[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her":3,"chapter-my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-184":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},764758,1010,"Chapter 184 PRACTICALLY ALARMING","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-184",184,"\u003Cp>SERAPHINA’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It started with water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cold, black water lapping at my ankles—except I couldn’t feel the chill on my bare feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then came the sound. A steady drip. Drip. Drip. Each drop echoed like it fell into a deep, hollow basin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air fogged before me, misty and uneven, yet I couldn’t feel myself breathing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My feet were moving. But...I wasn’t in control of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t fight it. I let them lead me forward until the fog parted, revealing a narrow stairwell lit by a flickering bulb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The metal steps groaned as I descended, my pulse quickening, each breath heavier than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I heard it—whispering. Or...muttering? Humming? The sound was strange, warbled, like it came from someone who had forgotten what a voice was supposed to sound like.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The basement came into view, dim and cold. Water puddled in some corners. Chains hung idly along one wall. And in the far darkest corner—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celeste.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Or at least...a warped version of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her once-glossy hair now hung in tangled clumps around her face like wilted vines. Her cheeks were sunken, her collarbones jutted out, angular and too defined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wore a torn dress shirt, filthy and shredded near the hem. Bruises, old and fresh, painted her skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air lodged in my throat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Celeste?” My voice echoed in the empty room. I reached out—only to find I couldn’t get closer. My body wouldn’t move now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t look up. She just curled tighter around herself, rocking, knees pulled against her chest like a frightened child hiding from monsters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Celeste!” I tried again, panic lacing each syllable. “It’s me, Sera!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She flinched. Hugged herself tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Celeste—look at me,” I whispered, voice cracking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slowly, she did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I swallowed a sharp gasp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes—gods.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not angry. Not smug. Not cold. Not like I was used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just...empty. As if everything she was had been drained through a crack somewhere I couldn’t see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her chapped lips moved, barely forming two silent words: ‘Help me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My entire body seized with horror and something I couldn’t name—something primal and raw and consuming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Celeste!” I screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I jolted upright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lungs seized like I’d inhaled ice. My heart hammered so violently I thought I might be dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My room was dark, faint moonlight spilling across the floor through the curtains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Warmth. Tiny arms wrapped sleepily around my waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom?” Daniel’s voice was thick and groggy. He still hadn’t moved back into his room since he returned, and tonight, I was more than grateful for that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Did you have a nightmare?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His palm pressed gently over my heart, feeling its frantic rhythm. His brows crinkled. “Your heart’s beating really fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced a breath in. Then another. I smoothed my hand through his curly hair with a trembling exhale.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a bad dream,” I whispered, even though calling it a dream felt like a misnomer. It had been too real—like I’d been there, breathing in the dampness of that room, tasting Celeste’s fear as my own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wanna talk about it?” he mumbled, already half-asleep again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I want to talk about it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did I want to explain to my young son how terrifying it felt to watch someone as ostentatious and extraverted as Celeste be reduced to that...that...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” I murmured, kissing Daniel’s forehead. “I’m fine. Go back to sleep, baby.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He made a sleepy hum of agreement and tucked himself closer to me. I wrapped an arm around him, grounding myself in the steady thump of his little heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Eventually, I lay back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t sleep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Morning sunlight seeped through the kitchen windows, soft and golden, like a quiet apology for the night before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel yawned into his oatmeal while I packed snacks for Alpha training. He had more than enough to eat at his grandparents’, but this felt like my own little contribution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kept glancing at me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re too quiet,” he finally said, spoon halfway to his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m always quiet,” I shrugged, peeling an apple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah,” he muttered, “but it’s that loud quiet when I can literally hear your thoughts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I paused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t help it—I smiled a little. “You’re way too observant for your own good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He grinned. “Yep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, I actually laughed, gently slicing into the apple. “Just hurry up and finish your breakfast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shoveled another bite in, exaggeratedly fast, making a face like he was doing me a heroic favor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I rolled my eyes fondly and nudged his water toward him. “Chew, Daniel. I’m raising a wolf pup, not a gremlin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He snorted into his cup. “I can be fast or I can be neat.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head, tucking the apple slices into a container.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he’d done it—my smile lingered. His warmth and light had thinned out the anxiety I’d carried since waking. I was still quiet, but my thoughts were no longer loud and chaotic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could finally hear the low hum of the fridge and Daniel kicking his feet against the chair leg, offbeat and steady.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he finished, he dragged his bowl to the sink. “Are you picking me up after training?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course,” I said, sealing the snack box.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Okay. Cool.” He hesitated, then stepped closer. “And...you’re okay, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I inhaled slowly. “I will be.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Daniel didn’t say anything, just nodded like he believed me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he hugged me—quick and clumsy—and ran off to get his boots before I could tighten my arms around him and never let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there a second longer, fingers still lightly pressed against my ribs where his arms had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I exhaled, grabbed the snack box, and followed him out into the quiet morning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maya was already waving at me from the entrance of the spa when I arrived. Her hair was pulled into a sleek bun that was somehow chic even though she was in a hoodie and leggings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” she said, looping her arm through mine as soon as I was within reach. “Gods, it feels like we haven’t hung out in forever.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I leaned against her. “I know, I’m sorry.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She shrugged. “I get it, I’m just glad that the queen has deemed it fit to grace the common folk with her presence.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop.” I laughed as she gave a mock bow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seriously, though, missing you sucks.” She tightened her hold on me. “Let’s never be apart again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled. “Deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We walked through the softly lit lobby, passing a row of women in white robes sipping cucumber water. The scent of lavender drifted through the air, easing the residual tension in my muscles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You look tired,” Maya said lowly as we checked in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t sleep well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She narrowed her eyes, her sharp gaze assessing. “Shit’s been going on.” It wasn’t a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She cocked her head. “My first instinct is to wring the details out of you like a sponge,” she said. “But something tells me to wait till after we’re all massaged and pampered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled faintly. Maya’s presence, coupled with the promise of heavy pampering, was already making me feel better. “I would much prefer that, thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As we settled into the tea lounge, awaiting our massage appointments, too-loud voices floated across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I swear they’re stalking us,” Maya muttered, glaring ahead. “They know when we come to the spa and align their appointments accordingly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed her gaze and sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma and Abby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers tightened around my teacup.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celeste wasn’t with them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m just saying,” Abby was saying, twisting her fingers anxiously. “Celeste missing two consecutive facials is, like, unheard of.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma nodded. “Her skin is a finicky bitch; it can’t go long without being pampered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to remind her,” Abby whispered, “but last time I did something like that, she said if I nag her like a ‘desperate maid’ again, she’ll throw my phone in a river.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah, she hates reminders. She thinks it’s an insult to her intelligence or some bullshit like that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She sighed dramatically, “Besides, it doesn’t even matter; she’s ignored literally every text I’ve sent her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think she’s still mad about the LST?” Abby asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Emma scoffed. “Well, the sun rose this morning, so yeah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My grip on the cup tightened so much that I heard a crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lovely,” Maya muttered beside me. “Ethan just pushed back our date so you and I—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She paused, noting my demeanor. “Hey, relax.” She leaned in. “You’re not really worried about her, are you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logic, common sense, everything dictated that I shouldn’t spare Celeste a single idle thought, let alone concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shrugged, but my shoulders felt too tight. “It’s odd though, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celeste was borderline religious about her beauty routines. Skipping an appointment was...strange. Skipping two? Practically alarming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maya rolled her eyes. “She probably hasn’t left her house since the LST meltdown—and rightfully so; that was embarrassing as fuck. House-call beauticians exist for a reason. She’s too vain to let her pores suffer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That should’ve made sense. It did make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So why did I still feel uneasy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My dream flickered behind my eyelids—Celeste’s sunken face, the bruises, the chains I couldn’t see but somehow knew were there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked hard and brought my cup to my lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except my hand shook.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The porcelain slipped from my fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time slowed for half a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teacup shattered across the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every eye snapped toward me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at the broken pieces, my heart jackhammering. Too fast, too loud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sera?” Maya’s concerned voice sounded as if it were coming through a vacuum.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “Just...slipped.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of the attendants rushed to clean it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m so sorry,” I whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s okay,” she gave me a customer-friendly smile as she gathered the shards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not usually clumsy,” I rambled, reaching down to help. “I’m so sorry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maya caught my wrist gently and said, “Sera? What’s going on? You’re all...jittery.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I inhaled. “I’m fin—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My phone rang, cutting off the lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fingers shook as I retrieved my phone, and the caller ID made my heart skip a beat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Margaret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My first assumption was that she wanted to talk about what happened at the manor—apologize or scold me, I wasn’t sure which way she was swinging these days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...something about the way my fingers suddenly went cold before I even answered filled me with foreboding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seraphina?” Her voice wasn’t sharp or composed—it was tight, strained, and on the verge of tremor. “Have you—have you heard from Celeste lately?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath caught.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” I said slowly. “Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then it broke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s missing,” my mother whispered, voice cracking like porcelain under pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ice filled my veins.\u003C\u002Fp>",1796,"2026-06-03T02:27:49.404Z",1,"novelbin.me","42b02368a2e800fec5dfa5e3d7aa7ac40a734db817f50e2d4242e4fd6f1441a8","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-185","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-183",488,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-cover.jpg"]