CHAPTER 48: _BLOWING OFF STEAM

Lucian’s POV

*****

"Fuck all of this..."

He barged out of his father’s throne room, ignoring the glances from maids and guards in the hallway of the ground floor.

He walked to one of the Ascension platforms, his mind reeling as he clicked on the buttons to open the door.

"Lucian!" Axel’s aggravating voice yelled behind him just then, causing Lucian’s eyes to twitch.

He turned around, glaring at the Beta who had a seemingly concerned expression.

"Where are you going?" Axel questioned, folding his arms in front of his chest.

"That’s none of your bloody business, Beta." Lucian sneered, eyeing him with contempt. "You’ve gotten what you wanted, right? You had my father scolding me for a fight YOU started."

Gods, his father’s disappointed look and scolding voice still rang in his mind.

"Fighting in a public setting is beneath a true Alpha Prince. You should be ashamed of yourself. What will the guards and your soldiers think?" Those were just a few of the many things his father said.

And as for Axel?

"He scolded both of us, last time I checked." Axel shot back, his voice firm. Then he lowered it to a whisper. "And you’re saying I started that fight? You called my sister a bitch and made a jab at my family."

Lucian sniggered, shaking his head. "Oh, so you’re saying Estella isn’t annoying? Unrelenting?"

Axel remained silent, his lips pressing into a thin line.

Hmph... Lucian thought as much.

"I don’t have time for this. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to release some steam by punching something and imagining it’s your face." Lucian muttered, turning away from Axel and stepping into the Ascension platform.

Two guards with smiles on their faces were heading for the platform, but when they saw Lucian and the glare on his face, they made a U-turn, greeting him briefly before heading for the stairs instead.

Lucian barely acknowledged their existence as Axel remarked casually.

"I’m guessing you’re headed to the training hall on the last floor. Let me join you. I—"

"Trust me, Beta." Lucian interrupted, his voice colder than ice and sharper than a blade. "If you join me to ’train’ you’ll be dragged out of there in a body bag. I wouldn’t hold back."

They both stood silently after that, the air between them stilling with tension.

Axel tightened his jaw while Lucian’s silver eyes blazed with a cold light. But just when it seemed like the tension would break, Axel sighed, nodding.

"Very well."

Lucian’s gaze lingered on the Beta for a little longer before he clicked on the buttons, setting it for the last floor.

He folded his arms in front of his chest as the doors slid shut, the Ascension platform making a whirring sound as it ascended up the shaft.

.

.

When Lucian got to the training hall on the final floor, his jaw was tense.

His hands curled beside his body as his wolf growled with a primal need that he was able to recognise easily.

It wanted him to go to their mate.

’The Omega has made it clear who he prefers. I will not trample on my pride further than this.’

He raised his head, staring into the training hall, but then paused when he spotted ten guards already using the place, either sparring with wooden swords or testing the machines and equipment.

They all swerved their heads to him just then, pausing what they were doing to greet him as he walked in slowly.

"A–Alpha Prince." They bowed in unison but Lucian could notice the shift. "Good evening."

There was silent judgment in their eyes, even from the way they glanced at each other like they’d been talking behind his back.

They probably thought he was slipping. Probably thought he was getting weak.

After all, what Alpha Prince stands back and watches another man claim his mate?

And so what if he rejected him once? So what if he saw him as a weak omega? So what if he hated himself for... For obsessing over him?

He. Was. Still. His.

And he’ll burn that declaration into the hearts of any who dared to question it or his worth as an Alpha Prince because of it.

"Good evening, gentlemen," Lucian said with a cold smirk, slowly taking off his top, leaving his bare chest exposed. "How’s training going for you?"

The men blinked at each other, two even scratching their heads.

Eventually, one of them, who seemed to be in his late thirties, cleared his throat and answered. "It’s... It’s going well, sir. But if you want to use the hall we can go and—"

"No." Lucian interrupted, snapping his neck and then his knuckles, his gaze locked on each of them. "It would be boring without sparring partners. And all ten of you are the perfect candidates."

He noticed their faces had gone pale while some of them had disbelief in their eyes. They probably saw it as insulting that the Alpha Prince would want to take on all of them like it was nothing.

"S–Sir, all of us?" Another one asked with confusion and hesitation in his voice. "We wouldn’t want to—"

"On the count of three, I’ll come at all of you if you don’t make any moves." Lucian’s tone was firm and final, reverberating around the walls of the hall. "I’ll advise you to attack at once. And don’t hold back... For your own good."

He spread out his arms, curling his fists.

"One..." He began, smirking when he saw the fear on some of their faces. But fuck it, he needed to blow off some steam.

Too bad for them.

"Two..." He continued, his smirk turning into a wide grin that exposed his teeth which were seconds away from turning into fangs due to excitement.

Just when the guards braced themselves, seeming like they were finally going to bolt toward him, Lucian caught a whiff of a scent that made his heart skip a beat.

Lucian’s countdown stalled.

The scent hit first — sweet and maddening. It curled into his lungs like smoke, rich and intoxicating, making his wolf snarl in the back of his skull:

’Ours. Mate!’

His hands flexed at his sides, nails threatening to shift into claws. The guards glanced at each other, confused by the way his gaze suddenly sharpened, by the way his posture went taut.

Then came the footsteps. Unhurried and filled with confidence. It echoed against the walls of the training hall like a drumbeat.

Lucian turned slowly. The world seemed to narrow to the figure sauntering through the doorway — white-blonde hair catching the light, black sleeveless blazer hugging his frame, that mouth curved in a smirk that could start a war.

"Is there room for one more?" Elian asked, voice dripping with something between challenge and invitation.

The guards looked between them, dumbfounded.

Lucian’s jaw tightened.

His wolf prowled, growling within him with unrestrained hunger. The air between them shifted — thick with heat, dominance, and the promise of something that would end in either blood... or pleasure.