Crooked halo

Lucifer's POV

I would never have believed it even in my wildest dreams that Celine would ever return here. To me. I did not have the luxury to ask her why now for this new development has suddenly brought unexplainable chaos to my life.

I laid on the bed with Ashlyn curled to my body, locking her away from hearing my thoughts as Celine flooded my head. Images of how we met and the few months I had spent with her. I did not know what I should call the affection I had for her back then. Was it love or was it just pure attraction? One thing I could agree with was it was different from what I was feeling for Ashlyn. Way different from it. My love for Ashlyn was unconditional.

Just then my thoughts were interrupted by several knocks on the door. Ashlyn stirred up in her sleep. "Who could that be?" She asked.

"I do not know," I said to her. "Let me see who it is," I said placing a kiss on her head and leaving the bed.

I walked towards the door and opened it. Celine was standing in front of me with a smile on her face.

She ran her finger on my chest and brushed past me into the room.

"Why have I not ever been in this room?" She asked out loud.

Ashlyn stared at her. "Because you are not supposed to be in this room." She said.

Celine raised a brow. "I should be telling you that. But anyways," she said looking away from Ashlyn. "That's going to change from today. This time around, I'll be in this room. It's about time we took our love to the next level." She said to me.

Each time she said love, I kept on asking myself what kind of love I had for her.

Ashlyn stared at her with horror on her face.

"Celine you just returned, a lot has changed over the years," I said to her.

"I do know about that and I do know you harbored mistresses in this house and I believe it was because of my assumed death that you turned into something else." She said running her fingers on my bare arm. So she did know about my escapades. What else did she know about me that she's yet to say? How did she even know all these if she was in her recuperating bed all these years?

"But I'm here for you now." She said to me.

"I've always had a high taste for women Celine. You assumed death did not make me lusty. Nature has been there." I said to her. The only thing I had done during her assumed death was withdrawn a little from the world and a while later, I was back to being frolicked by and around women despite still having that little hidden hurt in my mind till it was completely eradicated.

"Nevermind that. I'm here now and like I said, I'll like to share your room with you." She said.

"Do you not think that perhaps you're overstepping your boundaries?" I asked her as I held her wrist to stop her from caressing my arm.

"I'm not overstepping my boundaries Lucifer," she said to me. "It's my right." She said again. Her eyes fixed on mine.

"Yes you are," Ashlyn said getting off the bed and walking towards us. "You cannot just walk in here demanding things and claiming rights." She said, her tone underlying anger.

"You have a lot of explaining to do Lucifer, who's this girl? I've been asking since I arrived." Celine said.

"And I'm sure you got answers from the pack members and if you'll excuse me it's past Eight and I do not need this drama right now. I need rest." I said to her. She frowned at me and then stared at Ashlyn head to toe.

"I'll leave you to rest," she said looking back at me and replacing the frown with a smile. "We have a lot to talk about tomorrow." She said.

"Alright," I said to her and she leaned into me and placed a kiss on my cheek so quickly I did not see it coming and she walked away.

Ashlyn fumed in anger. "Right in my presence?" She said bitterly as Celine slammed the door. "And you let her?" She asked staring at me.

"I did not see it coming. I could have stopped her." I said to her.

"Please, I don't want to hear it," she said waving it off and going towards the bed. She laid on it placing the covers over her head.

"Ash, do not do this now please." I pleaded with her heading towards the bed. I lay beside her and took the covers off her face.

"What is it?" She demanded with a lot of jealousy in her voice.

I placed my forehead on hers. "Do not be angry with me love," I said to her.

"I'm not." She denied.

"You are," I stated the facts.

"Forgive me for being so selfish not wanting to share you anymore with anyone else, not even your past lover." She said to me and I sighed.

"You are not sharing me, Ash. I'm yours alone." I said to her.

"Then tell her to leave." She said. I knew that should be what I'm expected of but I could not bring myself to do it. I could not throw Celine out. Not for anything but for the little moments we've had to spend together.

Why I felt so weak at this point to do anything was alarming me.

I did not want to tell her anything that would make her uncomfortable or distraught. I just gathered her into my arms without saying a word.

Ashlyn's POV

I dreaded the next morning. I did not want to leave the comfort of this room but I had no choice. It was the day of my wedding and as the bride, I was not to sit still all day gloomy over the arrival of my soon-to-be husband's, past love.

I walked down the stairs and met with Roselia.

"Milady, did you have a peaceful night's rest?" She asked me with a smile.

Did I? Of course I did not. My mind was troubled by the presence of Celine but instead of telling her that, I nodded with a smile. "Twas peaceful Roselia and yours?" I asked her.

"Very well milady. I'm hale and hearty." She said and we both laughed. "Invitations have been sent to every pack in the country milady. I cannot wait any longer for you to be wedded to the alpha. It shall be the wedding history would never forget!" She said excitedly.

"Me too," I said to her with a smile then I saw Celine approaching us.

Roselia saw her and turned to me. "I beg to take my leave now." She said.

"I shall join you soon, Roselia," I said to her and she nodded and walked away. Celine was about to say something but then stopped when she looked over at the stairs. I turned to look too and saw Lucifer coming down too.

He had a puzzled look on his face when he saw us both. "Good morning." Celine and I said at once and I glared at her for greeting him at the same time I did.

He pulled me to himself and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Deserting your soon-to-be husband so early in the morning is an offense to me." He said and I chuckled.

"I'm sorry." I apologized.

"I'll take that for now." He said. "You know what's coming." He added in a low and seductive voice and I shivered in a good way at the thought of it.

Celine cleared her throat. "The pack members were not lying after all. You are getting married." She said.

Lucifer smiled at her. "You did your findings well and I'm getting married tomorrow." He said to her.

"Funny how I've waited all these years for you. Holding on to our love just to come back and hear this. You forgot all about me." She said in a low voice. Emotional blackmail. Pure emotional blackmail!

"Is nine years not enough time for him to move on from what you think you shared with him?" I asked her.

"I'm not talking to you whore." She said to me. My dissipating anger rekindled.

"Enough Celine. Stop it." Lucifer warned her.

"I will not. You have to choose between her and me. I was the one you loved nine years ago and she's just a lowlife mistress you brought into this house." Celine said.

"I said stop!" He bellowed at her vehemently and she shook a bit but decided not to cower.

"Stop what Lucifer? You think I do not know she was your mistress before you decided to marry her?" She spat.

"And whoever informed you of that must have been very stupid enough not to tell you Ashlyn here is my mate." He said to her and the shock that washed over her was evident on her face.

"You still have to choose. I'm your love." Celine said.

"You keep saying that word whereas I have never said it to you before," Lucifer said to her.

"Does it matter? Your care said it all." She said to him.

"Did I believe you both must have mistaken care for love? Care and attention do not necessarily mean you're in love with the person. It just means you do not want to see that person hurt or suffer." I said.

"I do not need to choose anyone, Celine. I know who my heart beats for. I know who I am in love with." Lucifer said and Celine beamed with a smile.

"I knew you would never forget what we had nor throw them away for the sake of a mate bond," Celine said.

"I would not, Celine, that's why I'm not throwing you out of this house," Lucifer said and I stared at him in shock. Was he still in love with her? Was it her, his heart beats for? I moved away from him.

I did not want to wait and hear what will completely ruin my pride and I turned to walk away when Lucifer's hand caught my wrist.

"Ashlyn is the one I'm in love with." He said and my knees buckled. A few seconds ago, he had made me feel like the rejected stone about to be cast aside and now he has set me up on a floating cloud of happiness.

He turned to look at me. "You have no knowledge of what I have made her go through but yet she stood by me and loved me. Her love is selfless and without conditions. I do not need a soothsayer to tell me that I have found the one." He said, his eyes unwavering from mine and I melted at his words. Everything he said, his eyes reflected his emotions.

I advanced closer to him. "You had me scared there for a moment," I said to him.

"Where are you doubting the love I had for you?" He questioned me.

I sighed. I did doubt it for a moment. Celine has only been here for twenty-four hours and she was already shaking up my world. What else would she have me doubting next? His fidelity?

"Do not ever doubt it. I may be doing the most at times but have a little faith in me." He said to me and I nodded.

"I'll never doubt you again," I said to him and he smiled a little.

"Shall we go together to see how the prisoners are preparing to go back to their lands?" He asked me. "Yes," I said nodding, and hands entwined with each other, we walked away.

Celine's POV

Just watching them made me sick. Sick to the stomach. Lucifer had the nerve to choose her over me. Yes, we've been intimate for only a few months, but he was truly caring and I believed him to be in love with me.

He needed to see it. He needed to be reminded of it. That what we shared could not be compared to this woman's own.

I came back at the right time. I had waited for the full moon month to be over before coming back. I did not want to suffer yet again another attack from him. Never again.

It was a good thing I was informed about everything and yet still played dumb to it. I did not just want to win Lucifer's heart and throw his mate Ashlyn out of the house, I was also here for something else.

•

I saw Ashlyn walking into the house alone and heading towards the stairs. I stood close to the stairs.

"It's a beautiful decoration I must confess," I said looking around the walls. "It's such a shame that no wedding will take place here," I said to her. She paused at the foot of the stairs staring at me.

"Is that a threat?" She inquired raising a brow.

"Call it whatever you may but it's a promise," I said to her.

"And let me make this clear to you, I do not need a wedding as a validation that Lucifer belongs to me. As long as I feel it and see that he wants me to that's enough for me." She said and I snickered.

"We shall see about that," I said to her.

"I do not have time for your blabbering Celine but let me give you a piece of advice, do not cross me. Do not let this look fool you." She said and walked up the stairs.

I chuckled. "I know all about you spineless vampire. You just watch and see how I ruin not just this wedding but your whole life as well." I said to no one in particular.

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