My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her

11: Chapter 11 A NARROW PATH CROSSED 11: Chapter 11 A NARROW PATH CROSSED SERAPHINA’S POV

I fled to the parking lot, hating the hot tears that streaked down my face, the sting of salt making my vision blur slightly.

Kieran was unbelievable.

He asked for the divorce.

Why was he acting like a jealous husband who’d caught his wife in an affair?

If he was here on business, he knew exactly what OTS was.

Yet he’d painted me as some desperate, foolish woman throwing herself at a stranger, twisting the truth in ways that made my chest tighten.

Had he considered, even for a second, the rumors he’d just ignited?

How his public display of that kind of guess would fuel whispers if I ever did join OTS, marking me in the eyes of everyone who might judge?

Then again, he never cared.

As long as the whispers didn’t touch him, he never cared how many nights I cried myself to sleep, how many mornings I faced the world with forced composure.

Maybe I shouldn’t have come here at all.

Then a firm, warm hand caught my arm.

“Sera.” Lucian’s voice was surprisingly gentle, low and measured.

I tried to turn away, not wanting him to see the tears.

The wolves he took in were strong, resilient souls.

Not broken, fragile things like me.

“I’m sorry, Lucian.

I didn’t mean to cause a scene.” My voice hitched.

“If this is too much trouble—”

“Seraphina.” His tone shifted, firm but not unkind.

He turned me to face him, his thumbs brushing the wetness from my cheeks.

“This isn’t your fault.

I invited you here so you’d have a place where you don’t have to face that kind of treatment alone,” he added, his words steady, giving weight to the promise.

“Do I really…

belong here?” The question was small, the voice of the girl who’d spent a lifetime being told she didn’t, barely daring to hope for a different answer.

“You absolutely do,” Lucian said, a confident smile touching his lips.

“Think about your session today.

You’re far stronger than you believe, stronger than the doubts that have been placed on you for years..

Don’t let anyone else’s issues define your worth.

Especially not an ex-husband with poor timing and worse manners.”

“But Kieran…

your business with him…”

“Is in the very preliminary stages.

And as the director of OTS, I have the right to decline partnerships with individuals who show disrespect to our members.

We don’t need the Nightfang Pack.” His gaze was steady, reassuring.

“Remember, Sera.

If you need anything, Sera—and I mean absolutely anything—don’t hesitate to reach out.

I’m here for you.”

My chest warmed.

When was the last time I had someone in my corner the way Lucian was?

“I’ll keep that in mind.

Thank you, Lucian,” I said.

He beamed.

“I look forward to our next session.”

I groaned, my whole body protesting with me.

“Just kill me here and now.”

Lucian laughed.

“That would defeat the whole point, now, wouldn’t it?”

***

I found myself humming on the drive home, Lucian’s words a steady, warm ember in my chest.

It was the first genuinely good mood I’d had in…

I couldn’t remember how long.

I stopped for groceries, then busied myself preparing dinner, the familiar routine a comforting anchor as I waited for Daniel to get home from school.

All the confusion and tension of the day faded away when I heard the front door open and close, followed by the sound of rushing feet heading for the kitchen.

“Mom!”

I turned in time to catch his hug but couldn’t help wincing when he squeezed my middle, drawing a protest from my abused abs.

He froze and pulled back immediately, looking at me in horror.

“Are you okay?” he asked in alarm.

“Are you hurt?”

I shook my head vehemently.

“No, baby, not hurt.

Just sore.”

He frowned.

“Why?”

I shrugged.

“Your mom had a training session today.”

His eyes lit up.

“Like the kind Dad does?”

I smiled.

“Nothing that intense—not yet, at least, but…

yes.”

The pride that shone in his eyes made every sore muscle worth it.

“That’s amazing, Mom.

I’m proud of you.” He beamed.

“I wish I could grow up faster so we could train together and I could protect you.”

“Oh, baby.” I pulled him to me again, and this time, he was careful not to hold me too tightly.

He truly was the greatest thing that had ever happened to me.

I swore then and there that no matter how hard it was, no matter how much my weak body ached afterward, I would keep training.

I would grow stronger and be the kind of mother my son could be proud of.

***

A week later, the only thing keeping me from rescinding my vow was Daniel’s proud smile every time I came home bruised and aching.

Every day after dropping Daniel off at school, I headed straight to OTS headquarters, where Lucian, the sadistic bastard, devised innovative new ways to make me hate my life.

Today, however, was different.

It was the day of Daniel’s long-awaited school field trip—a special wilderness expedition for his biology observation group.

He’d left that morning practically vibrating with excitement, vowing to earn the coveted ‘Courage Badge.’

“You’ll get it, my brave scout,” I’d said, smoothing his hair.

“Just remember to listen to your guides and stick with your buddy.”

“I will, Mom!

And I’m gonna bring back something awesome for my observation log!” His enthusiasm was contagious.

To celebrate my little warrior, I’d canceled my training and driven to Sunny Meadows Farm, a pick-your-own produce and livestock spot about thirty minutes out of town.

Old Ben, the farmer, knew me by now.

“Back for another round with the poultry, Ms.

Sera?” he’d chuckled, his eyes crinkling.

“That big Red still giving you the slip?”

“Today’s the day, Ben,” I’d declared, pulling on a pair of borrowed work gloves.

“Daniel’s earning his badge, so I’m earning his dinner.

It’s going to be herb-roasted with all the trimmings.”

Ben laughed, a warm, raspy sound.

“Well, you know the rules.

She catches it, she buys it.

Good luck!

Remember, quick and decisive—they sense hesitation.”

I’d spent a good twenty minutes in a lighthearted, dusty pursuit, my focus entirely on outsmarting the wily chicken.

I’d just managed to cleverly herd the bird into a corner near the feed bins, my heart pounding with a silly sense of triumph.

“Gotcha now,” I murmured, slowly crouching, arms wide.

That’s when the aggressive, out-of-place snarl of a high-performance engine ripped through the farm’s calm.

A sleek, blush-pink sports car—a car worth more than Ben’s entire property—screeched to a halt just beyond the wooden gate, kicking up a cloud of gravel dust.

The chicken I’d been stalking let out a panicked squawk and darted between my legs, vanishing into a thicket.

All around, the peaceful clucking erupted into avian chaos.

My hands closed on empty air.

I stumbled, catching myself on a fence post.

Frustration, hot and immediate, washed over me.

All that work!

“Hey!” Ben called out from the porch of the farm stand, his friendly demeanor gone.

“Easy there!

This is a farm, not a racetrack!”

I turned, my face flushed from exertion and now irritation, dust smudged on my cheek, my hair a wild mess from the chase.

I was ready to give the driver of that obnoxious car a piece of my mind.

But the driver’s door swung open with a precise, elegant click.

A slender, manicured hand emerged, followed by a leg sheathed in designer silk.

Then, she unfolded herself from the low seat with the grace of a panther—effortless, poised, and completely out of place among the hay bales and roaming chickens.

The breath froze in my lungs.

All the frustration, all the silly triumph of the chase, drained away, replaced by a cold, familiar dread.

I didn’t need to see the perfect golden waves of hair, the oversized sunglasses, or the flawlessly applied nude lipstick to know.

Because even on my best days, I already paled in comparison to her.

I didn’t need to give her more of a leg up.

Celeste.