All Chapters of My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

SERAPHINA'S POVI was on the edge of a breakdown.I stood in front of my full-length mirror on the night of the gala, heart pounding, palms sweaty, completely convinced the dress was a mistake.It was a shimmering navy blue that swirled around me like liquid midnight. It was off-shoulder, with a fitted waist that flared slightly at the bottom. It made me feel regal and beautiful and... visible. Too visible.What if it was too much? What if it was obvious that this dress—this stunning ethereal dress—did not belong on the body of someone as plain and ordinary as me?I imagined all heads turning to me as I walked the red carpet, mouths spreading into mocking grins as people pointed and laughed, calling me an impostor.Maybe this was a bad idea. There was still time—I could take off this... this costume, throw on comfy pajamas, and forget I was ever this delusional and—The sound of the doorbell jolted me out of my spiral, and my heart did a backflip in my chest.Lucian was here."Shit," I

SERAPHINA'S POVI had never danced like this before.Not at any debutante ball. Not during etiquette class. Not even in the privacy of my own kitchen.Lucian moved with effortless grace, his hand firm but not controlling against my waist, guiding me with the kind of assurance that made me feel like I could do anything—so long as I let go and followed his lead.I wasn't even aware of my feet anymore—just the warmth in his eyes and the comfort in his smile.The music flowed through me, and for once, I didn't think, didn't worry about who was watching me or if I was performing well enough.I just... moved.When the song ended, the room erupted with applause again, though this time it wasn't thunderous like during my speech. It was gentler, more appreciative—a wave of admiration and awe that blanketed us like snowfall.Lucian leaned in, his breath brushing the shell of my ear. "You're a natural."I gave a breathless laugh, flushed from more than just the dance. "That was you. I just follow

KIERAN'S POVBy the time Celeste returned from the bathroom, her face was flawless again—lipstick and mascara reapplied, eyes dry, every trace of what had happened earlier buried beneath powder and poise.But I saw it.The slight quiver of her mouth as she smiled too brightly, turning to say something to the small crowd she brought back out with her.The sight of her friends made my stomach clench with something that felt an awful lot like panic. But I didn't understand why—the feeling was needless.Celeste was going to be my future Luna, and the whole world would know, so why was the idea of this... display putting me off so badly?I rolled my shoulders and steeled myself. I was going to do this—no matter how I felt about it—for Celeste.I thought of the tattoo on her arm, of the marks they covered, and guilt swam through me, overpowering the panic.Celeste had always despised pain. A papercut made her recoil; even faded scars ruined the perfection of her designer dresses. Yet she'd h

SERAPHINA'S POVThe world above was a blur of ripples and shadows, but all I could feel was the suffocating cold.My limbs flailed, heavy and useless, tangled in the wet fabric of my dress. Panic gripped me, more vicious than the chill. My lungs screamed, but my mind screamed louder.'Not again. Not again!'The koi pond might've looked ornamental, and it wasn't all too deep. But water—any body of water—had always terrified me. They were all the same—dark, unpredictable, and greedy.I was a child again, caught in a flashback I couldn't escape—cruel hands shoving me from behind into the lake behind the Lockwood estate, struggling under the weight of my own clothes, the absence of air.The slow suffocation and the frightening clarity that I was going to die, never really having lived.Back then, my father had pulled me out. This time, I didn't know if anyone would.Then something broke through the cold.My eyes were squeezed tight, but somehow, I felt the pull, and then—arms, warm and str

KIERAN’S POVI barely remembered the ride home—just the steady rumble of the engine and the taste of guilt and unease souring in my mouth.When I arrived, I sat in the driveway with the engine off, bathed in silence and the judgmental glow of the moon, my hands wrapped around the steering wheel as if it were the only thing keeping me grounded.My phone rang.Gavin.I stared at the screen for a second, chest tight, then answered."Yeah?"“You need to hear this,” Gavin said without preamble. His voice was clipped, cautious. “I pulled the server logs from the security archive of the hotel for the Blood Moon Hunt, just like you asked.”My grip on the wheel tightened. “And?”“There was footage,” he said. “Corridor cams, lobby, elevator—hell, even the vending machines had security cameras. But…”“But what?”“About three months ago, someone put in a formal request to delete specific recordings from the night of the Blood Moon Hunt.”My grip tightened on the phone. “What? You’re telling me som