Crooked halo

Ashlyn's POV
I dreaded the next morning. I really did not want to leave the comfort of this room but I had no choice. It was a day to 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 rest?" She asked me with a smile.
Did I? Of course I did not. My mind was troubled with 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 offence 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 spited.
"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 does not necessary 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 smiles.
"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. 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 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 hand entwined with each other, we walked away.
Celine's POV
Just watching them made me sick. Sick to the stomach. Lucifer actually had the nerves 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 round 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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