Shadows of Destiny

114 To The King's Hall

~Leo~

We all waited patiently for Devin to recover. None of us retired to bed. I begged Amelia to go to bed,

but she refused.

We were all concerned for Devin.

Three hours later, Devin finally fell asleep. The poison was visibly out of his system, and we knew he

was resting. His wolf and body fought a deadly battle, and we were glad it was over. It was two in the

morning, and we were all tired.

I could wait for the hearing tomorrow. I had promised Joan I would cut her down if she crossed the line

with me. I couldn't wait to do the needful.

Sylvester was right. Our prisons were full, and our resources were limited. Sympathy was a thing of the

past now. After seeing how far they were willing to go, it would be foolish to advocate for mercy on their

behalf.

Twice they have tried to kill me.

They shot at us. It was a miracle we all did not die.

The Kappa driver they shot remained burned in my mind. What was his crime? He probably had a mate

and children that would never see him again.

The thought alone brought tears to my eyes.

His only crime was being the designated driver for the journey. Our lives weren't more important than

his. We were just lucky.

"Promise you won't be merciful,’ I told Sylvester, and he nodded. He understood my anger, and we

were all on the same page.

"This has to stop. We deserve peace; weeding them out and killing them is the only way," Tamia said.

"I agree with you. It could have been anyone in that car. Yuri has gone too far," Alexei said, and the

rage in his voice showed that he supported Sylvester's decision to eliminate anyone found guilty.

"Well, I doubt anyone would have an issue with eliminating Yuri since the real head of the Stepanov

family, Alexei, has agreed with King Sylvester,’ Erik said, trying to make light of the situation, but none

no one laughed. Even David could not find a joke. This had hit us hard. Had Erik not been here, we

would have said goodbye to Devin. We were shaken.

"I will give instructions for the Kappas to take a full sweep of the road that leads to town in the morning

to ensure no surprises on our way to the city and back," Dominic said, and we all welcomed it. It was

silly that we did not think of it.

"That won't be necessary," Sylvester said.

"I plan on sending for Helicopters. It is time we use the helipad at the King's Hall. They cannot shoot

poisoned bullets at us in the air. They will not be prepared for it, and an antiaircraft gun isn't a weapon

anyone can transport inconspicuously," He said.

"Still, I think Dominic should have the road checked and secured. We can never be too careful," Tamia

said, and I could see the reluctance in Sylvester's eyes. He agreed with his wife, but I knew what he

was thinking. He did not want any more casualties.

We returned to our rooms, but Erik, Nelson and Clay decided to remain and keep an eye on Devin to

ensure he was all right. Susan lay beside Devin in bed, and we all knew trying to get her to bed would

be futile. She wasn't going to leave there until he was ready to leave. Erik told us Devin would be okay

before noon, meaning he would be active on the panel. He will have a rash, but it was something he

could manage.

"I hope tomorrow goes well," Amelia said, slipping under the covers. I knew she was worried, but I was

hopeful that we would get to turn the tables tomorrow and weed out the problems.

Amelia held on to me tightly that night, and I was grateful that the goddess brought me home safely.

Sleep eventually came, and I welcomed it because I knew tomorrow would be a good day.

We woke up around eight in the morning. Amelia and I freshened up in a hurry and dressed up. We

rushed to breakfast so we could attend the morning discussion. When we arrived at the dining room,

Sylvester, Tamia, Dominic, and Katya were yet to join us. Everyone was there, including Avery and

Andrew. I frowned because Andrew wasn't supposed to be at the Estate yet.

"What are you doing here?’ I asked him, and Alexei cleared his throat.

"I called him to come this morning. He came dressed as a Kappa. After what happened yesterday, I

wasn't comfortable leaving him at the hotel.' He explained, and I sighed.

"Did you tell Sylvester?" I asked Alexei because Andrew wasn't supposed to come to the Estate until

after the hearing, but I could understand why Alexei would worry for his cousin.

"There was no need. That poison wouldn't have affected him if they had shot him,’ Erik said.

"But they could kidnap or kill him. Just like Nelson, Yuri is hunting him too." Clay said, coming to

Andrew's defence.

Seeing that they cared for their cousin even though they suspected him was amazing. I hoped they

knew there would be no room for sentiments if found guilty.

"How is Devin, by the way?" I asked Erik, and he smiled.

"Will soon join us. He woke up feeling strong by six but had a mild rash. Claudia has given him

something for the rash. It should fade away by tomorrow. He is lucky it isn't itchy," He said, laughing,

and it was great that we could laugh now. I could not wait to see Devin.

Sylvester and Tamia later arrived, followed by Dominic and Katya. We did not start eating still. It was

clear we were all waiting for Devin and Susan. They arrived five minutes after Dominic and Katya, and

the room had an unexplainable joy. We were all emotional about it. We would have lost him.

Susan sat while Devin remained standing.

"I am very grateful for everything done to keep me in this world," He said, sounding emotional. Susan

squeezed his hands to support him while wiping away her tears. It was indeed a close call.

"Leo, thank you for risking your life to bring me home." He said with respect in his eyes, and I nodded.

"You would have done the same,’ I said to him.

He wanted to thank Vino and Erik, but they stopped him.

"Too many emotions lately,’ Vino said, and everyone laughed. We all understood his views. Devin

looked at me differently from before. He had absolute gratitude in his eyes. Black was glad he was

okay.

Sylvester cleared his throat after.

"I am shifting the hearing until three in the evening. I will be announcing and inviting everyone by

twelve. Devin will be okay by then because we will spend a while in the hall.

I plan to televise the event to ensure everyone in every region is part of the event. Top family members

of noble and aristocratic families in the North would attend. I want to back Yuri to a corner and reduce

his reach,’ He explained, and I understood his reasons for shifting the hearing from twelve noon to

three in the afternoon.

We hadn't gotten enough sleep and were yet to put everything in place.

Noon was too close to achieving anything substantial this was the best move.

We were eating when my cell phone rang. Seeing it was, Max made me answer immediately.

"Hello,’ I said.

"Leo, are you in a good frame of mind right now?’ he asked, and I became worried. What a shitty way

to calm people down before giving them the bad news.

I was silent for a bit. Bracing myself for the news.

"What is it?" I am finally asked.

"Casper has been kidnapped, likewise some Alphas and Beta of other packs in the East. They did not

attack the way we hoped. They just kidnapped people. Even Gordon has been taken from our custody.

Loren brought a note this morning. She said they left it in her mailbox to tell her why her husband wont

be home. Soon, your father got phone calls about similar events from other packs. We do not know

what to do at this point,’ he said.

I ran my fingers through my hair. I did not know when I started to growl. I needed a break, for fuck sake.

I just almost died yesterday. I would have lost a friend and comrade. Now this? If I get my hands on

Yuri, I will squeeze his life out painfully and slowly.

"Leo," Amelia said, and I continued to growl. She collected the phone from me. I tried to control my

anger.

"You need to calm the fuck down!" someone ordered. The voice was so demanding that I snapped out

of it. I realised it was David that used his authority on me. He caught me off guard, but it was

necessary. Black was losing it. 1

"What is the matter,’ Tamia asked me gently.

"They have kidnapped beta Casper and most of the Eastern betas and Alphas. They did it in the night

and left notes this morning. They also took Gordon, so they know all that was discussed at the

meeting," Amelia responded, sounding lost. She must have spoken to Max when she took the phone

from me.

"You need to assign someone to handle it. Let's focus on the hearing. I believe Yuri knows something is

about to happen thanks to Gordon, and he is trying to prevent it and trying hard to destabilise us. You

have to delegate this work to people, your majesty, and carry on with the hearing. Three in the

afternoon is too far. Make it one o'clock, and let's get it over with. If you do not push back now, Yuri will

have time to put things in place, " Erik said, and I calmed down.

"I will handle it," I said and took the phone from Amelia.

I called Max and instructed him and Kyle to act and trace them out on my behalf, then hung up.

"We have to get those Documents Larry told us about. They are bound to be in one of those

properties," I said, and Sylvester agreed.

"I will ask Kappa Levi and Kappa Wilson to sneak to Larry's residence and get the documents without

the knowledge of his family members," Sylvester said, and it sounded like a good plan.

After breakfast, our mates went to get ready and prepare. They were to arm themselves with poison

darts as we did in Brentwood. I didn't want Amelia to come because of her condition, but she insisted,

and Sylvester wanted her there. Unfortunately, Avery, Katya, and Claudia had to remain, but they were

to arm themselves with poisoned darts in case they needed to use them.

We were not going to let Yuri surprise us.

Emergency invitations were sent to everyone who needed to attend the hearing.

Joan and her family representative, Leah.

Sean and his mate.

Head alpha of the West, Alpha Sean and head Alpha of the North, Alpha Christian.

The entire council, the press, and the noble and aristocratic families.

The hearing was strictly on invitation. Topics that were to be discussed were tabled.

Alexei and Clay's cases were to be heard, among other matters, which included terrorism in the South

and East.

We were careful not to mention Stepanovs or Yuri. Even though we knew they knew that we had

already figured it out. It was essential to keep it out of the itinerary to keep them believing we were still

investigating and had yet to disclose our findings. It would keep their guards down and open them up

for us to strike.

Erik administers the med to all of us except Amelia, Clay, Andrew, Nelson and Alexei. They did not

need it. Bryce Golubev and four of our top Kappas were given the meds. It wasn't that the other's

kappas weren't important, but the Agk32 was limited, so we had to be selective.

I hoped it would not be needed and they would not shoot at us.

We also wore Kevlar vests under our clothes to protect a bullet from our hearts. As for our heads, we

have to hope they had a shitty aim because going to the King's Hall in helmets would be a dead

giveaway.

Once it was Eleven thirty. We boarded the helicopter to take us to the King's hall.

Arriving last meant they would not have room to prepare. Bryce Golubev had secured the place

already, and they were on standby, ready for an attack.