Battle Of Egos

—Two Days Earlier—

Caspian had been aimlessly roaming the mountains since his encounter with Cylis the other night. His mind was filled with thoughts that needed sorting, and he wasn't quite ready to return home just yet. Despite his reluctance, he couldn't completely dismiss the nonsense that Cylis was spewing, which only fueled his own suspicions.

Late in the morning, Caspian made his way back to Lucian's territory. To avoid detection, he discreetly took some clothing from the clothesline to mask his scent. Seeking shelter in the woods, he tried his best to stay dry in the rain. Fortunately, he didn't have to worry about Cylis sneaking up on him during daylight hours, knowing he would be asleep in his crypt, or whatever the hell it was he slept in.

As Caspian dozed off, his senses suddenly awakened when he spotted Lucian flying in. His heart leapt to his throat when he noticed that Visenya was with him. He almost forgot how beautiful she was, and although she did appear to look a bit undernourished, she seemed fine otherwise.

Both Lucian and Visenya wore glum expressions, particularly Visenya, and Caspian couldn’t blame her. Every day with Lucian had to feel like a damn nightmare for her. Caspian watched intently as they walked inside together, hoping for the chance to be alone with Visenya sooner rather than later.

He maintained his distance, always within earshot of any movement outside the castle. Every time he heard footsteps or the creak of the door opening, his anticipation would rise, only to be let down when it wasn't her.

As the sun began to set in the sky, he grew impatient. He made the decision to inch closer and steal a glimpse through the windows, but his progress was abruptly halted. His eyes fixated on the top story of the palace, unable to believe what he was hearing.

The billowing curtains danced in the wind, carrying the passionate cries of a very vocal Visenya. He would have preferred cries of distress, but instead, he was met with the fervent sounds of intense pleasure.

There was no denying that it was her— he could smell her all the way from down there. He could smell them both, their scents blending together as one. His hands balled tightly at his sides, blood trickling along his knuckles as his fingernails dug into the flesh of his palms.

His heart dropped right into his gut, the weight of it pulling him down. And with each passing second, everything seemed to grow louder, overwhelming his mind: her moans, Lucian's grunts, the sound of him relentlessly thrusting into her. The cacophony taunted him, pushing him closer to the edge of madness.

He couldn't bear it any longer; he had to escape, to find solace before his inner beast unleashed its fury. With a heavy heart, he retreated into the depths of the woods, carrying his shattered soul with him.
———

—One Day Earlier—

Lucian was outside, chopping wood, when Caspian decided to confront him once and for all. Lucian lowered his arm, the axe still firmly gripped in his hand, as his heightened senses picked up a presence behind him.

"You shouldn't have come here..." Lucian's voice remained surprisingly calm, his back still turned towards Caspian.

"I saw your slaves a few miles up the lake there..." Caspian evaded, a sly tone in his voice. "They seemed to be having themselves a good ol' time. It got me wondering... Does the cold-hearted Dragon Lord have a soft spot after all?"

Lucian dropped the axe and turned around to face him. "What do you want, Caspian?"

"You know damn well what I want," Caspian replied, his voice filled with defiance.

Lucian fell silent, carefully considering Caspian's words. "I'll let you see her, but then... you leave, and you do not return unless you're asked to."

Caspian shook his head, stubbornly declining. "Just let her go, Lucian. She should be home, where she belongs."

"She is home," Lucian asserted, his voice filled with conviction. "She belongs here... with me."

Caspian scoffed, his disbelief evident. "What is this? Your attempt at playing house with her? You don't care about her, Lucian. You just want to control her."

Lucian's anger flared, his words dripping with venom. "You know nothing," he hissed through his teeth as he walked past Caspian. "I was willing to compromise with you, but now I've changed my mind."

Caspian stood in front of Lucian, blocking his path. "I don't know what you did or said to brainwash Visenya, but you know it's not real, right?"

"Get out of here, Caspian," Lucian warned, his voice laced with a mix of anger and frustration.

"She is just doing and saying whatever she needs to survive you," Caspian continued, his voice filled with conviction. "But you know, deep down, the second you free her, she'll come running back home to her family... to me."

Lucian's eyes narrowed, a mix of anger and realization flickering across his face. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?" Caspian asked, his tone tinged with hostility. “That you are manipulating her into living out this twisted little fantasy of yours? It's amusing, really. You actually believe that she could ever love you. But the truth is, she just feels sorry for you."

"And you think she loves you?" Lucian contended. "She wouldn't have spent the last ten years waiting for her mate if that were the case."

"She gave up on her mate years ago; it just took her some time to come to terms with it," Caspian rationalized. "Visenya and I are meant for each other."

"No... you're not," Lucian pushed past Caspian, shoving him out of his way. "This is your last warning... leave before you regret it."

"We were going to be married," Caspian blurted out, abruptly halting Lucian in his tracks.

Slowly, Lucian turned around, his eyes now a familiar flame of fury. "What the hell did you just say?"

"She was going to be my wife, but you took her from me," Caspian said, his voice filled with bitterness.

"You're lying," Lucian refuted, his disbelief evident in his tone.

"It's true... she was walking down the aisle towards me on the night you attacked our kingdom," Caspian disclosed.

"She wouldn't have agreed to that," Lucian argued, still in denial.

"But she did," Caspian insisted. "You can have any woman you want, Lucian… you always could, just not her. I love Visenya, and she loves me. Let her come home with me and stop being so damn selfish."

Lucian's expression turned cold, and his eyes blazed like the pits of hell. With each step, he stalked towards Caspian, his movements slow and premeditated.

It was as if a switch had been flipped, and Caspian instantly regretted not approaching Lucian differently. He raised his hands in surrender, desperately hoping that he could still reason with the dragon.

"Lucian," Caspian pleaded, but it was too late. He had pushed Lucian beyond his breaking point.

In a flash, Lucian took his dragon form, and with one powerful swipe of his massive tail, he sent Caspian soaring through the sky. The impact knocked Caspian unconscious, leaving his wolf, Steele, panicking inside his mind.

"Shift, Caspian!" Steele shouted, but Caspian remained motionless.

Caspian's survival hung in the balance as they hurtled towards the ground. Steele was well aware that Caspian's survival was impossible in his current form, leaving Steele with the weighty responsibility to take decisive action.

With no other viable alternatives, Steele made the difficult decision to initiate a force-shift, subjecting Caspian to an excruciating transformation without his unified sanction to do so. It was a necessary sacrifice, a desperate measure to defy destiny's grip and snatch them both from the jaws of death.