Chapter 16

Joshua's P.O.V

After a long drive, ignoring my mother's phone calls. There was only one place I could go to, Uncle Bas' palace. I got to the gate and on the main entrance there were so many security guards. My car was stopped and I didn't really believe that any of these guys knew who I was.

"How can we help you sir," one of the guards asked.

"I'm here to see my uncle," I replied "King Bas."

"What's your name sir?" he asked.

"Oh, Joshua," I replied.

"Okay wait a second," he said as he went to make a phone call, probably trying to confirm if uncle bas had a nephew called Joshua.

I looked at that big palace as I sat in my car, you'd literally get tired for walking around that house. It was so big and the last time I entered here was when my dad was still king of the werewolves. After the throne was stripped off him, he made sure that I never come to this place or I never see uncle Bas ever again. I was banned from going anywhere near this palace by my parents. The guard came back and leaned on the window.

"Okay, you're good to go," he said.

"Thank you very much," I nodded.

I drove through the drive way and parked my car then slowly got out of the car heading to the front door. The door was automatically opened before I could even knock so I slowly walked inside. It felt awkward to be back in this place. I looked around and the old pictures that I knew were removed from the wall. I glanced at one picture which captured my attention and the person on that picture was Mrs. Simons, Precious' mom.

"What the f…"

"My son," uncle Bas came down the stairs "what brings you here, kid?"

"I missed you," I replied "I've missed you so much."

"Oh, Joshua," uncle Bas' wife gasped in excitement "look you, you're so grown."

I blushed as she kissed me on my cheek, that used to feel awkward when I was still a kid but not now, I guess I was old enough to say it wasn't a big deal anymore.

"Let's go to the pool side," uncle bas said "honey, brings something to drink. We got a lot to catch on me and my boy here."

As we were sitting at the pool side, I figured how much I used to have fun around this place. Uncle Bas glanced at me.

"You missed this place, didn't you?" he asked.

I nodded without saying a word and then he went to the real questions.

"So, what brings you here," he asked "your dad would never allow you to get anywhere near me, you know he hates me."

"I had an argument with them," I replied as I took a glass of coke from my aunty "thanks Aunt."

"Thanks babe," uncle Bas said "what was the argument about?"

"That the werewolf kingdom is splitting and they want me to inherit the kingdom that will be against yours and the humans," I replied.

"Okay, I hear you Josh," he said "and it's true, the werewolf kingdom is splitting in half and I cannot force these creatures to choose my side. And you are old enough to decide whether you are on my side or on the side your parents want you to be in."

"But I don't have a problem with the humans," I replied "I have been attending their school for months now, I see no problem with them. I have been coexisting with them for too long now."

"Your dad and your granddad are arrogant," he said "this will result in war, the kind of war those too won't be able to stop. Some of them are already attacking the humans secretly and it's being covered up, that's why you will never hear about it on the news."

"So, what now?" I asked "how do we stop this?"

"At the moment, I don't know," he replied "but I will call a meeting with all the leaders of this kingdom, I will try to speak some sense."

I took a sip on my glass and uncle Bas glanced at me once more.

"It's getting late kid," he said "are you sleeping here?"

"Yeah," I nodded.

"Okay, let me tell your aunt to prepare a room for you," he said as he got up and walked to the house.

My aunt prepared supper that night and as we were eating, I kept glancing at Mrs. Simons' pictures wondering how she got to be on the honorary wall of this palace.

"Who is that woman?" I asked, pretending not to know her.

"Which one?" Uncle Bas replied.

"The one holding a spear with the red hair," I said.

"Pricilla Simons," Uncle Bas replied.

"She was a worrier," my aunty added, "she helped us conquer the humans back in the 90s and both her and her husband helped bring peace between the humans and the werewolves."

"Is she human?" I asked.

"Yeah, she is," Uncle Bas replied.

"So, why was she fighting alongside the wolves and not her kind?" I asked.

"When the humans were attacking us and killing our kinds," Uncle Bas replied "I think she saw the good and the innocence in us. Maybe that's what made her to stand up for us and luckily she managed to convince her husband to join the fight too."

"Because of her, we became one with humans," my aunt added "although your parents are on the verge of destroying all that."

"Whatever happens, I'm taking your side guys," I replied "this kingdom doesn't need to go up in flames just like that."

Uncle Bas nodded and his eyes showed a little bit of relief. I finished my plate and my aunty cleared the table as I went to the bedroom that she prepared for me. That night I just passed out as soon as I settled on the bed. The room that I slept in was my room when I was little, years before the throne was taken away from my dad.

The following day I spent half of it in the bedroom, avoiding my mother's texts and phone calls. I didn't go to school that day because I needed some space. I realized that Mrs. Simon might've figured that I was a werewolf but she wouldn't want to pop her daughter's bubble. As I was in deep thought, a phone call from Precious came through but I didn't answer since I was not in the mood for a million questions that I knew she was going to ask. She then sent a text right after the call.

"Hey, where are you? Get back to me when you get this," I read the text then threw my phone away.

My aunt knocked and opened the door.

"Hey," she said "your dad is downstairs."

"Okay, I'm coming," I sighed.

I prepared myself for the drama that my dad came with. I rolled off my bed and dragged myself downstairs. I walked into room that was so quiet with my dad and uncle Bas looking at each other straight in the eyes. The tension in that room was so tangible, by just entering the room you could feel the amount of hatred that these two men had for one another.

"Get your stuff kid," my dad said "we are going home."

"This is also home," I replied.

"Listen, Joshua," my dad pointed at me "I'm not going to speak up twice."

"Dan! This kid is old enough to make his own decisions," Uncle Bas said.

"This is my son," my dad yelled "you stay out of this."

"I'm not leaving with you," I said.

"This is my house, I can say whatever," Uncle Bas said.

"You know what Bas," my dad replied "you have taken so many things from me. Starting with the throne and now you want to take my son. I am going to overthrow you from this throne and this stupid game you're playing with the humans is going to end."

"You are killed by greed, Dan," Uncle Bas said "you are the one who is pushing your own son away, he came here on his own and no one forced him. If you were a great father, we wouldn't be where we are right now."

"Don't tell me how to raise my own kid," my dad replied.

"He's right dad," I said "all you care about is me being a proper werewolf and you don't care about how I feel about that. You are selfish and you want to impose your will on me, I will never be like you."

I walked back to the bedroom as my dad was yelling my name and after realizing that I was not giving him my attention he said "DON'T YOU EVER COME BACK TO MY HOUSE!" I closed the door and jumped on the bed like nothing happened.