Lucifer's vessel

Derek and Lika materialized in a damp, dimly lit cave, the air thick with the scent of mold and decay. Lika, still struggling against Derek's grip, spat at his feet.

"You monster!" she snarled, her eyes blazing with fury. "You're a murderer, a liar, and a manipulator. You used me, Derek. You used me to get to the alpha king, to get to the throne."

Derek's expression remained calm, but his eyes flashed with annoyance. "Lika, listen to me—"

"No, I won't listen to you!" Lika interrupted, her voice rising to a shout. "You've lied to me, deceived me, and betrayed me. You're not even human anymore. What have you become, Derek? A demon? A monster?"

Derek's grip on Lika's wrist tightened, his fingers digging into her skin. "I am what I need to be to survive," he said, his voice low and even. "And I did what I needed to do to protect myself, to protect us."

Lika laughed, a harsh, mocking sound. "Protect us? You call killing the alpha king and taking over the throne protection? You're mad, Derek. You're power-hungry and insane."

Derek's face darkened, his eyes burning with anger. "I am not power-hungry," he growled. "I am necessary. The supernatural world needs someone like me to rule, to maintain order and stability."

Lika sneered, her lip curling in disgust. "You're not maintaining order and stability, Derek. You're creating chaos and destruction. You're a plague, a cancer that needs to be cut out."

Derek's anger boiled over, and he slammed Lika against the cave wall, his hand closing around her throat. "You don't understand," he snarled, his face inches from hers. "You don't understand what it's like to be me, to have this power coursing through my veins. You don't understand what it's like to be a god."

Lika's eyes bulged, her face turning red as Derek's grip tightened. But she refused to back down, refused to show fear. "I understand that you're a monster," she spat, her voice barely above a whisper. "I understand that you're a creature without conscience or compassion. And I understand that you need to be stopped."

Derek's face twisted in rage, and he lifted Lika off the ground, his hand still closed around her throat. But as he looked into her eyes, he saw something there that gave him pause. He saw a spark of defiance, of determination, that he couldn't quite extinguish.

Slowly, Derek's grip relaxed, and he lowered Lika to the ground. She gasped for air, her eyes never leaving his.

"Why do you hate me so much, Lika?" Derek asked, his voice low and curious.

Lika's eyes flashed with anger. "I hate you because you're a liar," she spat. "I hate you because you're a murderer. And I hate you because you're a monster who doesn't deserve to live."

Derek's face fell, his eyes clouding with sadness. "I see," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I see that you'll never forgive me, that you'll never understand me."

Lika's expression didn't change. "I'll never forgive you, Derek. And I'll never understand you. Because you're not worthy of forgiveness or understanding."

The cave fell silent, the only sound the heavy breathing of the two combatants. Derek's eyes locked onto Lika's, and for a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them palpable.

But as the moment stretched out, Derek's expression changed. His eyes hardened, his jaw clenched, and his face twisted in a snarl.

"Fine," he spat. "If that's how you want it, Lika. Then that's how it will be. But know this: I will never let you go. You will always be mine, no matter what."

Lika's eyes flashed with fear, but she refused to back down. "I'll never be yours, Derek," she spat. "I'll always hate you, always fight against you. And one day, I'll kill you."

Derek's face twisted in a cruel smile. "We'll see about that, Lika," he said. "We'll see about that."