian. He was with us through it all, even at the expense of his wife and son. Sylvester had forgiven their crimes for his sake, and Christian was content with it. Why would Sean think that way? He was a greedy bastard, and we made a terrible mistake by trusting him.

I noticed my father talking on the phone, and I did not need to guess whom he was talking to. I knew Erik had finally reached out. It made me nervous. I doubted I wanted to see the man based on trust alone. I did not know what to expect, and the fact that Amelia was pregnant made it more

difficult. It wasn't like she was sick or something, and it wasn't like she needed me. I just wanted to be with her. I guess it was the excitement of it all.

"I hope we can trust the two of you," I finally spoke, looking at Grey and his wife.

"Our history with your family has not been great, with Susan being the exception. I would not trust you until you give me a reason to. It isn't personal, but I hate being played. If you say you are on our side, then you better be. There is too much hanging in the balance; another betrayal would be too much. It is not personal.

I do not trust my parents either. I haven't seen them in almost seven years, and a lot has changed within those years for anyone to remain the same.

I dislike pretending, so I am stating it out of respect. I hope I am clear," I said, and everyone was silent.

I knew no one expected me to be that blunt, but I had too much to deal with that I did not have time to investigate them or watch my back all the time.

I needed them to assure me with their actions that I would not need to watch my back where they were concerned.

"We have sworn our allegiance to the King. That should be good enough, but if you want us to prove it, I implore you to give us a chance. You should know that we have personal stakes, just like your parents. They have you and your mate to worry about, and we have our daughter and her mate to worry about. Susan is our only child and the only family we have left. We will be damned to want to ruin her life and happiness." Grey said, making much sense, and I nodded.

"Good enough for me. But I will still be watching," I said, and David laughed.

"We will all be watching. We shouldn't have to pay for a crime our great-grandfather and grandfather committed. Even our father had no hand in this, and I will come to my father's defence on this," David said, looking at Grey, who was slightly annoyed.

"Whether you like it or not, Beta Sullivan, there was an uprising, and your family was smack in the middle. They did it twice. The real person you should blame for depriving you of spending time with your daughter and forcing you into hiding is your brother Nicolas, not my father.

My father did nothing wrong by trying to hunt down and eliminate the threat.

If my father was evil, he should have wiped out your entire family. The law calls for it if you have been accused of treason, but he spared your brother, niece and daughter.

That has to account for something.

He let her grow up there and date his son, his heir, and only asked them to leave when he felt his secret was exposed.

He could have still killed your brother, daughter and niece for it, but he allowed Nicolas to move away with Susan, whom he believed had the knowledge of his secret and allowed your niece Glenda to continue living in the north.

You can't come here and try to paint my father as an evil man because he wasn't. He wasn't anything like his father or his grandfather. He was just a careful man with sentiments," David said. I had never seen him angry before, but I guess what Grey said about Maurice got to him, and he was right.

The law did state that if found guilty of treason, the entire family should be wiped out. It was Sylvester that recently abolished that law. Maurice did make an exception for the Sullivans. David was right.

We all stared at Grey, waiting for him to say something, but he was speechless.

"Even now, your family is still smacked in the middle of treason because of the massacre in Pridewood. Talk of being overprivileged," Dominic said, a bit annoyed, and I knew I had to calm the situation.

It was only a matter of time before the Volkovs start pushing back.

A lot of shit had been said about them, and they were made to look like monsters, but looking at the entire scenario, the Stepanovs were more monsters than the Volkov.

It was still a Stepanov versus Volkov war.

"We need to calm down," My father said, noticing the tension in the air.

"You can't ask us to be calm; you do not know what it means for your family to be dragged in the mud repeatedly. Our only crime is that we are Volkovs. My father's crime to his people was trying to protect himself and his family by sniffing out traitors.

Traitors that we still had to deal with in our time.

Had my father successfully taken all of them out, including the Sullivans, Larry wouldn't have been a problem, and the people of Pridewood would still be alive," Dominic said, coming to his father's defence. Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

I knew things got pretty awkward because Dominic did not like his father. He was there for most of the bullshit his mother went through.

"Do not say that, Dominic. I am a Volkov too. There was no time the Stepanovs made me feel at home for it. Leo has a target on him because he is a Volkov, too. We all share in the taint. Ours is worse because our ancestor was a love child. Talk about being illegitimate, but that is the truth.

Please Calm down so we can solve this. I am sure Grey was just speaking emotionally. Please be at peace," my father said. Grey apologised to Sylvester, Dominic, Vino and David for speaking poorly of their father. Sylvester was silent through it all, and I wondered what was happening in his mind.

I ordered the maids to give the Sullivans a room and opted to excuse myself so I could get ready for my meeting with Erik tomorrow.

While I headed towards the stairs, Devin and Clay approached me, and I wondered what their deal was.

"Hey, you have a minute," Devin asked, and I raised an eyebrow, wondering what he wanted to ask. It was weird for him to speak like that.

"No," I said, and the three of us laughed.

"Seriously, what is it?" I asked.

"I want to come with you to meet Erik. I am uncomfortable with just you and Theodore going alone," He said.

"Me too," Clay added immediately before I spoke. I looked at Devin, and I looked at Clay. They seemed serious about it. Who was I to say no?

"As long as you allow me to speak and handle the situation," I said, and they both agreed.

"Okay, but no more additions," I said, and they nodded and smiled. I wondered if they had discussed it or happened to just approach me at the same time.

"Leo," I heard Sylvester call me after Devin and Clay left, and I knew he wanted to discuss the meeting with me too.

I went up the stairs and followed him to his room. Tamia was there, and Sylvester closed the door. I was a bit nervous about what they wanted to discuss with me.

"So, Devin wants to join you to see Erik?" He asked, and I knew he must have listened to our conversation. I nodded and sighed.

"Very well. I need you to be careful out there. You heard Grey. You are on his hit list. Besides my brothers and cousins, you are my strongest support and my cousin too; closer to me by blood than Marcel and Theodore, and Erik knows this. I do not want you to fall, Leo," he said sternly, and I nodded.

He showed his emotions poorly, always speaking with a blank expression, and I wondered how Tamia dealt with it. She was like that too, so I figured they were perfect for each other.

"I know you will never do anything that would put my family and me in danger, and I know you will always look out for my good. I have discussed this with Theodore. I am giving you the right to represent me at that meeting and make decisions and agreements on my behalf." He said I was in shock.

"I do not want a back and forth between us. It will take time, something we do not have. Talk to him and make agreements on my behalf, so we would know what we have and where we are heading," he said, and I understood his reasons.

Sylvester wanted the meeting to happen once with results. It was a high risk on his part, but it also meant he trusted me.

"I won't let you down," I said, and he nodded.

"I know you won't," He replied, and I excused myself from the room.

Who would have thought Sylvester would have so much trust in me? Only yesterday, he came after my region for treason and unknowingly rescued Tamia from the hell she lived in when I was still confused. I am glad it all turned out well, and our family and circle increased.