The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

97 Brain Storming

~Tamia~

I could not believe what had just happened. I have heard of these notes and how the owners used them to scare people into doing what they wanted. Whoever was running this show had suddenly become desperate.

I held on to the cards.

They had no instructions, just warnings and threats, so it was either the person or people who sent them wanted me to back off from whatever they believed I was involved in or headed, or they simply wanted to scare and destabilise me.

They had succeeded in destabilising me but not scaring me. If anything, I was more curious and motivated.

I wondered who I might have touched for them to do this.

Maybe Liam, Gezel or Amanda. It was unclear unless Lily somehow found a way to alert Gezel.

The problem with that theory was that Lily was being watched, and she did not know it. I needed to start thinking of everyone as 'smart'.

"Dear," Stephanie said, sounding worried, and I smiled at her.

"Your hands are shaking, Tamia. It is okay to be scared," Stephanie said, and I looked at my trembling hands.

I shook my head and tried to be stable, but I could not stop my hands from shaking.

"It is wrong for the lord's mate to show weakness," I told her, and I could feel the tears threatening to fall.

I battled them.

I wasn't afraid, really; I was angry. Angry that whoever it is felt it was okay to do this shit.

I was done playing games. I needed to pick Gezel up soon, but I would pacify myself with whatever Liam would divulge.

"We need to move to the estate now," I said to Stephanie, and she frowned.

"Really?" Linda said, sounding excited.

" I have a lovely dress I would like to wear tomorrow that I forgot to bring. I also want to do something for Sylvester. See it as an early wedding gift," I said, and Linda frowned. Then realisation dawned on her, and she smiled.

"I really miss my room there too." She said, and I nodded.

It was paramount that we act normal.

"Meanwhile, send these cards to the authorities so they can figure out the sender," I said and handed the cards to the Kappa in the booth.

I knew I was being watched by the sender or by their scouts. I needed to take immediate action for them to follow or report to their master or masters.

If I went to the mansion without doing something about the cards and threats, they would know I had something important there. But by dealing with the cards' issue immediately, they will not suspect anything at the mansion.

"Green-eyes, are you okay?" I heard Sylvester's voice in my head, and I looked at Stephanie, who looked away.

"Why did you tell him? It will destabilise him," I said to her, a bit annoyed.

"Yes, darling. I am fine," I replied.

"I am on my way to you now. I have cancelled my itinerary for the day. Please be calm. Knight senses your anxiety," he said, and I looked at my hands, which were still trembling and realised I needed to bring it under control.

Soon, Sylvester, Theodore and Marcel arrived, and Sylvester held me close to him.

He collected the cards from the Kappa and went through them. Then he handed it to Marcel.

I really did not want Sylvester to read the cards. Some had death threats and insults in them.

He was mad by the time he was through with them.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked, and I looked at him.

"I want to sleep in our bed at the Estate," I told him, and he nodded without question.

"Anything you want. I have told Alpha Jake to meet us there so we can go through the photos," he said, and I shook my head immediately.

This whole card thing had made me forget that Alpha Jake had come to Lucland specifically because of that.

Could it be that someone did not want my meeting with the alpha to hold?

"Have him escorted here so he can identify the person that led the attack on his pack. Oddly, these people would send these cards when Jake arrived. He is here to show me the enforcer that led the attack on his people. Could it be possible that it is a big clue, and they want to destabilise us?" I asked, and Sylvester was silent.

Then he took out his phone and called alpha Jake.

"Brighton, meet me in my main booth now..." I heard him say, and then he paused.

"Fantastic. Have Corrigan and Albert escort you here. It is an order," Sylvester said and hung up. I frowned at him, wondering if I heard him right.

"Corrigan?" I said, and he nodded.

"He said he was with Devin and Leo, so I said they should come too. This thing is bigger than the north. Whoever is doing this is trying to disrupt the natural order, divide us and emerge as ruler. Leo is peaceful, and Devin wants the south to be left out of politics. There is no way they have a hand in this. These people have a wide network. It is time we expand ours." He said and looked into my eyes. I could see fear in them, and I knew it got to him this time.

"It has hit home for me. Anyone with the effrontery to threaten my mate and unborn child has crossed the line. I can no longer be lenient about this, Tamia. I will swallow my pride and work with those two to get to the bottom of the matter," He said, and I could see the determination in his eyes and his fear. So I rested my forehead against his and let him breathe in my scent.

"I am here, darling," I linked him, reminding him I was okay and he should relax.

He held me close. He relaxed. I looked around and saw more kappas surround our booth.

"I want to question Liam tonight," I linked Sylvester.

"What about the mother? Is Levi going to arrest her now?" He asked, and I nodded.

"Her too. I want to know what's going on," I said, and he kissed my neck.

Just then, I smelled Leo, and I looked in his direction.

He was walking towards our booth with Devin and Jake in tow.

I did not know how I would feel about seeing Devin again after what transpired between us in Brighton.

They arrived and greeted Sylvester respectfully. They respected his office. I could see Devin's difficulty, but Sylvester was lord, and he was on his turf.

"Luna Albert," Devin said, and Sylvester cleared his throat.

"It is luna Volkov now," he corrected Devin, and I could see the hurt in his eyes. He looked at me and nodded.

Leo stared a while before speaking.

"Tamia," he managed, and I smiled at him. I could see the pain and sorrow Amanda spoke of in his eyes.

"Leo," I said, and it was too much.

"Alpha Jake, shall we go through the pictures while his lordship discusses with Alpha Leo and Alpha Devin?" I asked Alpha Jake, and he nodded.

We needed to stop the awkwardness between us immediately.

I moved away from Sylvester and collected his tablet. William had sent the photos to Sylvester via email, so Stephanie, Linda, Avery, Jake and I sat away from the rest to go through the image.

Sylvester, Marcel, Theodore, Devin and Leo decided to take a walk. I could see the tension between the men, and I hoped they would set aside their differences and make something of this.

"Alpha Jake," I said, and he smiled at me.

"You never invited me to that party," He said, and I smiled at him.

I indeed promised that I would invite him to a function in the north, but I didn't eventually.

"A lot came up," I said, not wanting to tell him that his children might have slipped something poisonous into my food.

"It is okay, my Lady. I have a lot of respect for what you are doing for Lord Volkov. If it wasn't for you, I would have hated the man. Seeing he is a victim in a large conspiracy really made me feel bad about my conduct," Jake said. I frowned at him, wondering how he had come to that conclusion so quickly.

"Your ex-husband spoke to Devin and me extensively on the matter; honestly, I feel used. I would have teamed up with Devin to take him down after what happened to my people. I am glad I did not join in. I also heard about the uprising group. Could it be possible that they are just like me, and someone is pulling all these strings to have other people do their bidding?" he said, and I frowned.

I had not thought of it that way. The truth was if Alpha Jake had gone ahead with his plan to work against Sylvester, it would have been a new kind of heat, and we would not know who to link it to.

What if all these people have a bone to pick with Sylvester? What if they feel they are doing the right thing? I also have to consider that aspect.

"Speaking to you is always insightful, Alpha Jake. It is good to have a wise older man like you around. The truth is you might have a point. I wouldn't want to shut down that idea," I said, and he smiled at me.

"I am sure we can figure this out, but honestly, it still comes down to that awful council. They gave the enforcer that attacked me the order to do so," he said, and I nodded.

"I still need to know who it is so I can trace where and how he got his order," I said, and he nodded, understanding my vantage point.

I switched on the tablet, and everyone leaned in to see what I was doing.

Sylvester was already signed in to his email, so I just searched for Kappa William's email and opened it. The internet was fast, so the attached file downloaded quickly.

We went through the picture for almost an hour.

Jake was able to pick the faces of some of the people that attacked his pack, some of which were deceased.

I believe the attack on Brighton was their last battle.

Jake wasn't a pushover, neither was his son or nephew and knowing the amount of rage they harboured, it was possible that they would do damage to the attackers.

We continued going through the images, and he finally pointed to the person that led the attack.

I looked at the photo, and it was the person now occupying Bryce Golubev's former position.

His name was Enzo Mikhailov.

I did not need anyone to tell me he was related to Jacob Mikhailov, the council's spokesman.

The Mikhailov family had just found a way to put themselves at the top of my list of suspects. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

I opened Enzo's resume and saw how he quickly moved up the ranks.

I did not know if we should move in on them or if we should just arrest Enzo and question him.

"You are sure it is this man?" I asked Jake because the Mikhailovs were nobles. I did not want to create unnecessary enemies for Sylvester.

"Yes, I am. He was the one that took his time to tell me that he would spare my life because he wasn't ordered to kill me but to show me what would happen if I ever defied Lord Volkov again. I remember his face. I did not know he was a Mikhailov. If I had, I would have told you," He said, and I could see the rage in Jake's eyes.

The memory of the disgrace was still fresh in his memory. I could understand his pain. Knowing his people were sacrificed to push an agenda hurt him deeply. It would hurt me too, if I were in his shoes. No one was dispensable. This was just wicked and wrong.