Warmth ✔

Chapter 46

"He was my friend! He was like an elder brother to me! And your mate killed him!" Joshua screams.

"What! You and Kurt were friends! Since when?"

"Oh? So, now you are interested in knowing about my friendship with him? Kurt, Benjamin and I were friends from many years. And our brotherhood was broken the day Alarick killed Kurt."

"What was Alarick supposed to do? Kurt had kidnapped his sister and tried to kill his mate! What would you do if your sister's and mate's lives were at stake?"

"Shut up!" He screams again.

"Don't tell me to shut up when you know I'm right!" I exclaim with an equally loud voice. I look at Benjamin and ask, "You helped Kurt escape from prison, right?"

"Yes, I did," he replies calmly. "I couldn't have let him rot in prison for his entire life. So, I helped him escape when I got the opportunity."

"Are you guys blind? Didn't you see what Kurt did? He attacked my pack with the intention of killing all the unmated female members! Many people died because of his thirst for revenge! What he did was wrong! Do you even know what his father did to Alarick's mom?"

"I know everything! I admit what Kurt's father did was wrong but he didn't deserve to die the way he did. Alarick was very brutal with him!"

"And what about Kurt's father? Wasn't he brutal with Alarick's mom?"

"What was the need for Alarick to take matters in his own hands? He wanted to see his enemy punished but his approach was wrong." He pauses. "You know who the real culprit is? It's not Alarick but his father. He could've approached the matter in the right way but he decided to do the opposite. He could've called all the leaders, held a meeting and asked justice for his wife and son. But what did he do? He trained his own ten year old son to kill someone else? Is that what fathers are supposed to do? Teach their children to kill?"

He leaves me speechless. I never thought about it in this way. I never thought that I'll ever see Mr. West in a bad light. I've always seen him as a perfect father. But now, I can see his perfect image being shattered into pieces.

"What happened? Why aren't you arguing with me? Are you agreeing with me?" Joshua laughs. "I never thought that there will be a day when both of us agree on the same thing. Do you ever think about how things would've been if Alarick wouldn't have killed Kurt's father? I think about it everyday. I think about Alarick's father not teaching his young son how to kill. I think about Alarick's father reaching out to all the leaders of the werewolf community to seek justice for his wife and son. Things would've been so much different. Kurt's father would've got punished in the right way. Kurt wouldn't have developed a feeling of revenge. He wouldn't have attacked our pack. A wise choice on the part of Alarick's father could've saved so many lives. But he was blinded by rage. And it's because of his rage that we are where we are now."

A moment of silence passes between us.

"What are you going to do now?" I ask.

"First, I will kill you to punish Alarick and then I'll kill his father to punish him for his wrong choices," he answers.

"Who are you to punish Alarick and his father?" I question him. "Just minutes ago, you were talking about reaching out to the leaders to seek justice. Why don't you practice what you preach? Why don't you reach out to the leaders and seek justice? Don't get blinded by rage just like Alarick's father-"

"Don't you dare compare me with him!" Joshua interrupts me.

"The path you're walking on won't save lives! It would in turn end up destroying lives! Make wise choices!"

"Don't tell me what to do!"

"I'm just reminding you your own words! If killing me will give you satisfaction then go ahead. But let me tell you what will happen after my death. Alarick will find out that you killed me-"

"He'll never find out."

"Trust me, he will. The truth never remains hidden. No matter how hard you try to hide the truth in the dark, it will always come to light. When Alarick will find out that you are my murderer, he will kill you. What will happen when uncle and aunt will see your dead body? They obviously won't be happy. Do you know what the biggest nightmare of parents is? It's to see the death of their child. Do you want to torture them? Do you want to see them cry for you? Do you want to see them dying everyday?"

Joshua doesn't answer. He just stares at me.

"There's still time, Joshua. Don't let your hatred dictate your decisions. I know you want justice but this is not the right way."

"There is no right way now," Joshua says. "Times have changed." He turns around and heads towards the table. When he faces me, I see a syringe in his hand. And I know at once that the liquid in the syringe is wolfsbane. He continues to talk while coming to me. "Do you know, Alarick killed Kurt in front of all the leaders? None of them tried to stop him. No one questioned him. No one cared about justice. So, it will be stupid of me to think that they will fight to get Kurt justice." He kneels in front of me. "I'm sorry but you have to die."

"You are on a suicide mission," I tell him. "Just think about your parents. Don't make them suffer." At this point, I don't care about my life. I just care about uncle and aunt.

"I'm firm in my decision. Do you have any last wish?" He asks seriously. I don't know why but I feel as if he's in conflict with himself. He's finding it difficult to kill me but he's still go ahead with it for the bigger picture.

"Make sure that you kill me for good. Don't leave any scope for me to recover. Because if I'm left alive then I won't let you kill anyone else."

"I've thought about everything. I cannot let you live since you will be an obstacle in my way. I'm going to inject the wolfsbane in your heart. You'll feel as if a lightning has struck your heart. After a minute, you will feel at peace."

The syringe comes closer to my body. I close my eyes, waiting for the prick that will end my life.

"Joshua, stop!"