Chapter 122


    122 Closing Conflicts


    Aesop.


    We arrived at Neev within an hour. Mike was good with the helicopter, and I figured he


    might have been the one flying Luke and Caleb about the ce. I was not looking forward


    to revisiting Neev. That was where I lost my Chloe. That was where my life took a turn for


    the worst. I have had sweet memories there, but it also took those memories from me. I


    met myte wife and current wife there, and the memories were still fresh.


    The helicopter touched down at the hotel we would stay at, and I hesitated. What will the


    people think when they see me? I had almost erased the ce out of anger. I knew I had


    some fences to mend and apologies to tender in Neev, especially to the former Alpha,


    whom I almost destroyed thinking he had a hand in Chloe''s murder. I owed the man an


    apology, and I knew my apologies would not change the past or fix the damage, but he


    needed to know I was sorry.


    Knowing who the culprit was, I felt like a bully. I had really wronged the territory.


    "Father, let''s go inside," Luke said, and I smiled at him. He was only two-years-old years


    old when the atrocity happened. He was oblivious of the loss that had befallen him, and I


    wished I was him in those moments. I wished I was naive and did not have to feel the pain


    of loss. Although he had her eyes, his soul wasn''t haunted by her demise because he


    never knew her, so he never knew what it was like. He was more likely to feel Stacy''s


    death than his mother''s. However toxic the rtionship between the two was, I knew he


    cared for her. That was why he kept her secret when she told him she was being


    ckmailed, and that was why he did not kill Monica. He did it more for Stacy than for his


    brother. If he did not care for Stacy, he would not love Caleb.


    Thinking of Stacy, I knew I was unfair to her. I expected so much from her. I felt she was a


    step down from Chloe; no matter how hard she tried, she was never good enough. I was


    always quick to point out her ws and her mistakes. I never took the time to know her well


    enough to appreciate what I had. I knew she loved mepletely, and I took it for granted.


    Had I known about her past, I would have put aside my pain and devoted myself wholly to


    her. I remembered how I would scold and embarrass her in public. It was easy for me to


    throw her out, and I hated myself for it. I did all that because I knew she would always


    come back. Somehow I was too confident to believe that she could leave me. How could I


    expect her to love my son when I showed her little love. I watched Tia with Paul in the few


    days he was with us; she genuinely loved him. It was easy for the girl because Luke


    showed herplete devotion. I put Stacy inpetition with Chloe''s ghost and damaged


    her. I felt she was weak and unwise. I saw her as a trophy wife, a pretty face with nothing


    to offer. Yet she was a strong woman.


    Deep down. She endured so much pain, abuse and humiliation from a young age and still


    had the strength to open her heart and love me. She lived afraid all her life because of


    Regan, yet she hid it from me and was there tofort, please, and love me. Whenever I


    needed her, she was there.


    When I became insecure about her activities, she stopped going out, and I know she lost


    her friends. The truth was I did not deserve Stacy. Yes, sheshed out and did some


    horrible things, but her life would have been easier if she had listened to Regan and killed


    Luke and me. Yet she endured the ckmail and fear and refused to kill us. What I do to


    Regan will be my gift to her. Once all this is over, I will mend our rtionship and love her


    with all my heart. I will no longer put her in Chloe''s shadow or make her feel less. I will


    copy Luke and Caleb and love my mate the way they love theirs, especially Luke. No


    matter how hot his temper gets, he remained cool with Tia. He was aplete fool for her,


    and his reward was bliss. Stacy and I deserved that kind of life, too, and I was ready to


    give it to her. Now that I was in Neev, I was ending everything that had to do with Chloe


    and focusing on a future with Stacy. To do this, I will have to visit Ummul. I needed to tell


    her that I never cheated on her niece and That things she believed were wrong. Amirah


    needs to know that I would give thepany to Luke regardless. I just wanted that gold


    digging Elisabeth out of his life before I did it. They needed to understand my actions, and


    Since Luke knew the truth, I wanted him with me when I visited them.


    We walked into the hotel, and just, as usual, it was flooded with pretty women from Dome.


    Looking at them, all I could think of was Regan. There was a possibility they were his girls.


    I would not be surprised. The bastard was sick; the fact that he would pimp his wife, whom


    he loved and was jealous about, to people for personal gains was sick. When I saw his


    broadcast, I knew he was mad about Stacy leaving him. He did not expect that she would


    switch sides so quickly, but how could he expect someone he drove so much fear into to


    love him? He loved her in his own way and wanted her back but too bad for him, I wasn''t


    letting go. I love her too, and my love is dangerous.


    "Let us check into our room, and Luke and I will visit his cousin and grandaunt," I said, and Luke looked


    at me, surprised at my words.


    "Yes, Luke. I need to fix that rtionship. Amirah should be in your life. Chloe would have wanted that."


    I said to him, and he nodded. He did not argue with me, which meant he was looking forward to it.


    The receptionist told me that the former Alpha and current Alpha wereing to pay their respects. I


    told her to send them to our Suite once they arrive.


    We took a suite. I wanted to be in the same space with my boys. I did not trust Regan, and I suspected


    the girls in the hotel might be working for him. The Suite was decent, and I noticed Caleb was excited.


    "Why are you giddy, son?" I asked him, and he beamed at me. He was still the naughty little boy that


    used to run around the hallway pretending to be a superhero. I was d he turned out well.


    "I can''t wait to see you give it to that bastard!


    Once we are done with him, we can move on with our lives. I would not have to fret for Kimberly and


    Emma''s safety anymore. My mother will have peace, and so will Luke and Tia. The entire Woodw


    Ind will have peace. That bastard is a menace, and he picked the wrong Alpha to mess with." He


    said to me, and my heart was lifted. My son held me in such high regard. He was confident that


    Regan''s death was a given. Luke was satisfied, too, and their confidence boosted mine.


    We settled in, and five Dome girls brought dessert and sweets from the hotel. From how they were


    dressed, they were not here to deliver the sweets; they were auditioning. Somehow they reminded me


    of the first time I met Stacy. She hade to my room to ask me if I needed anything. She knew she


    was beautiful, and she was using it. I felt shitty that I went to stay in a separate hotel without Chloe, but


    Ummul and Chloe were killing me slowly. I needed the space. She was cute and wanted me to sleep


    with her for money. She looked desperate, so I did not kick her out like the others. I was d I asked


    her what the matter was. My heart broke when I learned about her problem, and I decided to help her


    with no strings attached. I wished she had told me what Regan was doing to her then. I wish I knew. I


    would have killed that bastard.


    "Do the Alphas need anything special?" The prettiest of the girls asked. She wore a suit with a short


    skirt and pantyhose with suspenders and heels.


    "We are all married," I replied, irrespective of Kirk''s position, and their faces dropped.


    "Whatever happens in Neev stays in Neev," She said with a seductive voice, eyes focused on me.


    "It will be in your best interest to leave. Tell your pimp there is no business here." I told her and linked


    Luke to give them some money for their trouble. He obliged and gave them money. It was just as much


    as they would have gotten if they had done what their pimp sent them to do. Their faces lit up


    immediately, except for two of them who had their eyes on my sons. My sons had that effect on young


    women. It reminded me of when I was their age, and every woman I met was smitten by me. It was still


    the same now, but I was imed, and I wasn''t the mistress type.


    "Thank you, you may leave now," Mike said to the girl trying to grab him. They reluctantly left the room.


    A few minutester, the Alpha of Neev arrived with his father. The boy did not look like the man, so I


    figured he looked like his mother. Initially, I felt ufortable, but the man was happy to see me. I


    introduced my sons, Mike and Kirk, to them. He was pleased that we could finally end an old mystery.


    He was angry at Regan for creating such an atrocious crime on his soil. He assured me his son would


    provide whatever I needed. The current Alpha, his son,ined that we had not funded their


    Military in three months, and Luke refused to send them weapons to defend themselves. Luke


    promised to rectify the problem once the Regan issue was solved. Alpha Ahmed seemed genuinely


    d to see me, but his son was still ufortable about the fight. Luke promised him that no civilian


    will be harmed. They spent some time with us and then left.


    Luke and I freshened up and decided to pay Ummul a visit. Caleb wanted toe, so I decided we


    could all go. Mike was there when Ummul said her truth, and Kirk could not be left alone in the hotel,


    especially with how he looked at the girls; it was only fair we do this together.


    The cottage was till as I remembered it. Ummul and Amirah had taken care of the ce. The vines on


    the walls made it beautiful and more homely. I had bought the cottage for Ummul to show my gratitude.


    I never knew it would end up being her home. Until she came to stay with us on ourst vacation in


    Neev, I did not know she and her husband had split up. I could understand why he would leave her for


    another woman. The woman was impossible. Yet his behaviour was inexcusable.


    Amirah came to the door, and she was shocked to see us. She looked at Luke and then at me. I could


    see the anger and resentment in her eyes. It was really unnecessary.


    "Sis Amirah, please let us in," Luke said to her, and she nodded and stepped aside for us


    to enter. We were made to sit in the sitting room. It was small and modest.


    "What brings you here, Alpha Aesop?" Amirah asked coldly, and I excused her manners


    and smiled.


    "I am here to see your mother," I said, and she shook her head.


    " I do not think..." She said, but Luke interrupted her.


    "Sis Amirah, please. We should not be here right now. We should be preparing for the


    fight. Please let us get this over with." Luke told her, and I noticed she was fighting herself,


    but sheter sumbed and wheeled her mother into the sitting area.


    Ummul began to cry when she saw me. She made some signnguage, and Amirah was


    shocked. It took a bit before she could interpret it.


    "Mother wants you to know that she is sorry and misjudged you. She said she knows the


    truth now, " and I was in shock. Ummul made some signs with her hands again.


    "We saw the broadcast, and we hope you give our Chloe the justice she deserves,"


    Amirah said, interpreting her mother''s signnguage.


    "I am happy you found out the truth," I said to Ummul and went to hold her hand.


    "I never cheated on your niece. She meant the world to me." I said, and Ummul nodded


    with tears streaming down her face. This was the first time she would believe me, and I


    was grateful for it. Stacy''s confession had helped resolve an issue that had lingered for a


    long time.


    Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    There was no need to exin anything to Ummul. I was d our differences had been


    settled. We talked about the fight and hopefully a future after it. Luke insisted that Amirah


    and Ummul move to the mansion so Ummul could get the care she needed and Amirah


    could have a life. They did not argue with him and wished us the best of luck. Ummul


    wanted Regan to have a slow, painful death, and I was more than willing to grant that


    wish.