Shadows of Destiny

The Dark Side Of Fate By Karima Sa’ad Usman Chapter 92

92 Restoring Order

~Tamia-

Linda, Avery and I had dinner in the office, and Avery seemed a bit ill.

I did not want to get her hopes up, but I felt it would be best to take a pregnancy test

because she had been acting funny.

She had been very emotional, and her eating habits had changed. It might also be the hormones

because I knew she was taking fertility meds.

Regardless, I thought it was best she checked herself, but I kept it to myself.

We finished what we needed to do in the

office and returned to our bedrooms.

Sylvester was not in the bedroom when I returned, and I was too tired to look for him. So I showered

and went to bed.

“I want to sleep,” I linked him.

“I will be with you shortly,” he replied, but I didn’t want him to feel pressured.

“Take your time,” I said and let it go. Slowly sleep came, and I fell into dreamland.

I woke up feeling energised and nervous the following morning.

We went to the arena early and sat in our primary booth.

I was surprised to learn that Kyle and Max

won’t be playing rugby, so our men decided

to pull out.

I hoped the two douchebags had given up and decided to move on.

I had yet to find out what happened, but I hoped Avery and Linda would tell me soon.

We were watching the ball game in our booth when three northern Alphas came to see Sylvester.

They looked distraught and worried; I did not need to guess why.

I fought the urge to smile and looked at Avery and Linda.

Linda looked away, and I knew she was

going to giggle.

To hide, she buried her head in Theodore’s chest, making a romantic gesture so she could laugh, but

we all knew why she was laughing. I felt like laughing, too, but I dared not pull the same stunt as Linda;

she had beat me to it.

“Your Eminence, Sir Sidorov, Sir Orlov, Sir Volkov,” They said, greeting our men and Dominic. Then

they went to greet us.

“Lady Volkov, Luna Volkov, Luna Sidorov, Luna Orlov,” they said, greeting us. I was referred to as Luna

Volkov, while Stephanie was Lady Volkov, a position that would soon be mine.

“What is the matter, Alpha Christian?”

Sylvester asked the alpha that seemed in charge.

“My Lord, we need help,” he said, sounding

frantic.

“Yesterday, our mates and children were kidnapped, and we have traced them to the

west.

My Isabelle is all I have. I am afraid they will hurt them. I do not know how powerful or broad their

network is, but it is more

extensive than what my pack warriors can handle.

The west is under you; please have them return our mates,” He said, and I realised we had hit the

jackpot because they were so scared that they had forgotten they were working against Sylvester.

“Did you have any altercations with anyone?

Sylvester asked him, looking concerned, and the man could not answer.

“Please, we are losing time, my lord,” he said, and I wondered if his wife was his fated.

“Is your mate your fated?” I asked him, and he looked at me and nodded.

“Who will do such a horrible thing and why? ” I asked, looking genuinely sorry for the

man.

“They took his fated?” Avery asked, feigning

surprise.

“We need to do something about it. This cannot be accepted. Do you know them or where they are?”

Linda asked, and he shook

his head.

“What did you get yourself involved with that would warrant such a drastic action,” Sylvester asked.

I knew he wouldn’t link it to us because their names on the petition were supposed to be anonymous.

We also kidnapped Lunas from alphas that

had nothing to do with the petition to throw

off suspicion.

We weren’t supposed to know they were the ones that raised the petition until tomorrow when the

hearing would happen. 1

“I didn’t know, but they took lunas from fourteen packs,” Alpha Christian said, genuinely confused.

“Very well, I will get someone on it

tomorrow evening. As you all know, there is

a council hearing tomorrow. I have to defend

my position, so I won’t be able to do

anything about it pending the meeting

outcome. I will know what to do,” Sylvester said, and the man became hysterical.

“We need to move now,” he said, pleading with Sylvester.

“I would if I could, but some people have asked that I relinquish my power and hold to the council. That

is what the hearing is

about. If I lose, then how will I help get them

back? That responsibility will fall on the

council or whatever new system has been

made to replace me,” he said.

“In a democratic government, I won’t be

able to just act, Alpha Christian. I have to

negotiate and see if we can meet their

demands; it won’t even be my job in that

case; it will be the job of the council or the

governors,” Sylvester said stating the truth. The men realised they had shot themselves. in the leg.

“So you will handle them after the hearing?” The man asked, realising there was no way

out for him.

“If I am still lord and in charge, well, yes. I will instruct my men to handle it. But so we save time, please

report to Kappa Levi and give him all the event details so they can start investigations.

After the hearing tomorrow, I will spring to action based on the outcome; if I lose, I will turn the matter

over to the council and wash

my hands off it,” He said, and one of the

men went on his knees.

“You won’t lose, my lord. My wife is eight

months pregnant; democracy won’t get her back. We won’t let you lose,” he said with

determination.

“Well, it is up to the people who raised the

petition,” Sylvester told them, and the man stood up and looked at Christain with scorn.

I figured it was Christian’s idea, but instead of planning how to deal with him, we would need to drill him

to find out who put him up to it. That would likely lead us somewhere. I was going to do something

about it after we had won and the names of the people who raised the petition were exposed; I will

make my move. 1

“Promise you will help us no matter what if you win,” Alpha Inkabod asked Sylvester.

I knew it was because he knew Sylvester would find out they were the ones that raised

the petition against him.

“I have no choice,” Sylvester told him, and

he nodded, but something in Christain’s

eyes did not make me confident. 2

He did not seem to exhibit the desperation that Inkabod was exhibiting. In fact, only Inkabod seemed to

have decided what to do

about the petition. I guess we will have to find out tomorrow.

They left our booth, and four more Alphas came with the same complaints.

We told them the same thing, and they left.

We closed early, and we all began to laugh the instant we got home.

“What kind of emails did you send them?” Sylvester asked, and I laughed.

“We were going to give them instructions not to back the petition, but there was no way we could do so

without them linking it to you. So we opted for something extreme.

“Asking them for ridiculous sums of money in exchange for their mates. We made it look like a criminal

activity. We knew they would have no choice but to seek help from the authorities, which is still under

you. It was a gamble, and it paid off,” I explained, and Sylvester lifted me up and spun me around.

We spent the rest of the day worried about the hearing and how it would go.

Dinner was silent, and we all ignored

Glenda. She got away with things she

wouldn’t have on an ordinary evening

because our minds were elsewhere. We slept early.

Sylvester and I woke up early the next day and got ready to go to the council hall.

Everyone was ready, and even Stephanie decided she would visit this time. Maurice

was no longer alive; if I could go to the council hall, then she too could go there.

We went in a convoy and arrived on time.

The press was outside, and it was a big event.

We heard that they had suspended all the games for that day.

It was highly unnecessary, but they wanted to make it a public affair. They wanted to publicly strip

Sylvester of his power for all to see. They were not going to have it easy after this.

We sat in Sylvester’s Loge while Stephanie and Dominic sat in Dominic’s loge.

The entire council members were seated,

and Vino looked worried and nervous.

He did not seem to like the topic of

discussion, but he should have shut it down

and not let it get this far. 1

Lenny Mikhailov, Jacob’s replacement,

spoke on behalf of the council.

I wondered if Sylvester had moved on Jacob,

but I doubted it.

The man was just deliberately absent. Maybe

he orchestrated this whole shit.

Lenny started by addressing everyone and

greeting us with the utmost respect before proceeding.

“We are here to debate the petition raised by the collective. It is called the Democratic

petition. The people have signed it, and the owners of the petition are here to defend it and tell us why

it must be turned into a bill and passed by the council,” he said and cleared his throat, then picked up a

sheet of paper to read.

“Alpha, Christian, on behalf of Alpha

Inkabod, Alpha Paulman, Alpha Michael, Alpha Theophilus, Alpha Gabriel, and Alpha Kent,

representing three thousand people each represented by a signature of the

signed petition, ask for the following,” he said and coughed to clear his throat.

“That the authority of his lordship be given

to the council and shared among the governors of the four regions.

That voting should take place before

creating a law and implementing it.

The council seat should be made public, and occupants should be selected by vote, with each region

having a representative on the

council. That the tax be reduced and that the

lordship be dissolved entirely with immediate effect,” he said, and people began to murmur.

Vino banged the gavel and told the press and the few citizens that were allowed to witness this hearing

to be silent.

It had taken them by surprise.

“Defending this Petition is Alpha Christian of Haddad,” Lenny said and sat down.

Alpha Christain walked to the centre lacking confidence and could not look up in shame.

I pretended to be surprised. We all pretended

to be surprised so he would know that his

actions were treacherous.

Lenny gave him the floor, and he addressed us respectfully and greeted all of us.

I noticed Larry, Pamela and Joan paying

attention to him.

I wouldn’t put it past them.

I wasn’t confident because yesterday, Christian did not seem like he would break.

If Inkabod had shown up, it would have been a given. I decided to hope for the best.

“Dear council, The alphas and I have discussed this extensively and realised that we made a mistake,”

Christian said, and

everyone began to murmur.

I looked at the council to read their body language, and they all seemed disappointed.

“We are sorry to waste the time of this

council, but we will want Lord Volkov to

continue to rule over us. He has done a

tremendous job over the years, and it will be wrong to rob him of his birthright in the

name of democracy,” he said, and Joan got

angry.

“Do you think this place is a joke? How dare you stir shit up and back out last minute? You wasted our

time,” she said with rage, and Pamela agreed. Likewise, three other people. They were livid.

Vino had to bang the gavel, but I noticed his voice was slightly more stern than it used to be. There was

a power in it, too, and it made me wonder why he pretended to be timid all along.

“You know you can’t raise this petition again. You know this will never be discussed by this council in

Lord Sylvester’s lifetime again?” Vino asked Alpha Christian, stating the implications of pulling out, and

Christain nodded and said he knew, and that was the end.

We all remained while the press and civilians

were asked to leave the council hall.

Sylvester did not look at Christian, and I wondered what they would discuss after this hearing.

Once everyone had cleared out, Vino tried to end the meeting, but Sylvester stopped him.

“I, too, have an issue to bring up,” he said, and everyone was silent.

I could also see they were nervous.

“Pamela and Joan acted against me. I am tempted to have them arrested for treason, but I will kindly

ask them to vacate their

seats, or I will arrest them,” he said, and

there was an uproar.

“Silence,” Sylvester said with deep

command, and the place was silent. He was

angry, and we could all feel it.

“You did not only disrespect my upcoming union, but invited Alpha Corrigan to the north without my

consent.

Devin Corrigan murdered my father; he tried to stake a claim on my family’s position and attacked my

estate to steal my mate. You dared to invite him as a guest to the north, knowing fully well he is an

enemy of the

north?” he explained, and everyone was silent, realising his point.

I saw Pamela and Joan in tears because they knew he had a point.

“I have been patient with the two of you and treated you with respect, but you have insulted me with

this action, and I will kindly ask you to resign your service, or I will force you to do it,” he said.

“Please, lord Volkov, we did not see it that way; we wanted to use the games to unite the regions,”

Pamela said.

“If your intentions were not malicious, you should have run it by me instead of bringing the guestlist

late, so I won’t be able to cancel them. You brought two people you believed

had a history with Tamia so you would try to stop my wedding. I will make an example of the two of

you,” he said, and I knew his mind was made up.

I did not feel sorry for them because that was exactly what they tried to do.

While they pleaded their case, I was glad about our progress and decided it was time to invite Alpha

Jake Brighton to identify the enforcer that led the attack against his pack.