An End To It

An End To It
\[Lucian’s POV\]
‘Not so fast.’
Lux’s voice rings out in my head as I feel a wave of power slam into me, and then I’m crashing into a wall.
Hissing in pain, I scramble to get up as Lux moves toward me, his neck bleeding, his red eyes filled with a rage that I’ve only ever seen once before from him.
He’s worried. I think, watching him move in slow motion, and when he reaches me, I dodge out of the way, but before I can land a blow on him, his power is hitting me again.
‘You think you’re so great just because you’ve managed to shift early.’ He says as I feel the wind rush out of my lungs from impact. ‘But no one in this world is stronger than me.’
‘That’s where you’re wrong.’ I tell him, standing on shaky legs. ‘Even your power has limits.’
Everyone’s power had limits, and Lux’s was no exception. But as it was, he was a powerful opponent, and even with this new unlocked state of being, I still just wasn’t quite on par with him, and I hated to even admit it.
‘Don’t count yourself out yet.’ Aspen huffs in annoyance. ‘Or do you want Lux to end up winning and destroying everything we’ve been fighting to protect?’
‘No,’ I respond, dodging an attack. ‘But what should we do to stop him?’
I could admit that as I was, I wasn’t strong enough to take him out yet, no matter how much battle strategy I had. And since I still wasn’t fully healed from my silver poisoning, I just wasn’t able to keep up.
‘We need to get him while he is distracted.’ Aspen murmurs while we watch Lux preparing to attack again. ‘Then take him by surprise.’
‘And if he lets out another explosion of power?’ I demand.
‘Hang on tight and hope for the best.’
‘Is that the best you can come up with?’ I demand as Lux heads toward me and I dodge him. ‘What kind of ridiculous thought is that?’
‘It’s the best I’ve got, and if you don’t like it, you can fight alone.’
Biting back on my initial response, I whirl around in time to see Lux doubling his attack, but when we meet, I dive below him, catching him off guard long enough to wrap my teeth around his hind leg.
A snarl of rage escapes him as another wave of power hits me, but this time we both go flying, and when we connect with the wall, we go crashing through it.
Gasping, I release Lux as I’m certain one of my ribs has been broken, but I don’t take time to try to take note of my own body. Instead, I jump up and take advantage of Lux’s momentary lapse in attention, and then I’m diving on him, digging my claws deep into his skin so that he starts bucking.
‘Don’t let him go!’ Aspen gasps as my body is thrown around like a ragdoll. ‘This is our chance.’
‘I understand that.’ I tell him, feeling my strength quickly withering. ‘But he’s like a damn bronco.’
With each buck I can feel myself slipping, and when I’m certain that I’m not going to be able to hang on much longer, I dig my teeth into his nape. His blood explodes in my mouth, and for some reason I feel it giving me strength.
What the hell? I hiss, feeling like I’m getting an adrenaline burst. What the hell is this?
I wasn’t sure, but I wasn’t going to question it. If his blood could help me recover and continue fighting, then I would drink even more of it. At least, until he throws us against a wall and I’m forced to release him.
‘Dammit,’ he growls, pain and anger ringing in his voice. ‘What the hell do you think you’re doing?’
‘I think that’s obvious.’ I huff, spitting the remaining blood in my mouth on the ground. ‘I’m eliminating a problem.’
‘If anyone is the problem, it is you!’ Lux snarls, rushing forward and crashing into me so we are left wrestling. ‘Everything was fine until you came into existence!’
‘Are you really going to claim that your world was ended by my birth?’ I huff in amusement. ‘What a ridiculous thing to claim.’
Was he really going to try to say that the reason for all of this was because of my existence? How fucking ridiculous.
‘If you didn’t want me to be born, then you should have had your mother hold onto our father a bit tighter. It isn’t my fault that neither you nor she could…’
I don’t get to finish my words before I’m being slammed into the ground, and then Lux’s claws are raking against me, clearly trying to rip me to shreds, but this is exactly what I wanted.
Taking advantage of his momentary loss of control, I dig my claws into his chest and then hook them so that with any sudden movements I could very well rip open his ribs and rip out his damned heart.
‘Let’s see if it is as ugly as you.’ I murmur, digging my claws deeper until I feel them digging through muscle. ‘I bet it is black as night.’
Letting out a huff of laughter, I continue to move until I feel Lux trying to break free, but it’s too late. I’ve got him. I managed to get the upper hand by pissing him off, and now the tables were turning.
‘Pei!’ I call, knowing that he was nearby. ‘It’s time for you to stop hiding.’
‘Sorry,’ he chuckles, coming into view. ‘I figured you would want a little more alone time with your brother.’
‘Maybe,’ I admit. ‘But I think that I’m going to get plenty of time with him from here on out.’
I was certain by this point Pandora’s father and the others would be getting the upper hand on my father, and if they didn’t, that was fine because as long as I had a hold of Lux, he wouldn’t be willing to continue fighting.
It’s all finally over. I think, feeling a wave of relief as the years of planning, sneaking around, and fighting slowly start to lift from my shoulders. We’ve finally ended all of this shit.
‘Pei, be sure to call the neighboring pack leaders as witnesses to what has happened here.’
Once they saw what happened to Pandora, there would be no way that Lux or my father could get out of what they did. It would also give Pandora’s father and all of Crimson Moon more than enough evidence to have staged this attack.
‘What will you be doing?’ Pei asks, clearly concerned.
‘I’m going to go speak with my father.’ I tell him, releasing Lux as my men wrap a silver collar around his neck. ‘It’s about time I get his testament about everything.’
'Do you really expect him to tell you everything?' Pei asks, his uncertainty slamming into me. 'Don't you think it is safer to just let the adults handle it?'
'This has always been my fight.' I counter. 'And the adults will be busy dealing with the aftermath of what has happened this evening. Now, it is up to me to claim my rightful position.'