Shadows of Destiny

36 Engagement Dinner

~Tamia~

Planning the engagement dinner was tedious, but Avery and Linda came through.

Linda had moved back to Theodore’s room, and even though he didn’t kick her out, he was guarded

with her. I noticed it during dinner.

Her actions hurt him, and he needed time to get over it, just like her.

Stephanie helped immensely with the seating arrangement and the menu of the engagement dinner,

which made me realise she was over it.

I stood in the dance room and admired

what we had done.

Stephanie was drinking a glass of wine with Avery while Linda drank juice. We

had worked for a day and a half, only

taking breaks to eat and sleep; we were

exhausted. 1

I wondered why Sylvester did not allow me to hire an event planner for this. He refused to tell me, but I

believed it had to do with trust and accessibility.

I joined the women at the table they were sitting at, and Stephanie smiled at me.

“You need to brace yourself, Tamia. Northern Alphas are very stubborn, and most of them are

chauvinists,” she said, and we all laughed.

“The east isn’t any different,” I told her, and Linda chose that moment to mimic

Kyle.

“You are a woman. What do you know

about these matters? Leave it for the men

to handle,” She said. We all laughed.

“I see how well they handled the matter

when the northern soldiers called. They

just shoved us in their faces, afraid.” She said, and honestly, that was precisely what happened to

them.

We had all somehow kicked against them, banding with the south against the north, but they did not

listen, only for the women to be given as peace offerings. We didn’t commit the crime, yet we paid for

1.

“You won’t have that much trouble

because of Sylvester. He adores you,

Stephanie said, and I smiled.

11

“How are things with Theodore?” She asked Linda, and Linda looked away, knowing it was her fault.

“The women in the harem were gossiping

about you and the Gamma; that was how I got to know,” Stephanie said and smiled at Linda.

“Marcel and Theodore are alphas from prestigious families. Their fathers occupied their present

positions, and so did their fathers before them. The rules that apply to Sylvester apply to them. Even

though they have not argued or fought anyone about it, they are going against tradition being with the

two of you, and their families aren’t happy about it. But it really doesn’t matter as long as they are

happy,” She said and

sighed. 1

“Why am I telling you this?” she said

with a smile, guessing that was what we were thinking.

“It is because I have never seen men

devoted to their women as these men are devoted to you three. The ones before

them were horrible. They were so bad that we, their mates, accepted their ill- treatment as a norm.

They engaged in all kinds of orgies and torture. We dared not speak or complain. Our duties as their

wives were defined, and we had to stay within those confinements, or we would

be in trouble.

When I see how Sylvester is with you, Tamia, I wish Maurice loved me that way. But the truth is he

didn’t. I was just a tool to him. This is why I am telling you this, Linda. Do not throw away a good thing.

I know what happened to the three of you in the east, and I can tell you that my son and his friends are

decent men.

They aren’t douchebags and have a lot of respect for women.

They have all been burned by love in the past, and it is a joy to see them try again.

Do not make Theodore pay for a crime he did not commit. His only crime is loving you and wanting to

take your pain away. I see it in his eyes. How he looks at you and how he treats you. 1

His mother asked me about you, and I had only good things to say. Please put your past behind you

and look into the future,” She said and touched Linda’s

hands.

“I know you do not drink but try and stay clear of alcohol tomorrow night,” She

said with a broad smile. She felt Linda’s

palm and smiled.

“Because it won’t be good for the baby,”

She said, and we all gasped.

I looked at Linda immediately and

realised she was stunned too.

“I used to be a midwife. Your complexion,

mood swings, extra sensitivity to smell,

and constant fatigue are all early signs of

pregnancy. If you do not believe me, you can have yourself tested.” She said, and I

couldn’t believe it.

I was a bit jealous because I wanted it to

be me. Linda was a baby magnet.

“I have some test strips you can use,” Avery told Linda.

“I bought them because Marcel and I are trying,” She confessed, and Stephanie.

looked at me.

“What about you and Sylvester?” Stephanie asked me, and I smiled.

“I am envious of Linda right now because Sylvester and I are eager for this to

happen,” I confessed, and Stephanie

smiled.

“I am eager too. It will be nice to have

little Volkovs running about the place. Children always have a way of bringing

the home to life.”

“Do you all mind being there when I check?” Linda said, sounding a bit nervous, and we all obliged.

Stephanie would be a great friend to me if she wasn’t being a protective mother.

We waited in Avery’s room while Linda

used the toilet.

She came out of the bathroom in tears, and I thought the result was negative, but soon I realised they

were joyful tears. She was pregnant. I could not believe it.

Somehow everything that was taken from her had been restored.

At least now, her baby would have a father and not a cowardly runaway

warrior who could not stand to fight for

the woman he claimed to love.

We congratulated her, and Stephanie and I returned to the alpha wing.

I was feeling a bit down and worried that something might be wrong with me, but I kept it to myself.

“Tomorrow night will be great; make sure he lets you rest,” Stephanie advised and hugged me. Then

turned to open her door when Glenda approached us. She was in tears, and I wanted to walk away.

“What is it this time?” Stephanie asked, obviously tired of Glenda and Dominic’s

drama.

They have had a lot of it lately, and it was

annoying.

I walked away quickly, not wanting to hear whatever was troubling her.

I returned to my bedroom and decided to

run a hot bath to relax.

I applied vanilla salts to the bath and

rested in it.

I was nervous about the next day, and I

was nervous about my life with Sylvester.

I touched my lower belly with a deep longing wishing today’s news was mine

to share.

I really wanted to have children with

Sylvester. I did not know I was crying

until Sylvester walked into the room, and

I quickly dried my tears.

I heard him approaching the bathroom.

and tried to smile.

He walked in and knelt by the bath to kiss

1.

“How was your day?” he asked, and I

smiled at him.

“Hectic, but I had help, especially from your mother,” I said, and he smiled at me.

“Glad to see you two are getting along,” he said and started undressing to join me

in the bath.

“Vanilla isn’t so bad when you are

covered in it,” he said, and I giggled and scooped some of the foam and blew it in

his direction.

We soaked together in the bath and

returned to the room to dress for dinner.

We were having dinner with our friends

in the small dining room. Sylvester

remained adamant that he would not eat

with his mother and brother.

I planned on talking to him to reconsider after the engagement dinner.

When we got to the room, I noticed Linda and Theodore were not sitting closely.

It was clear she hadn’t told him, and I did

not know why. I guess she was afraid of

his reaction.

I wouldn’t blame her. The last guy ran

away.

Although Theodore wouldn’t run, she was afraid he might not be ready. I could see it in her eyes.

The food was served, and I decided I

would break the awkwardness between

them.

“So, are you two going to Vino’s party together?” I asked, and Linda frowned at

1.

“No,” Theodore said, and I realised they

were yet to reconcile, so I wondered what

they did in their room.

“It is a shame,” I said, and Sylvester placed his hand on my thigh to stay out of

it, but I refused.

“It will be wrong to leave a pregnant woman alone in the mansion,” I said, and Theodore stopped

eating.

“Who is pregnant?” he asked me, and I looked at Linda, who looked away. I knew she was mad at me,

but someone had to share the good news.

Theodore was stunned, and then he

smiled and began to laugh.

“Congratulations,” Marcel told him, and

he accepted.

“Congratulations,” Sylvester said,

genuinely happy for him, and he

accepted, pulled Linda close and kissed

her neck.

“You should have told me. Now I know

why you have been moody,” He said and

kissed her more, tickling her in the

process.

She tried to pretend to be angry but soon started giggling, and just like that, they

were back together. (1)

The dinner went in high spirits, and

Theodore could not take his hands off

Linda; as things were, it was clear there

would be three weddings during the blue

moon.

I wore a backless blue velvet gown covered with Swarovski crystals. It was beautiful, and I would have

loved to wear it to Vino’s dinner, but Sylvester wanted me to wear it for our engagement dinner.

He bought me a palladium jewellery set with internally flawless diamonds on

them.

“Shall we?” he said in his white shirt and well-tailored black pants. He looked

handsome, and his hair was packed in a

tiny bun at the back of his head. He

looked sexy, and I wanted him, but I had to be patient because we had guests

waiting for us.

We entered the dance room together, and the place went quiet.

People were stunned, and I could see men

looking at me lustfully.

“She’s beautiful,” I heard some guests whisper, and I giggled internally.

Dominic was there, and for the first time,

he had nothing but amusement in his

eyes.

Sylvester led me to where we were to sit, and the evening began.

Stephanie had promised to take care of

the entertainment for the evening, and she did a great job.

The engagement was officially

announced, and people congratulated us

individually.

I met all the northern and western Alphas along with their lunas.

They paid their respects.

The women were a bit envious of me, and

I wasn’t bothered.

I would be jealous of me too.

Losing out of love in the past and finding

greater love was a thing of envy. My life

was a dream to the women, and I

unconsciously placed my hand on my

lower belly, praying that my joy would be

complete soon.

Sylvester and I danced most of the

evening, and he had eyes only for me.

Theodore never left Linda’s side, and he

showered her with love. He also

introduced her to some of his family

members and his mother.

Marcel’s family attended, too, and they

took to Avery quickly; Avery had that

effect on everyone.

There were some people who were obviously against my engagement, like Larry from the council,

Dominic, Glenda and a few alphas, but they were a minority, and I did not care, really. As long as

Sylvester loved me, their

emotions and opinions were irrelevant.

Vino congratulated us and used the time to remind us to come to his dinner party.

The guy was charming, and I somehow believed the council was giving him a hard time because he

was the youngest.

I studied everyone at the party and

noticed Dominic was trying to be friends with Vino at all costs.

Knowing his ambition to overthrow his brother as wolf lord, I wasn’t surprised, and I could see

Stephanie giving him a look of disapproval.

Seeing Stephanie by herself, I pleaded with Sylvester to dance with her. He obliged, and she was

happy when he led her to the dancefloor.

She loved her son dearly, and I could see she was delighted that he was pleased.

“Congratulations,” Dominic said to me, and I cringed.

“Would you like to dance, future sister-in -law?” he said, and I smiled and declined politely.

“Don’t be too confident, Tamia. Things can change suddenly, and you will be left high and dry. I believe

your experience with Leonardo Albert has taught you that

by now,” He said, intending to spoil my mood, and I smiled at him.

“Trust me, I never take things to heart. I simply dust myself and move on; as you can see, Sylvester

and I are moving strong,” I said, and he got upset and walked away.

I watched Sylvester dance with his

mother, and prayed that what we have

lasts because I doubted I could take the same blow twice.