Chapter 145 Lord Khaos Arrival.

Chapter 145 Lord Khaos Arrival.
Josh’s POV

Once again, the council members were all gathered in the courtroom. We were making plans for the war, and also for Camille's burial arrangements. It still felt like a bad dream that we've lost Camille all of a sudden. Lorenzo was still in shock. He has locked himself in his room and refused to talk to anyone. I doubt he would come around any time soon.

Me on the other hand, I'm barely holding myself together. I need to stay strong to avenge Camille.

"The funeral is tomorrow at sunset," I announced to the council members. The vampires has already heard of Camille’s death, and many wept. Especially the humans who have come to enjoy her rule. "The drums of war will begin at dawn the following day. We march with everything we have. No witch is to be left alive. We shall destroy every single one in the witch kingdom, even those who wishes to join them in their fight."

Giron, Linus, and Tanus nodded with efficiency. They were ready. But beside them, Hera stood with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed in a way that told me she was still searching for a way to stop me. I didn't care. Nothing—not Hera, not Domenic and definitely not Lord Khaos. I am going to turn the Witches' Kingdom into a graveyard.

The heavy oak doors of the courtroom groaned open. Every eye in the room shifted to stare at the intruders. Domenic, Kate, and Lysander walked in. They all looked really good.

Seeing Domenic felt like a physical blow to my chest. He would see me as a failure now. I promised to protect her, but I couldnt even do that, and yet I claimed to love her. I walked toward him, my vision blurring. We didn't speak; we just crashed into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, Domenic," I whispered, pulling away. My chest ached with the weight of it. "She was your sister and I promised to have protected her. I mean, I should have protected her. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."

Domenic’s face was a mask of restrained agony, his jaw tight. He nodded slowly, acknowledging the shared pain.

I turned to Kate, pulling her into a brief embrace. "It’s good to see you, Kate," I managed to say.

"I wish it were under any other circumstances, Josh," she replied softly as she pulled away, her hand lingering on my arm in a gesture of deep sympathy. "I am so, so sorry."

I nodded and looked at Lysander, I gave him a nod of encouragement and he returned the gesture with a grim, respectful look. He never talked much, but I could tell he is also heartbroken by Camille’s death.

"Explain it to me," Domenic said, his voice dropping an octave. "What exactly happened? How did my sister die?" His eyes suddenly shifted to Giron, flashing with a sudden, nasty suspicion.

Giron didn't even blink. He just rolled his eyes, leaning back on his seat. "Don't look at me, like that prince Domenic. I didn't do it, though I’m sure you’ve been practicing that accusation on your way here."

Domenic glared at him with hatred. "You've always held a grudge against Camille. How am I sure this is not a plan of yours?!"

"Be careful Domenic, you are accusing a council member." Orion warned.

"Giron didn't do this," I said, cutting off the tension. "It was a trap. The witches led us to believe there was a civil war in their Kingdom to lure her out. They slaughtered our men and they... they executed her. It was an ambush."

Domenic’s face went pale. He stumbled back a step. "A trap? Camille was a warrior. How could they—" He stopped, his eyes widening as the horror of it settled in. He looked at me, his expression desperate. "What are you planning to do now, Josh? Do you really want to start a war?"

"Yes I do," I said, the words coming out cold and final. "I am going to bring the entire Witches' Kingdom down. Every follower of Helios, everyone who stood by and let this happen. I will wipe them out."

"No you can't do that!" Kate said, stepping forward. Her voice urgent and warning. "Josh, a war right now... it’s not advisable. It will shake the entire supernatural world. It’ll shatter the peace we’ve spent years building."

"Peace?!" I yelled, the sound echoing like a thunderclap. I stepped toward her, my fangs aching to drop. "My wife is dead! The Queen of this nation was murdered in cold blood! Do you expect me to talk about 'peace' while her body is being prepared for burial? I will not let them go free!"

Domenic stepped between us. "She’s my sister too, Josh. Believe me, I want them to pay. But Kate is right. A full-scale war is a mistake. We need to think this through."

I looked at Domenic, and something inside me snapped. The jealousy, the grief, the years of feeling like I was an outsider in their world all boiled to the surface. "You think you can tell me about 'thinking it through'?" I hissed. "Maybe you're so calm because you never cared enough about her anyway. You were always too busy playing human to be a brother to her."

The words hit like a physical strike. Domenic’s expression shifted from grief to a raw, explosive fury. Before I could even blink, his hand was around my throat. He slammed me back against a pillar, his grip like a vice.

"Don't you dare speak that way to me like you know anything," Domenic gritted out, his face inches from mine, his eyes burning with a light I hadn't seen in seventeen years. "I understand your anger, Josh, but don't you ever say I didn't love her. If anyone cared for Camille, it was me. Just because I was too stupid to be the brother she needed when we were younger doesn't mean I don't feel her death in my own blood. I love her. And because I love her, I won't let you throw away everything she built in a fit of rage!"

Around us, the room erupted. Guards surrounded us in a blur of silver, their fangs extended and weapons drawn. "Release the King, Domenic," Giron warned, his voice dangerous. "Release him now or face the consequences."

Kate rushed forward, her hands hovering over Domenic’s arm, her eyes pleading. "Domenic, stop! Josh, please! This is exactly what the witches want! Now is not the time for us to be fighting each other. If we go to war like this, it will end everything!"

I glared at Domenic, seeing the reflected agony in his eyes. He slowly released my throat, stepping back with a jagged breath. I straightened my collar, my chest heaving.

"The war is happening," I declared, my voice trembling with a terrifying certainty. "I don't care if you like it. I don't care if you agree. I am the King, and my word is final. No one is changing my mind."

In that moment, the massive doors of the courtroom swung open.

Khaos strolled in. The playfulness from years ago was no longer there. He was in black leather pants and fur cape that left his torso completely exposed. He moved with a terrifying grace, his presence so immense that the air in the room seemed to vibrate. The two scouts we had sent to find him walked a few paces behind, looking exhausted and terrified. Khaos stopped in the center of the hall, his ancient, knowing amber eyes scanning the scene—the guards, the grief, the tension.

He tilted his head, a dark, look on his face. "What is all this talk about a war?"