Lyra's POV
I discovered Caelum in his beast form, locked in combat with a brown-furred creature. The outcome was obvious—the other shifter stood no chance against my king.
The moment the brown beast spotted me, he immediately transformed back into human form.
"I surrender! I surrender!" Julian gasped desperately, gulping air as Caelum's beast finally released him from beneath his massive paws.
"This isn't fair! I'm half-wasted—how can you expect me to fight properly!?"
His complaints began immediately. Julian clearly resented the result, though even at full strength, he'd never defeat the king.
"Damn it... Why did you haul me away from the celebration just to beat me up?" Julian struggled to his feet while Caelum shifted back to human form. "What's going on? Did you two have some kind of argument?"
I shook my head and moved closer to them both, realizing too late that I'd forgotten to bring my writing materials.
