PATREA. After I admitted everything to Lucius, he simply moved on from it. I wanted to believe he wasn’t affected at all, but then I saw him with Luther the moment we came to the Mystic Pack, and my insecurities came back again. I had known from the very beginning — even before there was him and me — that he was already affectionate toward his nephew, and yet a part of me wanted to grieve. He wanted one, and it was something I couldn’t give him. "If Lucius said it’s okay with him, then it’s okay. I know my own brother. He never sugarcoats his words. And it is what makes both of you click together because you both tell what you feel." Lucy stated that before she stood in front of me, her hands went to my arms, and she gently brushed them. "Don’t let it bother you." "But I wish I could give him more," I said in a soft voice. Lucy smiled at me, her eyes watering as she let out a warm smile. "You have given Lucius so much, Patrea. And I can’t thank you enough. I know he can take care

LUCIUS. His eyes blazed red, and I saw confusion flit through them, but it was gone in seconds. “Tell me what you want, Lucius.” “I want you to break Lucien’s curse on Patrea’s, linking my bloodline to be fatal for her. Including the nightmares she was having.” “Are you afraid you will kill your queen?” “Not me, Hades. I will kill myself first before I even think of that. But I have hundreds of siblings and quite a number of offspring, making each one a danger for my queen.” “Are you sure about this? Don’t you want an heir, Lucius? Like the one Lucija has?” “What will I do with an heir if I don’t have Patrea anymore?” I asked back. “Do you know how much Patrea wants to give you a child? Don’t you want to give her something her heart desires?” “Her life is far more important to me than a child.” “You are being selfish. You wanted her alive for yourself, but what about your queen? Doesn’t she deserve to have what she wants?” “I’m a demon, Hades. Let me be selfish.” His laugh

LUCIUS.After I had unleashed my frustration at the dungeon, I fixed myself and transported my body back to the Mystic Pack packhouse, only to find out Patrea was not there.“Again, Lucija, where did Patrea go?” I asked Lucija for the nth time since she came into this room with Althea.“She’s safe, Lucius. You need to trust that your queen can take care of herself.” She responded instead of answering my question. “I know she can, but I just want to know where she is. Don’t force me to dig into your head for answers.”“I’m sure you can’t. No one has ever read my mind.”I hissed at her, knowing she was telling the truth. My head snapped to Althea’s, and it made her body jolt backward, but Lucija was fast enough to block me.“Do not do whatever you are thinking. Patrea will not appreciate it if you meddle with Althea’s mind.”In frustration, I brushed my hair with my hand before turning around and walking in the opposite direction inside the bedroom where Patrea was last seen. I tried t

LUCIUS. My eyes roamed around the vast banquet that was prepared for the formal rise of the King and Queen of Kalmerus and Athwart. I was glad that I didn’t hold a feast for me so that I was able to share this coronation with Patrea. The big hall was already filled with guests from the other two kingdoms of the Underworld: the Kings and their offspring. Some of my siblings and my own spawn had arrived. They had yet to meet Patrea. Celebrations like this were usually done in demon forms, but since Patrea was only half demon, I requested everyone to present themselves in their human form, and it seemed that no one was objecting as everyone came in presentable clothes. Also, from what I heard, even the kings were eager to see my queen, probably because the Underworld had never had a queen in a long time, even centuries before me. A smug smirk tugged on my mouth at the sight of Lucija and Stone. They took Luther with them, and even though he was just a few months old, his aura was st

PATREA. After my coronation as Queen of two Underworld kingdoms, our lives returned to normal. So far, it had been so peaceful and perfect that I felt something terrible would happen. But Lucius eased my worry by telling me that the underworld was only chaotic if the kingdoms were not on good terms. As far as he knew, everyone was minding their own business, and the regular souls would just come and plunge themselves into hell. So I tried not to mind it and just lived the best days of my life with him. Today we decided to cross into the human realm and visit an old friend, or, should I say, an annoying neighbor. I missed normality, so here we were, driving the car into the house I used to share with Althea. I would take personal items and return the key to the house owner. And after that, we would go to the library so I could file my irrevocable resignation letter. As much as I could forget all about it, I made friends in the library, and I didn’t want them to keep thinking abo