50 Brighton''s festival


    ~Tamia~


    Avery and I insisted on sharing the same room. Alpha Jake offered to have his pack doctor examine


    me, but I refused. I nned on managing the condition until I got back to the north.


    "That went well; too well, I must say," Avery linked me, trying to be cautious, and I smiled at her.


    "He believed Leo when he told him but still felt insulted until I showed up," I linked her back,


    exining my deduction.


    "Alpha Jake Brighton is an old-fashioned man. He expected word to have gone to Sylvester''s ears


    of the atrocity in Brighton, and he expected Sylvester to apologise personally even though he had


    no hand in it. It is an ego thing for the old man, nothing more." I linked Avery, and sheughed.


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    "What do you think about Councilwoman Pam? The woman reeks of treachery," Avery said


    aloud, and Iughed. It would be unwise for us to remain silent all through the room.


    Being former Lunas of top packs, we understood the politics. Alpha Brighton wanted to keep an eye


    on us and our activities in his territory, so he offered we stay in his house; I was sure people were


    listening to our conversation.


    We had dinner with Alpha Jake, Mikail, his nephew, Iris, his daughter and Donald, his son. His son


    and nephew were about my age, and I figured Donald would seed his father soon. His daughter,


    Iris, kept staring at us during dinner, and I was a bit ufortable, but I let it be.


    We ate in silence and returned to our room.


    "Donald did not seem to like us. I do not know what his deal is. Jake''s nephew, Mikail, was worse.


    He kept staring at us. Honestly, I can''t wait to be out of this ce," Avery said, lying next to me, and


    I smiled. The feeling was mutual.


    "I am missing Marcel," She said and sighed.


    "He didn''t want me toe, but I insisted. Right now, I just want to head back to the north and


    never leave his side. It has just been a few hours, and I am missing him so badly," She said, and I


    smiled because I felt the same way.


    I wondered what Sylvester was doing. As much as I wanted to ce a call, it was best I didn''t.


    I was about to fall asleep when my phone rang. I did not need to guess who it was. I answered in a


    heartbeat.


    "Miss me already, Green eyes?" he said, and I giggled on the phone.


    "More than you can imagine. Would have returned in the morning, but Alpha Jake invited us to a


    festival tomorrow evening, so we will return after the festival," I said, and he grumbled on the phone.


    We talked about his day, and I handed the phone to Avery to speak with Marcel. Apparently, she did


    note with her phone.


    We said good night and fell asleep.


    We had breakfast in the morning with our host and his children, and it was a very ufortable


    one.


    "When are you two leaving?" Donald asked with a very disrespectful tone, and his father cautioned


    him.


    "You might choose to be silent, but I won''t. They are marrying the men that attacked their people


    and took them away from their husbands. If it isn''t shameless and a desperate act of social


    climbing, then I do not know what is. Yet we wee them to our home, allow them to eat at our


    table and pretend everything is okay. Mikail doesn''t have a mother because of the Dark Alpha; my


    mother was taken from me because of the Dark Alpha. Yet we are here. I say these eastern whores


    should be ashamed of themselves," He said, and I put down my cutlery and wiped my mouth.


    His father was going to speak when I stopped him.


    " It is easy to point fingers, call people names and judge them when you do not have the full picture.


    It is easy to speak about loyalty and moral values when you have not experienced certain things,


    and judging people looking from the outside is easy. You call us whores and wicked. You call my


    mate vile and evil, but he was our saviour. Where was your moralpass when my ex-husband


    broke his promises and forced me to live with his fated, and I lost my rights and standing as luna?


    Where was your moralpass when Avery''s husband abused her and her wolf day and night,


    forced her to live with his mistress and ced the bitch above her? No one was willing to help,


    knowing what she was going through. These monsters revived our faith in love and gave us the


    strength and courage to try again. Sylvester wiped away my tears and gave me hope when I


    thought all was lost. My husband did not give me up; I gave myself up to get away from him. As for


    your mother and aunt, I sympathise with you, but Sylvester is nothing like Maurice. If you are too


    blind to see it, you need to look into the mirror and question your morals," I said, picking up my fork


    to continue the meal; I could not let it waste. No one said anything.


    Alpha Brighton gave us a tour of the vige. I saw many things that needed improvement, and I


    made mental notes to ry to Sylvester when I got home.


    "Alpha Leo has offered my people part-time work to help with the ie. He is truly a nice man."


    Jake said, and I smiled at him. I had always known Leo to have a big heart. I was d the things


    that happened didn''t take it from im.


    "How is he?" I asked, eager to know how he was doing but reluctant to show my eagerness.


    "He looks like he has seen better days; Alpha Corrigan said he is still hurting over you. I guess he


    needs closure," He said, and I was hurt to learn that my letter did not give him the closure he


    needed.


    "After what you told my son during breakfast, I figured he did it to himself. I think he is finding it hard


    to forgive himself. I doubt there is anything you can do to help him. Besides, you seem pretty happy.


    I believe you love Volkov, or you would have used this opportunity to run away. He is a lucky man,"


    Jake said, and I thanked him.


    "I hope Donald and Mikail will heal from what happened to them. Honestly, that is the reason I


    haven''t handed the pack over to Donald yet; he is about twenty-six and ready to take over, but I am


    afraid he would make a bad decision that would get him and our people into trouble." He confessed,


    and I smiled at him.


    "He will heal, Alpha. We all do," I said, and he nodded.


    "I am sorry about the initial reception. Please tell his eminence that I truly feel honoured that he sent


    you," he said, and I smiled. He sighed and looked at Avery and me.


    "You women have been through a lot and are still holding firm. You need all the strength you can


    manage in that ce. The north is a political jungle of people wrestling for power.


    Your ces as lunas are never secure, so you have to be careful. Too many people want to be


    affiliated with the north. With all that has happened, the council is only partially loyal to the Lord. He


    needs to be careful. Maurice knew this, and that was why he was ruthless. Hence why I do not have


    a grudge against the old Lord. He needed to be a certain way so there would be peace in our world.


    I know Sylvester is trying to be kind, but someone has to be stern, keep an eye open, and ears to


    the ground. He might be suffering a spillover of something from his father''s time. I am not sure, but


    some of us old Alphas know of the power struggle between the six ruling houses of the north," He


    said, and I absorbed every word and then used that opportunity to ask him to borate.


    "Do you mind telling me about the power struggle?" I asked, and he sighed.


    "Let''s start with Stephanie Volkov," He said, and my stomach churned.


    "She is a nice woman, wasn''t treated well by her family and her mate, but she can be vindictive." He


    said, and he noticed my countenance.


    "Is there an issue?" he asked, and I shook my head


    "Nothing, but I would like to know more about her, and you seem to be in the best position to tell me


    since you experienced when she was in power," I said, and heughed.


    "There is nothing special about her. She wasn''t so bright. That was why Maurice preferred his fated


    to her," he said, and I was in shock.


    No one ever mentioned that Maurice had a fated or that Stephanie had to share him with his fated.


    "A fated?" I asked the man, and he nodded.


    "It was a well-kept secret. Stephanie is a member of the Belyaev family, so no one would dethrone


    her. His fated''s name was Lady Alissa Pavlishchev. She was from a small merchant family in Gad.


    Stephanie would not share her title even though the Lord was and still is allowed to have more than


    one Lady. So she always ensured the woman was presented as one of his whores.


    Maurice and Stephanie fought about it often, but when the Belyaevs threatened to divide the north,


    Maurice had to letply. Hence, why Maurice became power-hungry and a monster.


    I believe the man wanted to be so strong that no one would be able to threaten him as the Belyaevs


    did.


    Maurice was able to take overpletely and subdue them by wiping out the Belyaevs and their


    supporters, which were the Babanins and the part of the Lawrence family, leaving Stephanie


    powerless and defenceless. Unfortunately, Alissa had passed away before hepleted his


    mission, so he decided to keep Stephanie as his Lady and the only Lady of the north," He said, and


    I was stunned.


    "Stephanie made sure no one ever spoke of Alissa or remembered her. I doubt Lord Sylvester and


    Dominic even know her," he said, and I could not believe how rotten the north was.


    I kept all those names in mind and nned to start my investigation from there.


    The tour was educative, and I was pleased Jake took the time to show us around and give us some


    history lessons that we wouldn''t have been privy to had we remained in our cocoon at the estate.


    I also realised that I needed to be extra careful where Stephanie was concerned. She was the type


    to always get what she wanted.


    Alphas started arriving, and Jake had to excuse us to attend to his guest.


    I noticed Iris was excited about it. Hopefully, she would find her mate and not live her life afraid of


    fate.


    Avery and I were sleeping when a bang on the door woke us.


    Someone was sent to inform us that the festival was at full st, and we were needed at the high


    table to grace the event. We must have overslept.


    Avery and I dressed and decided to grace the asion as special guests from the north. I


    suspected we would be representing the Lord and beta. The festival was a full st, and there was


    a lot of merriment.


    We stayed away from alcohol because we had to remain sharp. Alpha Jake sent Iris to bring us to


    the high table.


    We moved through the crowd, and I admired the lights disy and merriment.


    Seeing how these people turned their misfortune into joy and bounced back was amazing.


    They were strong, and I admired them for it. Women, children, and men yed and danced. There


    were bright colours everywhere, confetti and music. It was beautiful.


    We headed to the high table, and then I caught his scent.


    "Tamia..." Kaira said, nervous, excited and scared. What had just happened to us.


    The scent called to me. It was alluring, strong and demanding, woodsy and musk, masculine in


    every way. It surrounded me and dominated me.


    I was in a trance. My heart was beating really fast. I tried to think of Sylvester, but the thought of him


    never came. Who was this stranger that fate had tied me to?


    I left Avery''s side and stopped following Iris. I followed the scent. The owner was elusive. He knew


    of me and was leading me somewhere with his scent.


    I knew what I was doing was stupid and dangerous, but I could not control myself. I kept telling


    myself to stop, but my wolf was giddy, and she wanted to know; she wanted to see him.


    I walked briskly into a garden, and there he stood with a rose in his hand and fear in his eyes.


    Tears formed immediately in my eyes. My heart was pounding, my hands were shaking, and my


    emotions were all over the ce.


    I now understood why. Why he did everything he did, and why everyone kept asking if there was


    anything between us?


    Images of him at the party where we met flooded my mind. His attention, his boldness, his


    possessiveness. I looked at him and began to cry.


    "Why didn''t you say anything that night?" I asked him. A tear rolled down his cheek, and he bowed.


    His hand was shaking too.