Shadows of Destiny

140 The East Is Ready

~Leo~

We arrived at Mountain without issues. I wasn’t fooled by the false peace, but I knew it meant Yuri was

either out of the East or had no influence in the region. Maybe he was busy with other things; I was

grateful.

Seeing a few people above ground, I realised how important dealing with this issue would be. There

was a vast difference between the atmosphere of Lucland and Mountain.

“Where are the people?” I heard Gezel say, and Amelia sighed.

“They are in bunkers around the settlement. We did not want to risk what happened in the South, so we

decided they should go under mostly the women, children, and teenagers.” Amelia explained to Gezel,

and Gezel nodded, still looking out the window.

“So you are head Luna of the East?’ Gezel asked her with a smile, and Amelia nodded.

“Lady of the East,” she corrected, and we all laughed.

Gezel’s gaze was soft and longing. She had so much to tell her daughter but did not have the words. I

hoped one day she would. I also planned to talk her out of joining us to fight. I needed to do my best

before telling Amelia of her mother’s decision.

We arrived at the settlement in front of the massive packhouse.

My parents, Susan’s parents, Casper and Max, were waiting outside to receive us. I also noticed many

people were roaming about the settlement. I did not need to guess who they were. They were most

likely warriors from other eastern packs.

Kappas came to carry the AgK32 serum given to me to administer to my men when we get to the West.

Since we wouldn’t use it now, I instructed Casper to guard the serum heavily.

Max shook my hand and hugged me. I returned the hug and thanked him for everything.

“Thank you for finding them, Max,” I said, and he nodded.

Kyle cleared his throat, and we all laughed because it was a sign of jealousy.

“I have already thanked you, Kyle,” I said, and he shook his head.

“Not enough. You sent me to fight those freaks,” He complained, and we laughed.

“Gezel,” I heard my father say, looking at Amelia’s mother, and I wondered who else knew this woman.

“Richardo, it is nice seeing you again,” Gezel said with a smile, and my mother went to hug her.

“Sorry about Luis,” My mother said with a comforting tone; Gezel’s voice cracked, and she returned the

hug.

It was clear the woman was still hurting. I did not know if there was anything anyone could say or do to

alleviate her pain. It would be constant.

“You didn’t call me not once, Amelia,” I heard my mother scold Amelia, and Susan’s mother scolded

Susan too.

“Not even a text message to let us know you are fine. Is that how to treat us?” They asked, and the

women were speechless.

“We had our share of problems in the North. Devin almost died, Momma,” Susan responded, and

Rebecca gasped, likewise, my mother.

“What happened?” they asked, and I sighed.

“The least you can do is let us in,” I complained, and Max laughed. We all entered the building, and

Macy was there to receive orders from Amelia.

Amelia allocated a room to everyone, including her mother, and then we went to our bedroom.

When we entered the room, she sighed and sat on the bed.

I could tell she was exhausted.

“I can’t believe we are back home,” She said, and I nodded without saying a word.

I wanted to give Max time to set things in motion, so I decided to speak to Gezel before meeting with

the Eastern alphas. I planned to hit the ground running. There was no time to waste. Once everything

is in place, I can spend time with my mate.

“Amelia, I want to take care of some business; link me if you need me, and I will come running,” I said,

and she giggled.

“Literally speaking?” She asked me, and I nodded.

She lay down on the bed and smiled.

“I need to catch up on my sleep. Making those darts took a lot of time. I do not know what Tamia wants

to do with all the darts she made us make. It isn’t like we could use it for battle. I doubt there will be

time to shoot them all. Linda complained, and Avery…, well, that one slept most of the time,” she said,

yawning, and I knew she was tired.

I left the room and headed toward’s Gezel’s room. I did not hesitate to knock on her door, and she

opened it after the first knock. She did not even ask who it was. She just opened the door.

“Leo,” she said, a bit surprised.

“Who were you expecting?” I asked her, and she stepped aside for me to enter.

“I was expecting your parents. It has been a long time since I heard from them. Luis was alive when I

saw Richardo and Martha. They had come to see how Luis was doing and warn him of Yuri’s plans,”

She said and almost slipped down memory lane. I did not come for that, so I nodded quickly and

sighed.

“I am glad you can connect again. They did not tell me they knew you. I think they believed you were

killed. Anyway, that isn’t why I am here. I am here to discuss something vital,” I said, and she was

attentive.

“Please sit. I am yet to settle in, but it is a nice room,” She said, complementing the place.

“Thank you. Amelia fixed up the place,” I said, and she smiled. There was an awkward silence between

us, and I broke it.

“Gezel, why would you request to fight?” I asked, and she looked at me surprised.

“It is my decision to fight and kill those responsible for Luis’ death.” She said coldly, and I shook my

head.

“Erik had already executed Mikhail..’ I said, and she interrupted me.

“I want my pound of flesh, Leo. They took everything from me for no reason. Luis was everything,

Amelia was everything, and I lost it all. They forced me to go into hiding like a coward. They stole my

wealth and everything that had to do with the Westwoods. I deserve my revenge.” She said, tears

streaming down her cheeks.

“But you will get it, Gezel. We will get it for you?” I said, and she shook her head.

“There are things that I will just have to get for myself, and revenge is one of those things, Leo. You

weren’t there. You did not witness it, so you won’t understand,” She said, and I realised Fate had dealt

her a dark card. She had been scorched for a long time.

“Gezel, we both know you are planning a suicide mission,” I confessed, and she was stunned by my

words.

“We both know what you want to do. It is all because you can’t connect with Amelia. After all, she treats

you like a stranger….” I said, and she covered her ears and shook her head, streaks of tears streaming

down her cheeks. I had hit the nail on the head.

“You just met her, Gezel. You have to give her time. She has longed for her mother for a while. Before

Alexei, she was told that her mother was an Omega that got pregnant for a delta and dumped her at

the orphanage when she could no longer cope. She grew up thinking she wasn’t wanted. No one would

adopt her, and the orphanage made it worse by blaming it on her breed and her appearance. She had

a hard life with no parents to help her navigate through. I can’t start by telling you what your daughter

had to deal with or in what state I met her. It will break your heart,” I said, and she began to cry.

“And now that things are beginning to come together and the future looks bright, you decide to do this?”

I said.

“Do not give up on her. Gezel. Amelia just needs time. She has gone through so much and lost so

much on her journey. She had said goodbye to you in her subconscious, and having you pop out of

nowhere would destabilise her. Gezel, you cannot follow us to Gad in four days. You cannot join us in

that battle,” I said, and she looked at me with swollen eyes.

“I have to, Leo. It is the only thing that makes sense to me right now. It is all I have got. Please don’t

stop me,” She pleaded with me, and I sighed.

“Don’t go. Please Gezel. I know the King has given his consent but please. I would prefer that you

return to the North with Amelia when the time comes. I would prefer you are with her.” I said and bowed

my head.

“Our victory isn’t guaranteed. Should anything happen, she would at least have you,” I said, and she

looked at me with shock. I nodded.

“When I met her, she had no one, and she clung to me dearly even after rejecting her. As much as I

hate to say this, I know Amelia needed to belong somewhere and have a family; Someone she could

call her own, and that made her hold on. I was glad I regained my senses and appreciated Fate’s gift.

She was happy, and life was in her eyes; then she met her brothers and suddenly had a family. She

expecting, you know,” I said and sat on the couch in her room.

“Alexei, Clay, Andrew and I will be at the battle. Hell, I am sure Erik will come too. She will be alone

again if you come with us and we fall. Other than my parents, she would have no one. Please Gezel.

Do not give me a reason to be worried on the battlefield. I beg you to return to the North with Amelia

when the time comes and be a mother to her. She still needs you, especially now that she is also about

to be a mother. My mother will have limits; she can never fill your shoes. No one can. Now that you are

back in her life cherish the gift of a second chance and make it work, Gezel. I am pleading with you,” I

said and stood up. I could not wait for her to respond, but she had ample time to think of what I had just

told her.

“Where is she?” She finally asked me.

‘Sleeping. She was tried,” I said, and Gezel wiped away her tears.

“Please give me a day to think about it,” She finally said, and I was grateful that she would at least think

about it and not dismiss my words. I hoped for all our sakes she chooses to do the right thing and stay.

I left Gezel’s room.

“Max, have you gathered everyone?” I linked Max.

“Yes, Leo, we are waiting for you in the assembly hall,” Max said, and I chose to Join them.

The entrance to the hall was heavily guarded, and to my surprise, they had two tanks of Nitric Acid

there, and the guards were entirely covered with goggles and gas masks. I tried to chuckle, but I was

glad that everyone was being careful. Although I knew the side effects of AgK32, I knew it was a more

accessible tool than this.

I entered the hall, and people were murmuring. They were lined up according to their packs, with their

alphas at the front of each line.

The moment I entered, they began to cheer and greet me.

They were grateful for the rescue. I had not done the job, but they knew I put Max to it and everything I

told them had worked.

“Let’s cheer the new Lord of the East!’ Someone said, and they all hailed. I smiled. Surprised that they

had the time to watch the proceeds at the King’s hall. I guess the question on my face said it all.

“We had access to television in captivity,” One of the alphas told me, and I laughed at the humour.

I got to the stage at the assembly hall to address them.

The moment I got to the podium, they were silent and attentive.

The eagerness and respect in their eyes made me nervous, but I chose to proceed.

“I want to start by thanking everyone for their loyalty,” I said, looking at some of them.

“Because of your loyalty, the East has not been overrun like the South. You all have made our region

impenetrable and made us proud. Thanks to all your efforts, we have been tried and tested and passed

with flying colours. I sympathise with those of you that have lost someone in this struggle, and I want

you all to know that we shall get justice,” I said, and they hailed.

“We will hunt down the son of a bitch that has plagued our world for so long and end his shadow reign.

We will clip his wings and destroy his ego. We will pay him for his crimes against us and our peers,” I

said, and they hailed.

“I want to thank you all for your contributions to the cause, and the King himself is highly grateful. Know

that we welcome you to join us on this mission with love and respect, and we pray to conquer our foes,”

I said, and they all cheered.

“We do not know what will happen, so we have come with a serum prepared by A Stepanov, who is on

our side. The King and all the lords, including myself, have used this serum, which has helped us

tremendously. You can ask Alpha Devin Corrigan. It was used to save his life when Poison was

introduced to his system through a gunshot,” I said and looked at Devin, who stood on the side.

“It is true,” He nodded.

“We have some Stepanovs who do not share the same view as this madman, Yuri, and they are on our

side. We have their heirs on our side; their daughter, our Luna, is on our side, so let us not conclude

that all Stepanovs are our enemies,” I warned them, and they nodded with understanding.

“Erik Stepanov has created a serum that would make us like them for a day. It will make us immune to

silver and help us fight them so we have nothing to worry about.

He is currently in hiding because his life has been threatened by Yuri because of this medication he

concocted. We will use their medication to our benefit, and the silver dust our weapon, which they use

against people, will no longer be useful to them in battle again,” I said, and they were attentive.

“We do not know where to find them, so a quarter of you will head to the South to stop his coronation

upon my signal, and the other Three quarter will head to the West to help Alexei and Clay take over the

packs controlled by the Stepanovs. We will all know what to do when we reach our destinations.” I said,

and someone raised their hands.

“Which group will you be going with, Alpha?” He asked, and it was a good question.

“I am yet to decide, but I know Max and Kyle will be heading South with the South team,” I said, and

they cheered.

The two alphas have proven their worth while I was absent. Seeing their response, I knew they would

follow them to the end should the need arise.

I was glad there would be no fuss. I had to be careful about announcing which team I would follow just

in case Yuri knew about this.

“What about Alpha Alexei and Clay?” Someone asked, and I nodded.

“Since the West is now their region, they will lead the group heading West to take over the packs at the

borders,” I said, and they agreed.

We took care of other details, and soon, the assembly ended.

They all left to go and prepare for the trip to the regions they were drafted to.

“Will we be fighting in the south?” Max asked me, and I shook my head.

“You will be a decoy,” I linked him, and his eyes widened, finally realising the plan.