My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 192

Chapter 192: Chapter 192 TRUE EMOTIONS

KIERAN’S POV

I woke up gasping.

The dream chased me awake, clinging like a fever—Sera by a bonfire, wearing a crown of pale blue flowers glowing under the moonlight, Lucian leaning in to kiss her.

The fire had roared like it was blessing them, and her smile...gods, her smile. It lashed through me, raw and searing like acid on exposed flesh.

A heavy, hollow ache radiated through my chest. For a moment, I thought it was just the dream’s echo, but then the familiar sting from my ribs made me wince.

I pushed the blanket aside and sat up, rubbing at my chest where the bandages hid the fading mark of Ashar’s fury.

Not fading fast enough.

He was punishing me. I knew it.

The injuries from that night in the forest should’ve healed a long time ago. Every other wound had—or at least the visible ones.

But the ones hidden under my clothes, the worst ones—my wolf had slowed their healing. He made sure I felt them every time I moved or fucking breathed.

As if the ache in my heart wasn’t enough.

I’d tried to reason with him at first. Technically, he was the one who’d lost his mind, destroyed the forest surrounding our territory, and almost killed our Beta, so I didn’t deserve to suffer the aftermath.

But Ashar was neither speaking nor listening.

Ever since that night, he barely stirred except when I needed strength for Daniel’s training or necessary pack business.

The silence between us was heavier than any roar.

Tonight, that silence was even worse, closing in and intensifying the anguish I was in.

I dragged a hand through my hair aggressively, as if I could push away the remnants of the dream from my mind.

But the images stuck: Sera’s laughter, the way she looked at Lucian—light, unburdened, free. All the ways she had never looked at me.

Guilt quickly stabbed on the heels of my jealousy.

I’d spent years being a dampener on her happiness. What right did I have now to feel pain when she finally was?

I fumbled around for my phone, and when I finally found it, the glowing screen showed 2:07 am.

Shit. Still hours before anyone but the night shift guards stirred.

The night pressed like a weight. I tried lying back down, but each time I closed my eyes, I saw that bonfire again, saw Lucian’s hands on her.

So finally, I stood, grabbed a hoodie from the chair, and slipped it over my head, careful not to stretch the injured side too much.

The cool fabric brushed against the bandages, and I hissed.

Ashar’s voice flickered faintly. ‘Let it ache.’

I froze. It was the first sound from him in days, more sensation than voice. But when I reached out, he was gone.

“Asshole,” I muttered.

My steps carried me almost unconsciously down the hall—toward Daniel’s room.

I didn’t question my need to see him. I just knew that the sight of my son would give me some comfort.

The door creaked when I pushed it open.

Daniel was asleep, one arm thrown over his head, the other curled around his stuffed wolf. His hair stuck up in messy tufts, and for a moment, I just stood there watching him breathe.

So much of Sera in him—the same calm expression, the same way his lips twitched slightly when he dreamed.

Even when he was awake, too. He had her smile, her quiet strength, the stubborn glint in her eyes...

Maybe that’s why I’d come. Other than the fickle bond, the verity of which was tenuous at best, Daniel was the only thing left that tethered me to Sera, and the desperate urge to be by her side hurt almost as much as my ribs.

I sat on the couch by the window and exhaled slowly. The moonlight slanted through the curtains, casting an ethereal glow on Daniel.

I didn’t intend to sleep, but exhaustion crept in while I watched over my son and, at some point, I must have dozed off.

When I opened my eyes again, the room was brighter, streaks of morning light cutting through the blinds.

“Dad?”

“Hey, bud,” I rasped.

Daniel sat up, squinting. “What are you doing here?”

I rubbed at my eyes. “Couldn’t sleep.”

He blinked, processing. “So...you decided to camp in my room?”

His sleepy tone was so genuinely confused that I almost laughed. “Something like that.”

He tilted his head. “You look weird. Are you sick?”

“No,” I said. Then, after a pause: “Just needed to see you.”

His brow furrowed slightly, like he wasn’t sure what to make of that. “That’s something Mom does, you know? Watching me sleep.”

My lips curved despite myself. “Yeah.” I leaned forward, elbows on my knees. “I used to do it all the time when you were little, you know. Anytime pack business got a little too heavy to bear, I’d come into your room and watching you sleep always calmed me down.”

Daniel’s brows shot to his hairline. “Really?”

I chuckled. “Is that so unbelievable?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “I’m not sure which, though. You admitting that you’re a little creeper like Mom,”—I rolled my eyes—“or you expressing emotion at all.”

That gave me pause.

“I haven’t done that in a while,” I said quietly. “Expressed my true emotions, I mean.”

“Is that an Alpha thing?” Curiosity shone in Daniel’s wide, impressionable eyes. “Is it because expressing emotions is weak?”

I shook my head so hard my neck cracked. “Absolutely not. It’s the opposite, really. Keeping things in is what makes you weak. It separates you from the people who care about you.” I sighed. “It makes you an island.”

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