3. Closure

[Carys]

“I have requested an All Alpha meeting regarding beta Carys’ case.” Dominic said.

“What? An All Alpha meeting? It means the lycan alphas will be there as well.” Joshua said.

“Yes, that’s what All Alpha meetings are,” Dominic said.

“But, All Alpha meetings haven’t been held in decades,” Joshua countered.

“Because something like this hasn’t happened in decades. A high rank has never betrayed our packs. I am very well aware that I can’t arrest or punish your beta, but I can’t leave it on you to decide her punishment, either. Given your attachment with her over all these years, I am afraid you are incapable of serving justice. Therefore, I will leave the justice in the hands of All Alpha Court (AAC). It’s my sister that beta Carys has hurt. I cannot let this slide. And if you truly wish to marry my sister, you will cooperate with me,” Dominic said in a commanding voice.

As far as I knew Dominic, he was the strongest of all the three pure werewolf alphas and stronger was his resolve for justice. When it came to justice, the only way to talk to Dominic was through evidence.

“If so then, there will be a trial right?” Joshua asked.

“Yes. Beta Carys has all the right to defend herself. And now only the AAC had the right to punish the one behind this attack. So, I will request Alpha Joshua to control his wolf. And if you cannot control him, then don’t get anywhere near beta Carys. I can handle cases from both sides without being biased.”

Dominic warned Joshua, and I heard the doors of my room shut.

I opened my eyes. Pain bolted through my head and my throat still felt as if a rope was constantly tightening around it.

Two guards flanked the door while Joshua stood near the door with his one hand on his waist and the other ruffling through his hair.

“Fuck you, Xander! Damn you! Why the hell did you hurt, Carys!” Joshua punched a hole in the wall.

Joshua, with his tall, muscular body, took off his alpha suit and carelessly threw it on the table. His tanned skin and magnetic charisma were enough to entice any onlooker. His golden eyes were as intense as the flames that draw a moth. He usually kept his shoulder-length hair loose, ruffled and tousled, adding to his rugged charm.

He turned, and I shut my eyes before our eyes met.

Joshua had never hurt me. He even declined all my duel requests, saying he would lose even before the duel started because he couldn’t even think of injuring me.

I knew people changed, but I didn’t know they could change this fast. The fact that I understood the reason behind his changing attitude towards me hurt even more.

Edith. His mate. All these changes were because of her.

I can understand why Xander reacted so aggressively. After all, after my rejection, my wolf, Zara, stopped communicating with me. She lends me her strength when needed, but that’s it. Mate bonds affect our wolves much more than it affects us.

Even after all those reasons, I couldn’t stop the turmoil of emotions from overwhelming me. The physical pain I felt was nothing before the emotional cuts that ran deep into my soul.

He walked to my bed.

“Carys, I know you are awake? We need to talk, please.” Joshua’s impatience was clear in his voice.

“I can defend myself, so don’t worry, Alpha Joshua,” I said, keeping my eyes shut. “In your eyes, I already am the perpetrator. There’s nothing to talk about.”

“No, you are not! Carys, I don’t care what the evidence says. I will ask you just once and whatever answer you give me will be the ultimate truth for me. Did you plan this attack on Edith?”

I took a deep breath. Looking into his eyes, I said.

“I didn’t.”

Joshua nodded, biting his lips.

“Ok.” Silence hung in the air as he contemplated me for a long time. Our good memories flashed in his golden eyes until the tears blurred my vision and I averted my gaze.

“I… I shouldn’t have… I shouldn’t have… I am extremely sorry for what Xander did. He… loses all his control when it comes to Edith. But I should have controlled him. It’s all my fault. I am sorry, Carys.”

Joshua was the only man who could be so disheveled yet so calm at the same time.

“No matter what you say. You already believe that I attacked Edith, don’t you?” I said calmly.

Joshua averted his eyes and shook his head slightly.

“If I were you and I found out that you were sleeping with your mate behind my back, I would have done the same thing. No, I would have done… so much… worse…” his deep voice was low, yet powerful enough to make my skin prickle.

My rejection and the time I had spent with Kian flashed in my head. My heart caught a restless, erratic rhythm as his scrutiny grew intense with my every breath.

He was my alpha, and the pack expected him to lead. I admired him when he took control, but at that moment, the feral control he had over me felt unbearably daunting.

When I found out that Kian was my mate, Joshua, and I were just friends. After my rejection, from the moment I started loving Joshua, I have never thought of leaving him. Not even for a second. But everything changes now.

This is best for all of us.

Pushing back every irrational emotion I felt, I took a deep breath.

Blinking off my tears, I sat up on the bed. Looking into nothingness, I said.

“Alpha Joshua. I want a closure before the All Alpha meeting.”

“W-what?” Joshua looked at me, confused. I could hear his heartbeat speed up. “What do you mean?”

“Ten years versus two years. Must be difficult for you to choose, right?” My voice cracked.

“Carys, what are you saying?”

“Don’t pretend as if you don’t understand. Edith told me everything about how you met her two years ago and everything that happened between the two of you.” My voice quavered, yet I tried to hide the pain that etched through my heart like molten glass. “Why didn’t you tell me when you found your mate?”

He knit his brows. Clenching and unclenching his jaws, he processed my words, then said.

He sat on the bed beside me and reached out for my hand.

“I didn’t want to hurt you, my Enchantress.”

Taking a sharp breath through my clenched teeth, I got down from the bed.

My Enchantress — that’s what he called me out of love when we made love. He said I had bewitched his mind, body, and soul. I was a spell cast on him, an addiction to his heart.

Oh God!

I clenched my fists, trying to stop all those once happy memories from burning through my chest.

Joshua stared at me with wide eyes filled with fear, regret, and remorse. He walked around the bed and stood before me.

“Trust me. I love you, Carys. I fucking love you so much. Edith is only my wolf’s desire. I need her physically. That’s it. But you? You are the end of my every desire. You are my destiny.”

Tears welled in my eyes, and I had to clench my jaws to hold them back.

“I bet you must have said the same thing when you touched her!” I raised my voice. Chuckling, I continued. “I wonder who you are lying to? Edith? Me? Or yourself?”

Joshua ran his finger through his hair.

“Edith is my mate, Carys…” he stepped closer to me.

“Do not come close to me. Stay away,” I warned him, taking a few steps back until my back was against the wall.

“Edith is my mate. I cannot resist the pull. It’s the fucking fate or whatever the fuck that is. I don’t care. Actually, now I understand why you did what you did ten years ago. I wanted to call you the night I found out Edith was my mate. But I was scared. I wasn’t sure…” his gaze softened with tears. “I made a mistake.”

My heart pounded as Joshua stood inches away from me. 

“You repeated the mistake again and again for two years! It wasn’t a mistake, it was a choice.” I broke into tears.

I wish I could train my heart as fast as I could trick my mind. I was getting carried away by my emotions.

Joshua leaned in, our faces inches away.

“Just because I found my mate doesn’t mean what we had for all these years meant nothing to me.” He whispered sensually, and I felt drawn to his voice, his scent and the lingering heat between the gap of our bodies.

I clenched my fists. Now that I look at him, all I can see are those fleeting moments I saw him buried deep inside Edith while he claimed his love for her and how much he missed her.