Natural Instincts

Visenya couldn't understand what possessed her to look at Lucian that way, but in that moment, she deeply regretted it. The expression on his face made it clear that he was far from impressed. Despite his improved attitude, it was evident that he would always see her as nothing more than his slave... or worse, his pet, as he had just referred to her.

A group of slaves, guided by several members of Lazarus' Night Watch, entered the ballroom. They were arranged in lines, categorized by age and gender: children, women, and men.

"Just as you requested, Your Grace. The children are to be spared from any heavy duties," Lazarus confirmed.

Lucian's eyes carefully scanned the children, taking note of their frightened expressions. However, they seemed to be in relatively good health. With a wave of his hand, Lucian signaled for the children to be escorted out of the ballroom.

The next group consisted of women, some of whom held infants and toddlers in their arms. A few were even heavily pregnant. Lazarus made it clear that those who were with child or currently breastfeeding were given less strenuous duties and were not allowed to be fed on either.

"Some of these slaves have been turned," Lucian pointed out.

"Yes, some of them are the beloveds of our fellow brothers and sisters, while others desired to live a life of immortality," Lazarus explained.

"You have defied the law," Lucian reproached. "No mortal is to be turned unless approved by the Dragon Council first."

Lazarus looked between Sebastian and Victoria, his expression filled with confusion. "But... your kind has perished. The Dragon Council is no more."

"I am the Dragon Council!" Lucian roared. "Do you dare exalt your own authority above that of a Dragon Lord?!"

"Of course not, Your Excellency," Lazarus quickly responded, his voice filled with deference. "Please accept my sincere apologies... I truly did not see a reason to burden you with such trivial matters."

Lucian scoffed at Lazarus's response, his tone laced with amusement. "Trivial?" He retorted. "I find it rather amusing that you, of all people, would deem it trivial, considering the frenzy your own beloved unleashed the night he was turned."

Sebastian, overcome with shame, bowed his head, causing Visenya to question whether he genuinely felt remorse for his past actions. Yet, she found it difficult to believe that creatures like them were capable of such complex emotions.

Lazarus quickly rationalized, his voice tinged with a hint of defensiveness. "It was my blood that turned Sebastian," he explained. "If it had been a lower-ranked vampire, he would have had better control over his impulses. These newborns here, they were all turned by first-generation vampires."

Lucian's anger flared, his voice dripping with disdain. "You have no authority to determine the fate of mortals, do you understand?" He berated. "The last thing this world needs is more carnage caused by the likes of you."

Lazarus stared at Lucian, attempting to restrain his disgruntled countenance as he spoke. "You speak of my kind as if we are the sole perpetrators of mass killings, but that is simply not true. While I acknowledge that my kind has committed its fair share of atrocities, even the Lycans have displayed their savagery... Ezra being a prime example. You dragons are no saints either. I have been around for a very, very long time, and although your elders succeeded at erasing numerous events from history, I distinctly remember when a dragon lost her mind and nearly scorched the entire world."

Lucian glowered at Lazarus, irked by his blatant insolence. "Resurrection by means of the Unification Ritual has long been forbidden. You see, my forefathers corrected the error, but your kind continues to repeat it time and time again. Furthermore, I must remind you that I am no longer bound by the rules imposed on the rest of us dragons. As you yourself mentioned, the Dragon Council is no more. So, should you choose to challenge me again, I will have no problem setting your prehistoric ass on fire."

Lazarus bowed his head in submission. "My apologies, Emperor Lucian. It will not happen again."

The last group was the men, and it was obvious that they bore the brunt of all the hard labor and feedings around there. Clearly, they did it willingly in place of their women, but it didn't make their lives any less miserable.

"What is wrong with him?" Lucian asked, motioning to a man standing at the far end. He appeared pale and unwell, as if he had been starved or fed on one too many times.

"He has been in solitary confinement for the last two days," Lazarus revealed. "He has been nothing but contemptuous and rebellious... a pesky thorn in our sides."

Visenya recognized the young man, and if her recollection served her right, he used to work in the market and delivered food and supplies to her palace. He looked to be about twenty years old and always had a cheerful smile on his face. A smile that proved to be contagious, even when you had nothing to smile about.

The young man standing before her was not the same young man that she remembered. She saw a very aggrieved and angry person, and she didn't blame him in the slightest. She understood what it was like to have your freedom stripped from you as if you weren't worthy of it.

"Step forward," Lucian commanded, but the man stubbornly ignored his order.

With a forceful shove from the slave trainer, the man reluctantly moved forward, still refusing to acknowledge Lucian's authority.

"Do you have a problem following orders, slave?" Lucian disparaged.

The man's eyes narrowed as he glared at Lucian, and Visenya knew that he had indeed made a grave mistake. Visenya could feel the tension in the air, knowing that Lucian would not tolerate such defiance. Her heart skipped a beat as the crack of the whip sliced through the silence, causing her to jump in horror.

"When the Emperor addresses you, you better be prepared to answer!" The trainer spat, his voice filled with venom. "You will show him the respect he deserves!"

Once again, the man sneered at Lucian, his contempt evident. "I see only one person here who is worthy of my respect, and you have collared her like she's some kind of animal... when it is you who is the animal."

Another crack of the whip resounded through the air as the trainer etched three more painful slashes onto the man's back.

"Father, please! Just send him back to the hole!" Victoria pleaded, her voice filled with desperation.

"He has brought this upon himself!" Lazarus exclaimed with fervor. "Kneel before the Emperor, slave, and declare him King of Kings!"

The man let out a derisive laugh, his voice dripping with contempt. "There was only one King that I was happy to kneel before. His only mistake in life was not killing you with the rest of your pathetic kind."

Visenya felt her entire body deflate at the weight of his words. It was enough to ignite a literal fire in Lucian's eyes, yet even that failed to instill fear in this defiant man. All Lucian had to do was cast a fleeting glance at the trainer, who promptly lashed the whip three more times across the man's back. Surprisingly, the man remained silent, as if he channeled his anguish into an impenetrable fortress of anger.

“I will not stay here and watch another second of this!” Victoria cried, and just like that, she stormed right out of the ballroom.

The man was told to kneel again and again, only to refuse every time, inviting more brutal strikes from the whip. It seemed as though he had a death wish, for instead of submitting, he brazenly spat at Lucian’s feet. His insolence was met with a swift retaliation - three more cracks of the whip, followed by another three.

Visenya's heart couldn't endure any more of this relentless brutality. “Master, I beg you... please, stop this madness."

Lucian's attention shifted to Visenya, and of all things in this dejected world, who would have thought that the remedy to calm his afflicted soul was right there in her eyes? Insults directed at him were one thing, but to insult his kind, to disregard the memory of all those who had perished, everyone he had ever cared for, crossed a line. As he gazed into Visenya's imploring eyes, he questioned if he had gone soft because what he really wanted to do was tear that man limb from limb.

Lucian took a deep breath, and as he exhaled, all the tension dissipated from his body. "Get him out of my sight," he ordered.

The group of men was swiftly escorted out by the guards, and the trainer forcefully pushed the unruly man behind them. The man stumbled a few times, weakened by hunger, dehydration, and the fresh wounds he had acquired. But to the trainer, none of that mattered.

With a crack of his whip, the trainer lashed the man's back, demanding him to move faster. When the man failed to comply, the whip struck again, and again, and again. Each strike fueled Visenya's anger, and Lucian could sense the heavy aura emanating from her.

It was then that he noticed her wolf stirring in her eyes. "Don't... you... dare," Lucian warned.

Before Lucian could utter another word, Visenya transformed into her wolf and charged at lightning speed towards the trainer. By the time he registered her presence, it was too late. She collided with him, tearing through his throat with ruthless precision, like a predator claiming its prey.