Chapter 246


    83 A Clearer Picture


    ~Leo~


    My mouth was dry, so I drank the water andposed myself, ready to listen to the rest. I dared not


    interrupt.


    "Because of this progress, there was aw that we would only mate with Alphas to have strong alphas


    in our bloodline like the Volkovs.Although Patrick died before his grandchildren from Rudolph got their


    wolves Sophia lived long and tried to ensure they married Alphas.Sophia passed away, and Rudolph


    he focused on his son and his grandchildren and ensured they continued doing so as his parents


    wanted.That was why everyone in our lineage mated with an alpha.All except you, Leo." He said, and I


    remained fixed in my chair.


    I was d that Sophia was a distant cousin of Amelia''s ancestor, or else it would have been weird.I


    held my tongue and listened.


    My father told me about Gregory and Adrian''s agreement, how Gregory had broken that agreement,


    and everything that Dimitri did to wipe out the Volkovs.He said the story the exact way everyone that


    knew it narrated it.


    "When the Stepanovs had to flee from the North, our family and the Sullivan Family helped them


    escape,"He said.


    I was surprised by how the Sullivans got into the story.


    "Are the Sullivans the same Sullivans that moved to the North and had an issue with Maurice?" I asked


    my father, and he nodded.


    '' Yes, they are the same Sullivans.They were the descendants of the beta son the Stepanov


    abandoned.The boy and his mother moved to the South to settle down, and that was when they


    adopted thatst name just like we adopted Albert.The Sullivans are Stepanov descendants, while we


    are Volkov descendants with Stepanov genes," My father exined.


    That made a lot of sense why Susan recovered from silver so quickly.


    Things had just gottenplicated.


    Susan was a distant rtive of mine.But Sylvester was a closer rtive because Patrick was his


    ancestor.


    "My father and Grey Sullivan''s father ensured the Stepanovs could settle and find homes in the East


    and South.My father had many businesses then, but he spent all his money making sure Dimitri did not


    win, even though Dimitri was more of our rtive than the Stepanovs.The Sullivans did the same in the


    South.Before my father passed away, he told me to work with the Stepanovs and always ensure they


    were fine.I was to keep their secret and ensure they were protected.Grey Sullivan and I worked with


    the Stepanovs, Erik, Yuri, Ilya and Mikhail to ensure they were fine.Yuri then had a bright idea of


    starting a family group of all the Stepanovs to help revive the bloodline and start our lives instead of


    hiding in the dark.


    Grey and I refused to join because we didn''t think it was a wise idea, and we saw it as corruptible


    because Yuri wasn''t a nice guy.Yuri also had reservations about me because I was a Volkov.By then,


    they had money and did not need us anymore.


    The only reason they remained dependent on us was that they could not mix thoroughly because of


    their apparent features, so they often asked us for help with certain things, and we would help when we


    could.


    Maurice found some transfers and investigated Grey and Nics Sullivan.


    He had suspected an undergroundwork like a cult was after his Lordship but could never prove it.I


    did not know that was what Yuri was doing then.I honestly thought Maurice was paranoid.


    Lucas and Gavin were hot on Yuri and Erik''s trail because of the uprising against him led by the Head


    Alpha of the West.


    Maurice believed they were a part of it, but he did not know they were Stepanovs because they always


    dyed their hair and wore contacts.


    The only thing that exposed true Stepanovs is that you wouldn''t feel your wolf when you try to shift


    beside them." My father said, and I remembered what Casper said about his inability to feel his wolf


    when he was with my parents.


    "Do you have that ability, too, because my beta could not feel his wolf when he was with the two of


    you?" I asked, and my motherughed and showed me a bracelet that looked like a device.


    "Erik made this for me.It is a radioactive silver emitter.It works when wolves are in close proximity.Once


    turned on, everyone would lose connection to their wolves except the wearer," She said, smiling, and I


    looked at the ingenious device.


    This Erik guy must be brilliant.My father cleared his throat to get us back to the discussion, and I


    focused my attention on him.


    "Unfortunately for Grey, he got linked with the mysterious group.He and his wife Reba had to flee


    the North, leaving their daughter behind.Yuri and Erik gave them refuge, and that was how they had no


    choice but to join the Stepanov family group.The problem with the group was that once you were in,


    you had to seizemunication with the outside world.The wave of the uprising hit us, and Ramsey


    sacrificed the Riverstorms for it because they ratted him out.Martha and I knew the cause of the


    problem, but we had to hold our peace because Maurice was a madman.So when you liked their


    daughter, we did not kick against it.She deserved to have a family." He said and sighed.


    "You need to understand.Had we spoken up on their behalf, we would have had to expose our family,


    and Maurice would not have pardoned any of us.He was mad like that," My father said, and I already


    knew that, so I nodded.


    I was d Sylvester was nothing like his father.


    "A year before we handed over to you, we noticed the Stepanov''s activities and became strong.Grey


    told us of Yuri''s ns to take over.Yuri had be so powerful that it was now a join-up-or-die


    thing.We knew they woulde to Mountain, and we wanted you to be safe, so Martha and I agreed to


    join so they would leave you alone.Yuri and Erik agreed, and we handed the pack over to you and left."


    He said and bowed his head.


    "Nothing could prepare us for what we would meet.That thing had turned into a cult.We learned of


    many nasty things that were going on, but we dared not speak because we were referred to as Volkovs


    there.We thought Dimitri was a madman.These people were worse.They were sponsoring all kinds of


    things.Grey and I ensured that they never harmed the South and East.Then when I heard you had


    made it to head Alpha, I was more determined to keep their actives out of the East.Yuri tried to


    convince me a few times to ask you to join, but I refused.I let him know a deal was a deal.He would


    often drop it.Something happened two years ago, and then he and Erik split up.They both had different


    agendas.Erik wanted to avenge what was done to the Stepanovs and restore his family''s name and


    freedom; Yuri wanted to be Lord.They argue about it, and the cult became divided." He said, and I


    knew that was about when he said they locked him up.


    "Whose side were you on?" I asked him, and he looked at me.


    "I was on my side.You had risen high by then, and the system the Volkovs were running was favouring


    you.There was no point working against them.We were also Volkovs, so it would be wrong to work


    against them.That was where Grey and I shared different opinions.Grey wanted revenge because,


    unlike me, that had no trouble; Maurice forced him to flee his home and join up over something he had


    no hand in.He never forgave the man for it.Erik and Yuri went about their businesses with none


    disturbing each other.They teamed up with a council member to help bring down Sylvester.Iter


    discovered The councilman was the person they teamed up with to help destroy Maurice in the


    past.The very uprising that imed innocent lives.I did not witness the oue of the second uprising,


    but I learned it failed.Anyway, Yuri used me of telling the outside world of their ns because I tried


    to send you a postcard and because of that, they locked Martha and me up.We were in the cell until


    recently when Grey helped us escape, and we had toe here to warn you that Yuri is nning to


    take over the East and South.I learned you helped make the Volkov a King, so now Yuri wants to be


    King of the South and East," He said, and I already knew that part.


    I decided to ask them about Andrew because he made me nervous.He was in my settlement and knew


    my friends were around.


    "Do you know Andrew Petrov?" I asked, and he frowned at me.


    "How do you know that name?" He asked, and I sighed.


    "Well, he is on the run," I said, and my father nodded.


    "He is Mikhail Petrov''s son. He was working against the cult.He was feeding someone outside the cult


    information about their activities, and I heard he worked against Erik by preventing him from getting the


    daughter of the true Stepanov heir. He wants her to be mated to his son so they can have powerful


    pups. The guy is ridiculous."


    My father said, and I realised that Andrew wasn''t lying.


    "So why did you say I shouldn''t trust anyone?" I asked him, still holding information on what I knew.


    "Because Yuri is trying to recruit you.He wants to rule the East and South but wants your support.I


    learned it was due to your close rtionship with the Volkovs.Eriks wants you too; Grey told me Erik


    sent some men to kidnap you from here, but you survived the attack somehow.He wants to sample


    your genes because you are the only Alpha other than me with Stepanov''s silver genes.He said Erik


    had run several silver tests on you, and you had passed where I had failed, so he wants to capture


    you.While Yuri wants to use you against the Volkovs, Eriks wants you for your genes.I had toe


    home to ensure they don''t get you." He said, and I remember the attack in the woods when Amelia and


    I went on a run.


    I did feel it was weird that they shot me and left her.I could not believe it was me they wanted.It also


    meant the people who tried to abduct me were separate from those who were camping in my woods


    and watching Amelia.


    "Leo, you do not seem the slightest surprised about all your father has told you," My mother said,


    observing my mood, and I sighed.


    "I am shocked to discover I am a Volkov descendant with Stepanov genes.It is a bit shocking, but the


    other things were expected due to what has been happeningtely in this ce." I said.


    "yuri is attacking packs and wiping out people that refuse to leave theirnd or submit. Erik sent his


    men to the North to attack me and the Lords on our way back from the Calyman''s party..." I said, and


    my father interrupted me.


    "Joan yman? What were you doing in that bitch''s house?" my father asked with rage, and I


    wondered why he hated the councilwoman.


    "She is one of Yuri''s people. I doubt Erik was the one that attacked you." My father said, and I frowned.


    Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDra/ma.O(r)g!


    "Erik is just a scientist.His way of revenge is creating stronger Stepanovs and fighting toe out of


    the dark.He wants his family name and glory restored.He disagrees with Yuri''s madness.yman


    works for Yuri, so if you and the Lords were attacked on your way back from a party, it was Yuri''s


    doing.The bastard isn''t even the heir.If truly he is fighting a just cause, Louis''s children should be up for


    Lordship.I learned that the Volkov had ordained many Lords.


    All he needs to demand is for Lordship for Louis''s children and their family''s name to be restored.


    The man is just a greedy bastard.


    Now that his right-hand man ...


    Mikhail Petrov, is dead, He will soon start losing support because he has wasted too many lives


    lately,"My father said, and I frowned.


    "Andrew said Erik killed his father for supporting Yuri.He ims Erik is that bad guy and Yuri is the


    good guy," I said, and my fatherughed.


    "Since when did a mass murderer, a jailer and a dictator be a good person? I will tell you both are


    evil, but the world would be better without Yuri.Yuri sent Andrew''s father to kill Erik Erik caught him and


    executed him.I was there when the bastard tried to Kill Erik.He would have seeded too.Andrew


    would be sentimental because he witnessed his father''s death.I doubt his father ever told his son the


    truth before he died," My father said, which cleared many things up for me.


    I decided to tell my parents what had happened and where we were.I told them of my rtionship with


    the North and about Amelia.


    They were shocked by the time I told them everything.


    "I can''t believe you were part of it.No wonder Yuri went nuts and started grabbing on straws.I am proud


    of you," said, sounding excited.


    "I want to meet Amelia.I want to see Tamia.I want to see all of them." She said, sounding excited, and I


    told her to calm down.


    I had a more significant issue to discuss with my father.


    "Father, do you know how we can meet Erik?" I asked him, and he frowned at me.


    "If Amelia is your fated, that won''t be a good idea. Why do you want to meet him?" he asked me, and I


    sighed.


    "We need an army to fight Yuri when hees for us because I know he ising.His moles in the


    South have helped him almost take it over.I believe he has moles here too,n.ovelebook maybe not as


    powerful as the ones in the South," I said, and My mother''s eyes widened as if she remembered


    something.


    "Joyce Monroe! You have to get her.I made the mistake of reaching out to her for help after Grey freed


    us three months ago, and the bitch ratted us out.She is the reason we could note here


    immediately.Yuri almost caught us."


    My mother said, and I remembered all the weird questions the woman was asking Amelia and me


    when she saw us in town.I was mad but concealed it.I knew exactly what to do to her.


    "I will handle it,'' I told my mother and then faced my father.


    "Yuri''s warriors are immune to silver.We do not stand a chance," I said, and my fatherughed.


    I wondered what was funny about what I said.


    "I must admit the Stepanov ability is intimidating.It is so intimidating that we see them as


    unbeatable.There are other options to explore." He said, and I frowned.


    I hope he has an answer that will give us an advantage.