[{"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-292":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},764416,1010,"Chapter 292 MY DECISION","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-292",292,"\u003Cp>KIERAN’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The message arrived while I was reviewing a trade route dispute I’d already read twice without absorbing a single word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Can we meet at noon? The café near the park.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at the words longer than necessary, thumb hovering uselessly over the screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My heart stuttered—a sharp, disorienting hitch, as if I’d misstepped on a stair I’d taken a thousand times before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest constricted in that familiar, dangerous way, hope tangled tightly with fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashar stirred immediately, a low, restless presence unfurling through my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is it,’ he rumbled, voice rough with anticipation. ‘Her answer.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know,” I murmured, not quite believing the words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I composed a reply, erased it. Tried again, erased that too. Each attempt felt more inappropriate than the last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looking forward to it.’ Too eager.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’ll be there.’ Too cold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I settled for something simple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Of course. See you then.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I set my phone down and slumped back, exhaling hard as my heart hammered out a wild, uneven rhythm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Noon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I checked the time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had a little over two hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I spent all of it preparing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I showered longer than usual, lingering beneath the spray as if the heat could scald the nerves out of me. I shaved carefully, dragging the blade slowly along my jaw, checking and rechecking the mirror, desperate to find any flaw I might have missed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I cycled through shirts—twice, then a third—while Ashar watched through my eyes, openly amused by my indecision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You look like a pup before his first hunt,’ he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This isn’t a hunt,” I muttered aloud, fingers tightening around my collar as I adjusted it for the fifth time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’No,’ Ashar agreed. ’It matters more than that.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Helpful,” I muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But true,’ he replied. ‘Go bring our mate home.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I drew in a shaky breath and reached for my coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flowers were a last-minute decision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d told myself I wouldn’t. That the fireworks had already been too much. That any grand gesture risked feeling like pressure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, I found myself at the florist anyway. Found myself repeating the order I made weeks ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m guessing she loved it the last time?” the owner said, smiling as she handed me the bouquet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took it carefully. “I actually don’t know,” I admitted. “I hope so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A flicker of confusion crossed her face, but she masked it with commercial politeness. “Well, I’m sure she’ll love it this time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smile I managed felt more like a grimace. “Here’s hoping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The café was already busy when I arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The large coffee-bean-shaped clock on the wall read 11:30.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I chose a table by the window—too exposed, maybe, but I didn’t want corners today. Didn’t want shadows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I arranged the bouquet beside the empty chair, fussing with the stems just to keep my hands busy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My leg jittered under the table until I braced my hand on my knee to force it still.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was absurd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was an Alpha—someone who’d stared down rival packs, forged truces in blood, sent men into battle. Yet now, my heart fluttered like a teenager’s on a first date with his crush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In some ways, maybe it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Celeste and I had never had this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our relationship had been easy. Too easy. It had unfolded the way everyone expected it to—smiles and shared glances, hands finding each other naturally, a path laid out so clearly I barely had to choose it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’d been no nerves. No anticipation sharpened by uncertainty. No sleepless nights replaying conversations in my head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What I felt now was nothing like that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Sera, every moment felt precious. Fragile. Terrifying. Like something sacred I could ruin with one wrong word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashar stirred again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>’She’s coming.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt it a second later—a shift in the air, subtle but undeniable, like the world rebalancing around a new center of gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Sera stepped through the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And everything else fell away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I let myself watch her in the split second before she noticed me, the rest of the world fading to a blur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sunlight caught in her hair, brightening the pale strands into something almost luminous. Her expression was calm, serene, like she’d made peace with whatever choice she’d made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something inside me unfolded, raw and aching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ashar’s satisfaction rolled through me, deep and warm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Our mate is stronger,’ he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her gaze met mine, and I forgot how to breathe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>SERAPHINA’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time I reached the café, my nerves had settled into something strangely calm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not peace exactly. More like resolution. The kind that comes after a long internal argument has already ended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt steady in my body, aware of each step, each breath, the quiet hum of morning life unfolding around me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The decision had already rooted itself deep inside me, solid and immovable. What remained was the harder part: honoring it without flinching.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The café buzzed with life as I entered, sunlight pouring through wide windows to gild the polished tables. The scent of coffee and sweet pastries curled around me, a gentle embrace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bell chimed overhead as I stepped inside, my gaze sweeping across the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My gaze found Kieran a split-second later, his presence tugging at me with a familiar gravity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment our eyes met, something passed between us—recognition, tension, hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alina stirred within me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Are you sure about this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled. ‘Are you?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I’m with you, Sera. Whatever you decide.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, I closed the distance between us. Kieran stood, a bouquet cradled in his hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As I drew near, my steps faltered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I froze altogether.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a heartbeat, the world narrowed to color and scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>White lilies. Pink carnations. Wrapped in soft ivory paper. Tied with a pale blue ribbon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I hope these bring as much beauty to your day as you bring to my world.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The café dissolved around the edges as realization struck, swift and undeniable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I looked up slowly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kieran was watching me with careful intensity, hope and nerves braided together so tightly it made my chest ache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You...” I started, then stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw tightened almost imperceptibly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You sent the flowers in Seattle,” I whispered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d been right. I couldn’t believe I’d been right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kieran nodded once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why...” I swallowed past the lump in my throat. “Why didn’t you sign the card?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He exhaled, rubbing the back of his neck in a way that was painfully human. “I thought if you knew it was from me, you might reject it...and the others.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The others—” My eyes widened. “All that free stuff in the café and markets and shops—that was you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A crooked, self-conscious smile tugged at his mouth, his skin flushing. “I just...wanted you to have a good time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slumped into my seat, stunned by the realization.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Lunewing butterflies,” I whispered, almost to myself. “You sent those, too.” Not a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kieran slid into the seat opposite me, setting the flowers on the table next to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry if I overstepped,” he murmured, fingers pressed tightly together.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.” I shook my head, still feeling numb. “I just...” I exhaled. “I can’t believe that was all you. I can’t believe you—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Would be capable of something like that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out, my fingers brushing the petals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We weren’t touching, but a fragile, dangerous warmth spread through me, the echo of the bond stirring in response, tugging on my heartstrings. Tenderness, sneaking in when I least expected, slipping past my defenses in a single unguarded moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the seaside restaurant and necklace and fireworks all over again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This man had paid attention. Had noticed. Had learned my preferences quietly, without demanding anything in return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had tried, in his own way, to make me feel seen—even when we were miles apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you,” I said sincerely, then set the flowers aside, resting them carefully against the chair leg. Out of sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A waitress appeared; we ordered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment stretched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the coffee arrived, I cupped the mug in my hands, letting its warmth anchor me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kieran waited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t rush me. Didn’t fill the silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That alone made this harder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, I drew in a slow breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kieran,” I said. “I’ve...made my decision.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The café didn’t quiet. The world didn’t pause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something inside him did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt it in the way the air shifted—a subtle tightening, the instinctive awareness of a predator who sensed the ground changing beneath his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His shoulders squared, bracing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m listening,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m grateful,” I began carefully. “For the flowers. For Seattle. The fireworks, the restaurant, the necklace. For everything you’ve done to try and make things right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fingers curled loosely around his cup. “But.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But,” I echoed softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my head to lift, forced our eyes to meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then I forced the words out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t accept the bond.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1475,"2026-06-03T02:27:49.405Z",1,"novelbin.me","a0b19a403dca0269c060ccec3c5d7ef8f465a5848a8b091333fd360ce47b2a71","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-293","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-291",488,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-cover.jpg"]