Chapter Two
POV: Seraphina Vale
"I was in love once," Seraphina said softly, her voice almost lost in the quiet air.
Evelyn turned to her, curiosity flashing in her eyes. "With whom?"
Sera hesitated for a moment, as if saying his name would reopen something she had tried so hard to bury.
"With someone I was never supposed to love," she finally said. "A half-demon… half-angel."
Evelyn blinked. "A what? Phina, that doesn't even make sense."
"He was real," Sera replied quietly. "And he was mine… until my father took him away."
"Why would the king do that?" Evelyn asked, frowning.
Sera's gaze dropped. "Because he discovered the truth. He found out… that he was the son of Lorcan Draegor."
Evelyn froze. "You're joking, right? Phina, do you even hear yourself? That means he's tied to the royal bloodline of the underworld."
"I didn't know," Sera said quickly. "Not at first. To me, he was just… Riven."
Her voice softened at his name.
"Riven Morcant," she continued. "Green eyes that could calm any storm… and white hair that caught the light like silver. Every woman wanted him… but he chose me."
Evelyn studied her closely. "Then why have I never met him?"
"You were gone," Sera reminded her. "Four years at that witch training camp. You missed everything."
Evelyn sighed. "Still… you need to move on. He's gone now. Back where he belongs."
"I know," Sera whispered. "But he was my first love, Eve. How do you forget something like that? His voice… his touch… the way he looked at me like I was the only thing that mattered."
Silence fell between them.
Then Evelyn spoke again, more cautiously this time. "What about his brother?"
Sera frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Lucien Draegor," Evelyn said. "The King of the Underworld."
At once, Sera's expression hardened.
"Why is everyone so fascinated by that man?" she snapped. "He's nothing but a monster. He's slaughtered countless angels… and because of him, Kael is gone."
There was venom in her voice now.
Evelyn tilted her head slightly. "What if you met him… and felt something?"
Sera let out a sharp laugh.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said coldly. "I would rather die than fall in love with Lucien Draegor."
Evelyn sighed softly. "You say that now… but you don't even know him."
She had always believed in the impossible—angels and demons, light and darkness, finding a way to coexist.
But Sera shook her head.
"It's forbidden," she said firmly. "Angels and demons were never meant to be together."
POV: Lucien Draegor
"I won again," Nova said proudly, leaning back in her chair. "You're getting worse at this, brother."
Lucien smirked faintly as he studied the chessboard. "Or perhaps you're simply getting better."
"I always win," she teased. "That's the difference."
He chuckled softly. "You are exceptional, I'll give you that… love."
Nova rolled her eyes immediately. "Stop calling me that. I just turned eighteen."
Lucien raised a brow. "And?"
"And if you keep calling me 'love,' what will you call your future wife?" she asked with a grin.
Lucien leaned back slightly, thinking for a moment.
"Freckles," he said simply.
Nova blinked—then laughed. "Freckles? So you want your future queen to have freckles?"
"Yes," Lucien replied calmly.
"Well, Lilith doesn't have freckles," Nova said. "Neither does Faye."
Lucien scoffed. "Do you truly think I would marry either of them?"
They both laughed.
After a moment, Nova grew quiet again.
"Can I ask you something?" she said.
Lucien nodded. "Of course."
"Can an angel and a demon fall in love?"
Lucien's expression shifted slightly, something unreadable passing through his eyes.
"For royalty… perhaps," he said slowly. "But for everyone else, it is forbidden."
Nova tilted her head. "What about demons and humans?"
"That is even worse," Lucien replied. "A demon would watch the human grow old… fade… and die."
His voice dropped slightly.
"While the demon remains unchanged."
Nova looked down at her hands. "I still haven't found my powers."
"You will," Lucien said, his tone softer now. "Power reveals itself in time."
He stood, brushing invisible dust from his sleeve.
"Go and rest. You have training tomorrow."
Nova nodded and left the room.
Silence returned.
Lucien sat back down, his gaze drifting to the chessboard.
For a long moment, he said nothing.
Then, quietly—
"I have yet to find my mate…"
His fingers tightened slightly.
"Why?"
A shadow crossed his expression.
"I need her."
His thoughts drifted, unbidden.
I wish my mother were still alive.
His gaze darkened.
"Angels and demons were never meant to be together," he murmured.
"A curse… written into existence."
He paused.
Then, almost as if remembering something long buried—
"…except for one."
An ancient pact.