Chapter 146 Abandoned.

Chapter 146 Abandoned.
KATE’S P.O.V.

The air in the courtroom turned cold when Khaos entered; it felt like a heavy metal has been placed upon the shoulders of everyone present here. I gasped, as the bond I shared with him suddenly flared like an open flame revealing his anger. It was different from the first time we met. Back then he was playful and flirty, but this time he was angry.

Every vampire in the hall, including the guards and the council members, were left in discomfort. Even Giron looked unsettled, by the beast precense that came with so much anger. The look on Khaos’s face truly terrified me. The playful, mischievous god I had knew was gone. In his place stood the Beast of the Supernatural World, and he was absolutely burning with rage.

His eyes, flashed a terrifying amber as they landed on Domenic, then flickered over to me with a brief, hard glint, before finally settling on Josh. "What is this talk about a war?" Khaos’s voice thundered.

Josh didn't flinch as expected. He was driven by a grief so overwhelming, it had blinded him to reason, he stepped forward. His eyes were flashing an angry red. He looked like a man who had already lost everything and therefore had nothing left to fear.

"Those damn witches they tricked us, Lord Khaos. Helios’s followers has already taken over the witch kingdom, and yet they sent a plea for help, lured my Queen into a trap, and they murdered her. They killed Camille like she was nothing." Josh’s voice shook with the force of his anger. "I have made up my mind Lord Khaos, nothing—nothing in this world or the next—will stop me from wiping out the witches from the face of this earth."

The silence that followed was suffocating. I looked at Khaos, praying that he wont lose it, but his face only hardened further. "You have every right to be angry, King of the Vampires," Khaos said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous growl. "Loss is a bitter feeling. But you do not start a war while you're blinded by rage. You do not even think about a war. You will stay within your kingdom, and you will leave me to handle the witches in my own way."

Josh let out a loud, mocking laugh. "Leave you to handle it? Its been seventeen years Lord Khaos! Where were you those seventeen years while the witches plotted against my kingdom and murdered my Queen?"

"You have gone too far Josh!" Domenic stepped in but Josh ignored him and went on right into Khaos's face.

"If you aren't going to go down there destroy every Helios-worshipping bastard, then step aside. Let me have my war. I will take care of them myself."

The atmosphere in the room changed instantly. I felt it before I saw it—a massive spike of adrenaline and fury through our connection. Khaos wasn't just angry anymore; he was on the verge of losing control. He looks seconds away from ripping Josh’s head off his neck, and Josh, under Khaos rage, wouldn't stand a chance.

"No!" I cried out, lunging forward. I threw myself between them before either of them would strike, my hands outstretched toward Khaos, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Khaos, stop! Please!"

The Beast’s amber gaze snapped to mine, and for a second, I thought he might push me aside. But I didn't move. I looked him dead in the eye, pleading with everything I had. "Please," I whispered, my voice trembling. "Try to understand him, Lord Khaos. He’s hurting. He just lost Camille, and right now he's not thinking rationally."

"You think he is the only one who has ever lost someone he loves?!" Khaos snapped. "The history of this world is written in the blood of those who 'loved too much.' But his grief does not give him the right to put every other living soul in danger! He wants to start a war with witches? He is a fool for a King!" Khaos turned his terrifying gaze back to the council members. "I have heard the true intentions of Helios’s followers. They have already reached out to the Faes and the Dragons. Not all, but those who loathe the peace I have enforced, and they are using Camille’s death as the match to light the fire. Does your King really think the Vampire Nation stands a chance against the combined powers of the Witches, the Fae, and the Dragons?!"

Josh spoke again, his jaw set stubbornly. "I don't care about their numbers. I’ve already reached out to the Lycans. Alpha King Raymond is my friend, and he has promised to have my back. We will fight them together."

If Khaos was furious before, he was beyond it now. He let out a low, guttural growl that made the glass in the windows crack. "So that is your plan?" Khaos asked, his voice dripping with venom. "To drag the Lycans into it? To start a world war? You want to turn the world into a slaughterhouse again? But this time a fight against each other. Don't be stupid King Josh!"

"If that is what must be done to avenge Camille," Josh replied, his voice cold and unwavering, "then so be it."

I looked at Domenic, and I could see the same horror in his eyes that I felt in my soul. We tried to move toward Josh, tried to find some word, some logic that could pierce through the walls of grief.

"Josh, please, listen to him." I begged, "He’s trying to save us. You have to trust him and let him handle this. A war is not the right choice."

"He’s trying to control us," Giron spat from where he was seated. "The witches refuse peace and war is what we will give them. You cant stop us from avenging our Queen just because you said so. If you insist, the vampire nation will turn againt you."

The room gasped and Domenic's eyes flashed at Giron with a snarl. "Giron know your place!" He growled.

"But he's right!" Josh agreed to my shock. "We can't let Khaos control us. You saved the world once, but that doesn't make you the King of the Universe."

Khaos stopped, looking shocked and enraged, but his expression turned cold instantly. He looked at the council, at Giron’s subtly pleased expression, at Linus’s battered face, and finally at Josh. "Fine," He said. The word was quiet, but it carried a finality that scared me. "If you have all decided that my counsel is worthless, then I am done here."

My heart stopped. "Khaos, no. You don't mean that. Without you the world will fall. Please dont turn your back on is."

He looked at me, and for the first time, he looked tired. "I mean every word, Kate. I have spent centuries trying to maintain a balance that no one truly wants. I have given you peace, and you have treated it like a cage. You want your war? You want to kill yourselves over pride and vengeance? Go ahead. But I will have nothing to do with it."

He turned and began to walk toward the exit. "Khaos!" I screamed, running after him. "You can't just leave! You're the legendary beast and protector of the world! You're the only one who can keep us safe!"

He stopped at the great doors, looking back over his shoulder one last time. "From the look of things, the supernatural world doesnt think so. From this moment on, the supernatural world is on its own. Fight your battles. Bleed for your thrones. When the time comes that you finally realize your mistake and cry out for me to save you... do not bother looking for me because I will not lift a finger while you burn. Ungrateful bastards!" With a flick of his wrist, the massive doors slammed shut behind him.

The silence that followed was devastating. I stood in the middle of the hall, trying to catch my breath. I cant believe this. I looked at Giron, and the small, triumphant smile on his face made me feel physically ill. Could it be that this was his plan all along? To remove the beast from the picture and have everyone fight against each other.

I can't let this happen! This cannot end like this.

Domenic walked to my side, his hand gripping my shoulder, but I couldn't feel the warmth.

My heart was filled with fear as a realization dawn on me. This was it. This was my dream. I saw the world in flames, I saw war and death, and there, in the distance, was Khaos watching it all with cold, bored eyes.

He had abandoned us. He had walked away from the world he was created to protect, and now, without him to bring us peace, we were all doomed.

The war haven't even begun, but standing in that silent courtroom, I knew one thing for certain: we have already lost.