Avoiding The Inevitable

—Ten Years Earlier—

Lucian was deep in thought when his father entered his lair. “I thought that maybe you had something urgent to attend to by the way you stormed off earlier,” Caden remarked.

“I got bored,” Lucian lied.

“It’s important for you to participate in such meetings. You’ll take my place as Emperor Dragon one day, and it’ll be your duty to keep peace amongst the kingdoms,” Caden emphasized.

“Why don’t we just let the dogs and leeches battle it out and see who’s standing in the end?”

“They’ve been at war for centuries, long before the first dragon even existed. Our ancestors made it our duty to maintain peace in this world,” Caden explained.

"Well, it won’t be for hundreds of years before I rule," Lucian reminded. "Maybe, by then they’ll do us all a favor and kill each other off. They are beneath us anyway; they don’t deserve our intervention."

“Lucian, everything and everyone in the world serves its purpose, no matter how big or small you may perceive them. Even the smallest fly, as much of a nuisance as it is, has its own role to play. Just because we are a superior creature doesn’t mean that we can’t coexist with other life forms and respect the natural order of things.”

“Is that what you did with your complement? Coexisted?” Lucian shot back.

Emperor Caden closed his eyes and let out a long sigh. “You’re angry about your mother.”

Lucian snorted. “I don’t care… she was just a slave, right?”

The Emperor stared off into space for a moment. If Lucian didn’t know any better, he could have sworn he saw a glint of sorrow in his father’s eyes. It made him wonder if he actually missed the woman that was gifted to him.

His father did nothing to show that he cared for her, nor did he accept her and carry out the unification ritual. Maybe if he had, then his mother might still be alive. Lucian never thought anything of it though. It was common for Dragons not to accept their human complements. His mother was no different than any other human slave in his eyes.

"The Lycans will be joining us for dinner tonight. You can attend or don’t. The choice is yours.” The Emperor walked out without another word.

Lucian was left to his already boggled thoughts. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do about Visenya. He wondered what Cheyenne would say about him being fated to a dog. What would everyone say? Would he be a complete laughingstock? He wondered if he could somehow keep Visenya a secret. Perhaps, he could lock her away in a tower on the highest mountain where nobody would ever find her.

Or maybe he won’t do anything about it at all. Lycans did live longer than humans due to their healing abilities, which resulted in them to aging slower. But when she dies, he’ll be free to bed any woman or dragon he pleases and produce heirs with them. That’s what he’ll do, he finally decided. It was the best option since he didn’t want to face humiliation.

What kind of creatures would his and Visenya’s offspring be anyway? The thought disturbed him. He decided to shower and dress for dinner, opting to avoid Visenya at all costs. As of that moment and until she takes her last breath, she simply doesn’t exist to him.

Lucian walked into the dining hall and made his way over to where Cheyenne was sitting beside her mother and his little brother, Mason. He kicked himself for seeking out Visenya right away, but he couldn’t help it. She wore a beautiful blue and silver dress that looked tantalizing against her warm, sun-kissed skin. Her hair was half pinned up, while the rest of her gorgeous soft curls trailed down to the small of her back.

She had a spellbinding smile on her face until she made eye contact with Lucian. Then, her smile faded, and she looked away from him as quickly as she had noticed him. It was obvious that he was in a bad mood earlier, and she didn’t want to do anything to irritate him further. So, she decided to avoid him completely until she departed back home.

She was completely unaware that by doing so, it angered Lucian all the more. He knew he shouldn’t have cared, but it bothered him that she wouldn’t even acknowledge him. She was too busy conversing with Caspian, whom Lucian never liked. He was always following Visenya around like a lost puppy.

He watched as she laughed at all of his jokes and wondered how funny he could possibly be. When Caspian took a flower out of the small vase in the center of the table and placed it behind Visenya’s ear, Lucian felt an intense vexation that he had never known before.

He noticed how Caspian continuously ogled at Visenya, and it infuriated him beyond words. Lucian glanced at the rotisserie pig on the spit and imagined Caspian spinning in its place instead.

“Uhm… hello? Earth to Lucian. Are you even listening to me?” Cheyenne waved her hand in front of Lucian’s face.

“Hmm?” He answered, obviously distracted.

"What's the matter with you? You've been staring at those mutts for the past ten minutes," Cheyenne remarked, her tone tinged with confusion.

Visenya still held all of Lucian’s attention. His eyes followed her like a hawk as she rose from her seat and walked to the other end of the table to whisper something into her father’s ear. He waved her off with one hand, and she turned around, giving Caspian a nod.

Caspian stood up from his seat, and the two of them left the dining hall together. Lucian didn’t like the idea of Visenya running off somewhere alone with Caspian, so he shot up from his seat and decided to follow them.

Visenya and Caspian had dashed off so quickly that Lucian almost lost sight of them. When he finally found them, they were outside, concealed behind some tall bushes, with Caspian in the midst of undressing.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Lucian roared.