The Dark Side Of Fate by Karima Sa'ad Usman

13 The Severance

~Tamia~

I had spent two weeks in the north, and my living conditions remained the same.

Slyvester was good company when he wanted to be and was silent most of the time.

As much as people feared him, I was a bit relaxed around him.

He exuded much power, but I did not let it faze me. In fact, I saw it as a challenge.

I spent a lot of time in the library and in my room.

We had beauty treatments every other day, and I noticed love blooming between Avery and Marcel, the Beta.

I was happy for her. I saw her smile in ways I had never seen before, and I wondered how far they were willing to go with this.

I met other Lunas that were in service, and while some of them were happy, some were neutral about their condition. But no one was abused or maltreated.

They treated the women nicely; some had even found love in the north with a warrior or an officer. It was like an everyday life, not the slave and master scenario painted for us.

It comes down to saying people never really know the truth about anything unless they are in it and experience it first-hand.

I lay on my bed, wondering what Leo was doing. I was sure Amanda was over the moon about my exit. It would no longer be three nights a week for her anymore. She gets to keep her fated to herself and, in a few months, welcome their pups into the world.

I was happy for them but sad for me, because they have something I will never have, A home, family, love and continuation in their pups. My future wasn't really certain because the alpha was unreadable.

"Come to the east garden, Marcel; let me throw a cocktail party there," I heard Avery's voice, and I managed to get off the bed.

I was getting bored of the sheer clothes in my wardrobe, but it seemed the alpha wanted to feed his eyes all the time.

I wore a peach dress that looked like a tunic with sandals and headed out.

Sylvester walked out of a room that had huge doors; I figured that was his bedroom, and Lilly followed after him. I figured the rumours about him fucking her were true.

He saw me and stopped. I held his gaze as always and looked at Lilly, who was blushing. She was trying to send a message, and I smiled at her.

"I would not want to interrupt you," I said and tried to excuse myself, but he held me back. ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

He grabbed my wrist, pulled me to his body, spun me around, held my neck gently, and leaned close to my ear.

"Leave us!" he ordered Lilly, and she quickly moved away.

"Where do you think you are going dressed like that?" He asked, and I swallowed. His pinewood scent was intoxicating.

"Avery is having a cocktail party in the east garden," I managed.

"You should only dress like this for me, green- eyes," he said.

"I have a name, you know. It is best you start using it," I said, and he twisted my wrist. It hurt a bit but not too much; almost a bit of a turn-on.

"Or else what?" He said, and I felt him grazing his teeth along the side of my neck, and I stifled a moan.

"Your husband is stubborn; I will force his hand soon," he said, and I swallowed, hoping Leo would let go. He had told me he would die before doing it; I needed him to stay alive.

Sylvester took me to his room.

It was grand. The room looked fit for a king. He was a lord, so it was understandable.

He handed me clothes; a shirt and shorts and they looked like his.

"What should I do with this?" I asked

"You are to attend the party in that. You have fed everyone's eyes enough. Now you will only feed mine," He said sternly, and I laughed.

"What is funny?" He asked me, and I stopped.

"You have a lot of ladies in your harem. Why so concerned about me?" I asked him.

"I ask all the questions here, green-eyes," he said and walked out of his room.

I guess he was heading somewhere when I bumped into him.

I left his room in a hurry. I did not want to be accused of theft.

I returned to my room which was only a room away from his. I changed into his oversized clothes and went to the garden.

I noticed some ladies from the harem were there, and even Lilly had invited herself. I did not like the woman one bit. Ever since I learned she was twenty-three, I stopped being considerate.

I walked past her and her friends and heard what she was telling them.

"Alpha was on fire this afternoon," she said, and the other ladies who were younger than her giggled.

I learned people respected her because Sylvester was screwing her, and she promised to teach the others how to catch his attention.

The girls were stupid to think Lilly would teach them how to catch Sylvester's attention. That was the one thing that gave her an advantage over them, her only superpower. There was no way she was going to teach them anything.

I walked to Avery. She looked at my clothes and frowned.

"What are you wearing, Tamia?" She asked me, and I laughed.

"Sylvester didn't want me wearing the tunic I came in, so he gave me his clothes to wear," I said and everywhere went silent. I called his name, and I was wearing his clothes.

"Oh my, he is the jealous type like Leo. You always get those," Avery said, and I smiled and nodded. Ignoring the fact that the party was silent.

"Where is the music?" I said, and she giggled.

"No music. We are just chatting, eating and drinking." Avery said, and I looked at Linda, who smiled a bit.

She was drinking orange juice. One thing I noticed since we got to the north was that I hadn't seen Linda with alcohol. It was almost as if she had completely cut it out of her diet. I was happy for her.

"Marcel is taking me shopping tomorrow. Is there anything you want?" Avery asked me, and I frowned at her.

"Wow, that is a privilege. Are you sure you two aren't in love?" I asked her, and she shook her head.

"Hasn't said anything to me; we are just fucking," Avery said. I could understand her reluctance to get emotionally involved with anyone.

"Well, if you are happy, then I am happy for you," I said, and we laughed. I took a sip of my juice and sat next to Linda.

"How are you?" I asked, and she smiled at me.

"Better than I was yesterday," She said, and I smiled at her.

"The gamma?" I asked her, and she smiled.

"He has been understanding. Hasn't touched me or pressured me. To think Avery will be the one getting some here," she said, and I laughed.

"I was wild back home; here I am, remorseful," She confessed to me, and I hugged her.

"It gets better," I told her, and she saw the mark on my neck.

"Leo is serious," She said, and I touched it, feeling worried for my husband.

We had fun at the party, and soon it was time for dinner. Avery, Linda, and I headed to the dining room. On our way, Lilly accosted us.

"Please do not bore the alpha or get him too worked up because I usually get the brunt of it," she said and walked away before I could respond. The bitch always had to have the last say.

"What is it with her?" Linda asked disgustedly.

"I am wearing his clothes and calling his name without consequence," I said, answering Linda's question.

"They aren't screwing, you know. He is just fond of her," Avery said, and I laughed.

"Oh, they are," I said, remembering what I saw this afternoon.

"I saw them exit his room together," I said, and she frowned at me.

"Well, guess Marcel doesn't know that part," She said, divulging where she got her information.

We entered the dining room, and Marcel and Theodore were there. Sylvester wasn't, and I wondered where he was. Maybe buried inside Lilly somewhere.

We sat and waited for Sylvester to grace us with his presence. He finally came and did not say a word. He sat at the head of the table with me beside him.

He placed his hands on my bare thighs and caressed them gently. I was glad I wasn't wearing a skirt because I was sure he would have touched me on that table.

"How was the party?" he asked me.

"How it should be," I replied, and he smiled and continued eating his food.

We finished, and it was time to leave.

"Feed my eyes tonight," He said, and I felt butterflies in my tummy. I did not know why I felt it, but it was there.

He did not come to see me in the night as he had insinuated, and I ended up sleeping, feeling a bit disappointed.

Two days went by, and I did not see him. It was as if he had travelled. I feared he had gone to the east to make Leo reject me. I hoped for all our sakes that wasn't what happened.

I stood in front of the mirror in the morning, combing my hair when I felt a sharp pain pierce my heart.

Kaira howled in pain, and I cried.

What was happening? I felt my energy draining. I knelt on the ground, trying to understand what was happening to my body.

I was feeling disoriented, and I felt a fever coming. I

had never felt this type of pain before. It was a soul-ripping pain, and I felt I would die. I began to fear I had ingested poison.

I screamed.

"What is happening to us?" Kaira asked, unable to understand the pain.

My breathing was shallow, and I felt completely weakened.

I lay down on the grown, waiting for the pain to pass.

I think I laid there for almost an hour, going in and out of pain before I passed out.

I woke up still on the floor, but I wasn't feeling as strong as I used to. I looked out the window, and it was evening. I wondered how long I had been out for.

I felt incomplete. I decided to look at my complexion in the mirror. I managed to get on my feet and look in the mirror.

I was as white as a sheet and had a fever. Then I noticed something. My neck was bare. Leo's mark was gone.

As much as I wanted him to release me, I did not know how I would feel when he finally did.

I felt empty as tears rolled down my eyes, while staring at my bare neck. I felt lost, as if I did not belong anywhere. I was no longer connected to the mountain pack.

As much as I kept asking my husband to free me, I didn't want to be free. I didn't want to be separated from him. Our lives together flashed in my mind. All the happy and sad moments. The painful ones, too, and I fell on my knees and wept.

Fate had destroyed my life.

While I thought of it, I became more scared that Sylvester might have gone to the east to force or kill Leo. I began to wail.

In those moments, I wanted to die too. Who would have thought Leo and I would be star-crossed?

Everything went smoothly from the moment we started dating, until we got married. We thought we would live happily ever after, but fate had other plans which did not involve us remaining together.

"Please be safe, Leo," I whispered.

I could not hide the fact that he was my confidant and friend. My support and strength.

I wept because I was afraid Sylvester had forced him. I cried because I might never see him again, and we didn't say goodbye properly.

If only we had said a proper farewell, I would feel better, but I will never forget what we said before the northern soldiers barged in. I remained on my knees, weeping.

It was official; I was nobody's luna, and I had no pack.