My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 196

Chapter 196: Chapter 196 FUCKING FANTASTIC

SERAPHINA’S POV

Tears burned my eyes. ‘Alina?’ I gasped.

I hadn’t realized it until there was a difference, but I’d been listening to her as if through a vacuum. Her voice had been muted, and because I’d never heard it any other way, I didn’t even know.

But now...

She was bright, vivid, full of untamed energy I never knew I possessed.

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest, heart pounding wildly as raw emotion surged inside, threatening to break me open.

“Are you alright?” Lucian’s concern threaded through his low voice.

I blinked rapidly, the edges of the world refocusing around him. The moonlight still glistened on his dark hair, droplets of water sliding down his torso.

“I—” I smiled weakly, tears blurring my vision again. “I’m alright.”

More than alright, I was fucking fantastic.

‘Don’t cry, Sera,’ Alina purred. ‘It ruins your dramatic moment.’

A breathless laugh escaped me, half-disbelief, half-joy.

Lucian tilted his head slightly. “Sera? What’s so funny?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly, biting back another laugh. “She’s just—”

I stopped myself, remembering that Lucian didn’t know the truth about Alina.

“Sorry,” I exhaled. “I’m just a little...overwhelmed.”

‘How do you feel, Alina?’ I asked internally.

Alina spoke again, her tone shifting. ‘It’s strange,’ she murmured. ‘I feel...stronger. Not whole yet—but close. Like I can feel my soul being stitched back together.’

My heart leapt. ‘Can you Shift?’

She paused thoughtfully. ‘Not yet. But...we can try something.’

I frowned. ‘Try what?’

I felt her answer in the form of tiny pinpricks of electricity running up and down my arms.

I glanced down—and froze.

The skin on my fingers tingled, then rippled. My nails elongated, sharpening into curved, pale claws that glinted under the moonlight.

The faint outline of silver hair traced my wrists and the back of my hands. Except...it was fur.

A startled gasp escaped me. “Lucian—look!”

His eyes widened as I lifted my hands, trembling with disbelief.

“Your claws,” he breathed. “That’s—”

“Impossible!” I finished for him, incredulous laughter bubbling out of me.

‘We can do more together now,’ Alina said, her joy rippling through me and merging as my own.

Lucian’s expression softened into pride, the corners of his mouth lifting. “This is amazing, Sera! It’s a sign that your bond with your wolf is healing.”

Hearing it aloud shattered what little composure I had left.

Gratitude flooded through me faster than thought, and before I could stop myself, I threw my arms around his neck.

“Thank you,” I whispered, my lips brushing his shoulder.

He stiffened, just slightly, then relaxed. His arms came around me, slow and careful, steadying me. I felt the strength in him—not overwhelming, but sure. Safe.

And then the blanket around me slipped from my shoulders, falling soundlessly to the grass.

I felt his breath catch at the same time mine did.

My heart stuttered as the warmth of Lucian’s body pressed against mine, our torsos aligned, skin to skin. I could feel his heartbeat—strong, erratic—beneath the rise and fall of his bare chest.

His scent hit me all at once, dizzying and too intimate.

Every inch of me felt too aware—of him, of the space we shared, of the impossible closeness that sent a shiver racing down my spine.

And then I felt it: the unmistakable proof of his arousal through his wet pants.

I pulled back so quickly my heels nearly slipped on the damp ground. I caught myself in time and quickly dropped to the ground to pick up the fallen blanket.

I clutched it around myself like a shield. “I’m so sorry,” I sputtered, heat flooding my face. “I didn’t mean—”

“You don’t need to apologize.” Lucian’s voice was rough around the edges. His gaze fixed politely over my shoulder.

“It’s alright.”

But it wasn’t. The awkwardness that hadn’t slipped in when I first shrugged off the robe now slammed into both of us.

His jaw tightened, restraint flickering through his eyes as he turned away and not-so-subtly adjusted his pants.

Ah fuck.

“I wasn’t—It’s not—”

He turned back then, lips twitching like he was struggling to keep his smile in place. “Sera.”

I shut my mouth.

He exhaled, slow and unsteady. “You’re fine.”

‘You are not fine,’ Alina drawled in my head, tone bubbling with mischief. ‘But he is. Spirits above, that man’s built like a statue. I wouldn’t mind if you got a piece of—’

My eyes widened.

‘Alina!’

‘What? I’m just commenting. Appreciating good craftsmanship. I know I just got here, but I also know it’s been a long time since you’ve had a good, proper fu—’

‘Shut up!’ I hissed internally. My cheeks were so hot you could fry an egg on them.

‘Just saying,’—I could practically feel her smirking—‘it wouldn’t be so bad to not go to bed alone tonight.’

Gods above, I had Maya 2.0 living in my head.

Lucian tilted his head slightly. “Something wrong?”

“Nope,” I said too quickly. “Absolutely nothing.”

He chuckled under his breath, the sound soft but maddeningly amused. It cooled the burning in my chest a little. Dissipated the last bits of awkwardness hanging between us.

“Come on.” He held his hand out. “Let’s get back in before we catch something more than the moon’s blessing.”

I laughed softly, but it died when I stretched my hand out and saw that it was back to normal.

Lucian noticed and covered my hand with his. “You may not be where you want to be,” he said, his voice filled with conviction, “but you’re nowhere near where you started.”

‘Took the words right out of my mouth,’ Alina said.

I smiled and let him lead me out of the valley, the world shifting around us as the weight of the moment lifted, making each step toward the pack house feel new.

By the time we returned, my legs still felt weak—not from exhaustion, but from the sheer gravity of everything that had just happened.

Alina kept humming in the back of my mind, like she couldn’t quite contain her joy. Her energy was overflowing; it cascaded through me, pulsing and alive. I simultaneously felt like I could collapse from the force of it and like I could run the entire perimeter of Shadowveil.

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