Lucifer stood tall, the embodiment of raw power and darkness. Shadows seemed to swirl around him, as if drawn to his aura—an all-consuming, ancient force that pulsed with dominance. His presence was suffocating, exuding a mixture of divine and demonic energy, a reminder of the havoc he could unleash with a mere flick of his fingers. But just as he let his mind slip into the dark recesses of his thoughts, a voice broke through.
It was victoria .
"You let her go ? " she asked non chalantly .
Lucifer felt a ripple of irritation as Victoria's voice pierced the silence, snapping him out of his thoughts. His exhaustion, both mental and emotional, flared. He didn't need another interruption, not now—not after Davina. He turned, his expression a mix of exasperation and masked vulnerability, though he tried to play it off with a dismissive tone."You're back again." He sighed heavily, as though her presence weighed him down. "Why are you people coming one by one? You both ladies are exhausting—come altogether or not at all."There was a sharp edge to his words, a faint bitterness that hinted at something deeper—his frustration, his helplessness, his desire to shut out the emotions stirring within him. He looked away, unwilling to face the storm in his own chest.Victoria's voice remained calm, almost teasing, cutting through his defenses like a blade. "I am curious—why didn't you follow her? As the almighty Lord of Hell, you could have made her stay and ended it all for once . No one would ever dare hurt her again."The taunt struck him, but instead of anger, it brought a flash of something far more vulnerable. His gaze flickered, just for a moment, and his jaw clenched. The truth was, he wanted to. He wanted to rip apart anyone who dared threaten her, to shield her from every danger that loomed. But he couldn't. Not because of power, but because of the chains of his past—the choices, the contract and sacrifices he once made for her .Lucifer smirked, settling into a chair that seemed to appear out of thin air. He sipped from a delicate tea set that hadn't been there moments before, as if the triviality of tea could somehow mask the storm raging within him."Why should I?" he replied, his voice dripping with casual indifference. "I'm on vacation, remember? Earthly matters are beneath me. Whatever she chooses to do—whoever she chooses to kill or who wants her dead—is none of my concern." His smile was light, but there was an underlying edge to it.Victoria frowned, confused as she eyed the tea set that had materialized out of thin air. She pressed on, her tone laced with mockery. "Your words contradict your actions, my Lord."Lucifer's eyes flickered for a moment, but he didn't miss a beat. "Everyone crafts their own fate. I've intervened twice, and there were consequences. A third time won't be a charm either .""Are you afraid of the Elders? The other gods of supernaturals ?" she teased.Lucifer chuckled, a dark, almost sinister laugh. "Afraid? Of dead souls? If they push too far, I'll gladly bring them here to taste Hell themselves. Maybe that will set their minds straight."Victoria's expression hardened. "Fate isn't fixed, Lucifer. It's written by the choices we make," she said, deliberately using his name to press her point.Lucifer's gaze darkened as he looked at her. His voice dropped, the weight of his words unmistakable. "You're not a goddess anymore, Victoria. You have a role in this world—a fate that is written for you, If you don't like it - I can rewrite it - just for you but no matter what, it will still bring you back to what must be done."She knew what he was doing—reminding her that she was no longer a Moon Goddess, but a mere wolf mate to an Alpha King, bound to a destiny that she had no power to change.Victoria leaned forward, undeterred. "Stop avoiding my question, Lucifer. Or I won't help your little demon anymore .""she is already powerfull to protect herself . " he retorted back eyeing the blueish and purplish mark Davina left on victoria's neck .
"But can she make it alone without my and Alexander's help in future ?"
Lucifer sighed, setting his teacup down with an irritated clink. His eyes narrowed. "What do you want to know?""Why aren't you helping her?" Victoria's voice was sharp, almost demanding."Why do you care?""I want to count my chances."Lucifer blinked, unsure of what she meant. "Your chances? Of what?""For God's sake, Lucifer—on you. I want to know if there's any place in that dark heart of yours for someone new, or if it's always going to be her." Her confession hung in the air, and though it wasn't the first time she had said it, the words still seemed to catch him off guard.Lucifer's face grew colder, his tone dismissive. "My heart can only bear one dagger, my ex-Moon Goddess. There's no room left for another."Victoria wasn't deterred. "Then why don't you help the dagger? Remove it or embrace it."For a moment, Lucifer's hard exterior cracked, his eyes softening as he let out a barely audible whisper. "I can't help her... even if I wanted to." His voice was more for himself, for the demons within him that wrestled with chaos, than it was for Victoria.Lucifer had long since accepted his fate, bound by a contract made lifetimes ago with the previous Demon Lord. In exchange for sparing her the torment of Hell, he had chosen to suffer in her place, walking through Hellfire, the only one ever to do so and survive. She was free to live and reincarnate while he remained cursed, watching her life from afar, unable to intervene in her every life. Though he had already broken the rules twice—first by saving her and turning her into a demon, then again by crossing the Hellfire to grant her 50 years of dark power—it had come at a brutal price. He could feel it even now, the burn in his chest where the dagger mark had seared his flesh, slowly consuming him from within. If he violated the contract one more time, his body would turn to ash, and she would be damned in his place.For centuries, he had kept his distance, resigned to his suffering. He had convinced himself it was better this way, until one day, she appeared before him again. And with that, the cruel irony gnawed at him—the Lord of Hell, capable of bending the fate of countless souls, yet powerless to alter hers.Victoria saw the torment flicker across his face, and though she sensed something was amiss, she didn't dare ask further. Deep down, she understood the weight of his decisions, the impossible burden he bore. "So, in the end, you'll still choose her? No matter what she did to you? Even if she chose someone else?"Lucifer's jaw tightened. "I never said that. i choose no one but myself . ""You don't have to." Her voice was soft but firm. "It's clear from your actions." She studied him intently, her gaze sharp, cutting. "You hesitate. You still let her linger in your heart—even after everything."Lucifer's expression remained unreadable, but Victoria could sense the turmoil beneath the facade. With a weary sigh, she turned to leave. "I'll take my leave. Your little demon might be needing me—as you know, I have a role to play."She walked away, her steps deliberate, while Lucifer, seemingly unaffected, stared at his empty cup. His face was calm, unbothered by the rawness of their exchange as if it had never happened at all. His emotional walls were firmly back in place, and the aura of indifference returned like an impenetrable shield."The tea is finished," he muttered to himself, dismissing the weight of the moment with a wave of his hand. In an instant, the cup refilled as if nothing in the world could disrupt his calm—except perhaps, the one who lingered still in the recesses of his heart.