The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

01 Scars Don't Heal (Book 2)

~Leo~

A year had passed since the sentencing of Larry, and his cohorts and things have been peaceful in all our region. I often visited the north to attend council meetings. This content belongs to Nô/velDra/ma.Org .

It wouldn't have been compulsory if I wasn't head of the council, but Devin and I decided to take up that responsibility so there won't be a problem next time.

Devin carried out what used to be Neil Peakman's responsibility diligently, and I always made sure I was thorough before passing anything.

I often looked at Tamia, where she sat next to her husband, and wondered what fate had in store for me. Fate led her to her happily ever after, but I doubted it would lead me to mine.

Marcel and Theodore often tried to introduce me to women hoping there would be some sparks, but my heart was closed off in that department. Never again would I be the fool.

I was manipulated and lied to. I lost everything I held dear in the process. Things I could never regain. It was sad, and I did not want to go through that mess again.

I sat in my office in Mountain, thinking of the various building projects that the alphas had proposed.

Honestly, we could not afford them all. There had been some vandalism, and it was all because of the displaced people in our region. These people were displaced because of Larry. It was as if most of them migrated from the south and west to the east, and now our region was crowded with packless and homeless wolves.

We could not call them rogues because their Alphas were executed for treason. Still, we did not know where to place them.

The building projects were to create accommodation and jobs for them, but we could not afford it. I knew I would have to bring it up at the council in the north so Sylvester could step in any way he wanted because it was his problem to deal with too.

"Alpha, I think you should call it a day and go home," I heard my Beta Casper in my head.

My home and office had no difference. There was no one there and nothing to go home to. It was just a place that reminded me of my mistakes and how far I had fallen.

I had turned Amanda's old room into storage, so I do not remember that she once lived there. Everything to forget about her presence in my home.

I even remodelled the place, but the ghost of my past with Tamia still haunted me, and I doubted it would go away. I was happy for my friend, but the scar remained.

I got off my chair and decided to take my Beta's advice and close for the day.

It was already nighttime, so there was no point. Instead of driving, I chose to walk back home.

My house wasn't far really, it was a thirty minutes walk.

The moment I saw my front door, I knew something had happened. Someone had the effrontery to break into my home.

I rushed towards the door and slipped in gently, trying not to alert the person; that was when I picked up the person's scent.

It wasn't the usual wolf scent. It was a 'mate' scent, and Black growled, annoyed.

This could not happen to us again. Why would someone with a mate scent break into my home?

I traced the scent and saw that it was in my room. The very room I shared with Tamia.

Tamia's things were still there, most especially her jewellery.

I ran inside and saw a brunette by the vanity table going through Tamia's jewellery box.

From how she looked, she hadn't showered in days, and I knew she might be one of those displaced people.

I ignored the mate's scent, and then she turned and looked at me.

Her eyes were grey, and she had soot on her face. Had she been in a chimney?

She looked like she was a pro at stealing because she had defiance in her eyes and stood up from the stool she sat on and looked at me with her nose turned up.

She knew she was in trouble and was fighting the bond just like me.

I wasn't going to let the same thing happen to me twice.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, barricading the door with my body.

"What does it look like?" she barked at me.

"I wonder what you are doing with all this shit. You don't need it anyway. There no lady in this house," She said, holding some of Tamia's jewellery in her hand, and I flared up. I locked the door and went to get silver cuffs from my cupboard.

"On your knees with your hands behind your back now!" I commanded and saw her doing her utmost to fight my authority, but she couldn't. I was Alpha, and she wasn't. At this point, I did not care what her breed was, but she was going to jail.

She went on her knees and did precisely what I told her to do.

I moved to where she was and clamped the silver on her writs.

"This is unfair. You do not need any of the stuff," she protested.

"Don't you think you are too old to be a petty thief?" I said, pulling her to stand up.

"That's all we can do since the king executed our alpha," she said, and I knew she was one of those wolves.

"I guess you will think about your ways in jail," I told her, and she refused to budge.

"Do not make me drag you out of this place," I said, pulling her with me.

"You are just as wicked as the rest of them. Are you not supposed to be the head Alpha of the east and head of the council? Shouldn't you try to find out what my pain is and fix it? You all are wicked lots. Heard you are besties with that Dark King and that ruthless bitch he calls queen," She said, and that was it.

I pulled her and slammed her against the door. Holding her arms tight and growling.

"How dare you bad mouth your king and queen. You are lucky your packs were not eradicated for your Alpha's treachery," I told her. She was trying to maintain a brave facade, but I could see the tears forming and smell her fear. She was silent and shaken.

I knew the packless wolves hated Sylvester, Tamia and the entire council, but they did not know they owed us their lives.

Normally their packs should have been wiped out for their Alpha's treachery, but we only punished the culprit. We even allowed their families to live.

Sylvester abolished the law of punishing an entire family for the crime of a member, and it had helped us preserve lives, but here they were, being ungrateful.

She looked so frail that I felt like a bully, but she was definitely going to jail for daring to break into my home.

I pulled her away from the door and unlocked it, then dragged her out.

I could not believe she was refusing to walk.

It just reminded me of Devin. He never hesitated to drag anyone. I knew it because he dragged the heavily pregnant Amanda.

Once we were out of my house, I linked the nearby kappas.

"You will stand trial in a week," I told her.

"I never took anything; this is unfair," She protested.

"But you would have had I not caught you, and you seem unremorseful," I replied. Then the Kappas arrived, and that was when she became scared.

"I am sorry," She managed with difficulty.

"It is hard out here. I just wanted money since no one was willing to give me a job," She said.

She seemed more afraid of the kappas than she was of me.

Was she banking on the mate bond? She was just stupid, thinking that would be the case.

"You are going to jail, miss," I told her and handed her to the kappa.

"Give me a job, Alpha. I would never steal again but do not let them take me to that place," She said, almost shrieking.

"I wondered what the theatrics was about. Just now, she had her nose turned up, and now she was shrieking.

I decided to listen, just for the fun of it. It wasn't like I had anything to do, really.

"So you want a job?" I said, telling the Kappas to halt, and she nodded.

"I can cook, clean, and do laundry. I noticed your home is unkempt. I can help..." She said, and I stopped her.

"I have omegas to do the cleaning if I want," I stopped her because it seemed she wanted to work for me. Maybe she was hoping to steal some stuff.

"They are not doing their job. The place is dirty," She said, sounding desperate. I knew she was lying.

"Where do you sleep?" I asked her, and she looked away. It was clear she had nowhere to stay.

I waved the Kappas to leave her alone.

"Very well, I will give you a job. You can stay in the service quarters. You are to clean my house and take care of the place. If you steal anything, I will catch you and won't be merciful. They will give you a bed, food, and clothes and pay some wages enough to sustain you," I said, and she slowly beamed at me.

It was as if she never expected me to help her.

She went on her knees to thank me immediately, and I nodded.

I went to her and took off the silver on her wrists. She smiled while rubbing the burn on her wrist.

"Thank you, Alpha," she said and knelt to swear her loyalty to me.

In the process, she joined my pack.

The kappas were about to lead her to the servant's quarters when I stopped her. I had one last thing to do.

"What is your name?" I asked her, and she smiled at me.

"Amelia Westwood," She said, beaming at me. The last name did not ring a bell. She wasn't from any family I know. I nodded.

"I, Leonardo Albert, reject you, Amelia Westwood, as my fated mate. I hope you find love in your future," I said, and the pain was excruciatingly painful. Amelia fell to the ground in agony, but I could not be bothered. There was no way I would be hoodwinked twice in my life.

I was done with the mate bond and shit and did not want to be a part of it anymore.

I welcomed the pain; it was my freedom from making another mistake.