[{"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-334":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},764637,1010,"Chapter 334 SLOPPY DRUNK","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-334",334,"\u003Cp>MAYA’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The term ‘heat’ was aptly coined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not the usual decadent warmth of desire, but an innate, biological shift—clinging, raising my temperature, blurring emotion with sensation, refusing to be ignored.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dinner lasted barely an hour. We started composed—wine, quiet conversation, Ethan’s knee brushing mine—but the closeness became unbearable quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heat coiled tighter with every passing minute, fed by the bond, by his proximity, by the way my body reacted faster than my mind could keep up with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t focus on the food, couldn’t sit still beneath the weight of it, and Ethan sensed it without a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One look passed between us, and tension shifted to urgency. Moments later, we stood, mumbling apologies to the waiter as we left behind unfinished plates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We’d barely made it through the front door before we were tangled together, shoes kicked off somewhere behind us.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mark burned faintly at the juncture of my neck and shoulder, a warm, steady, living presence beneath my skin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every night since he’d marked me, it had been like this: Frantic, reckless, irresistible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>We gravitated toward each other without thought, bodies attuned in a way that felt both new and ancient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was keenly aware of the changes in myself. How easily I flushed, how acutely I reacted to his touch, how my senses seemed perpetually tuned too high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The healers had warned me gently: the next full moon would bring my heat. The knowledge sat low and heavy in my body, a countdown I felt with bated breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan moved with a deliberate care that only stoked the fire further, as if he were trying to savor each moment before instinct took over completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was an impatient bitch, and I tugged him closer, fingers curling into his shirt, when—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My phone rang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sound steamed against the heat like an ice shower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan stilled, forehead against mine, breath warm and uneven. “Ignore it,” he muttered, his voice rough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No shit,\" I murmured, tugging his shirt out of his pants.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the ringing continued, insistent and annoying, until I couldn’t ignore it any longer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fuck!” I hissed, rifling through my back pocket.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen lit up, and my stomach dropped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He never calls this late,\" I said, pulling back despite Ethan’s groan of protest. “Something’s wrong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s jaw tightened. His arms loosened reluctantly, one hand lingering at my waist. “You don’t owe him—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know,” I said softly. “But he’s been AWOL for weeks. I need to make sure he’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment the call connected, Lucian’s voice poured through the speaker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maya,” he said hoarsely. Not his usual clipped and composed drawl, but...frayed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can you meet me?” A pause. “Please.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The vulnerability in that one word made my heart clench, jarring my focus from lingering heat to sudden, fierce concern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Where are you?\" I asked, redoing the buttons on my blouse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luna Noire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll be there in fifteen.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s displeasure was immediate and palpable, his aura flaring hot against my senses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t be fucking serious,” he hissed, his pupils still blown wide, his grip tightening reflexively at my waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry,” I said, turning to face him fully. “But I need to go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His jaw flexed. “I don’t trust him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not asking you to,” I shot back, then softened, reaching up to cup his cheek. “But this isn’t normal for Lucian. He never sounds like that. And he never asks for help unless it’s dire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan’s gaze was sharp and unyielding. “He’s an Alpha. If he needs help, he should be calling his Beta.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He should,” I agreed. “But he called me instead. Which means whatever’s going on, he’s not thinking straight.” I hesitated, then added quietly, “He saved my life, Ethan. He’s family to me. In every way that matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That landed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan exhaled through his nose, his aura receding enough for reason to return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I don’t like this,” he said flatly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A long beat passed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m taking you,” he said at last. “I wait outside, and you get twenty minutes. Not one more.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old Maya would have bristled at the audacity of a man telling me what to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But pre-heat Maya just leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the corner of his lips, my blood still singing. “Okay.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And just like that, the night shifted, urgency and desire giving way to a heavier, uncertain anxiety.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>***\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere in Luna Noire’s private room hit me like a wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alcohol, sharp and sour and heavy, coated the air so thickly my eyes stung. I wrinkled my nose as the door shut behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian slouched at the table, jacket discarded, glass half-full, and four empty bottles rolling across the floor. His hair was disheveled in a way I’d never seen before, his usual immaculate control cracked wide open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was worse than I’d imagined.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian Reed did not get sloppy drunk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And even if he did, why would he call me and not Reece?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I crossed the room slowly. “Did you go swimming in a distillery?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t bother to look up. A weak, humorless huff escaped him. “Feels about right.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I sat across from him, folding my hands together. “What happened?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared at his glass for a long moment, then laughed quietly. \"She chose him.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She. Him. It didn’t take half a second for the names click into place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My chest tightened. “Lucian—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t,” he said, finally looking up at me. His eyes were bloodshot, rimmed with exhaustion and despair. “It’s fine. I always knew she would. I’m fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, getting wasted proves your point,” I deadpanned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mouth twisted. “I was patient. I held back; didn’t push or overpower her. I trusted stupid fucking choice over fate. I did everything right, and yet...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shook his head and swore softly. “I’m a fucking joke.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I exhaled slowly. “Love isn’t an achievement,” I said, forcing my voice to be gentle. “It’s not something you can win by following some sort of formula, and it sure as hell isn’t something you’re owed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flinched, then his gaze sharpened. “You knew.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My shoulders sagged. “Lucian—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you warn me?” His voice stayed level, but there was accusation in it, pressing in on me. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner that I was fighting a losing battle?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indignation flared, overpowering the pity I felt earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Even if I wanted to, how could I?” I snapped. “You vanished. You went off-grid for days. No calls. No messages. You fucking stood her up and she—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stopped myself then. The events of that night were not mine to recount.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian stared at me, mouth opening once, then closing again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t mean to,” he said finally, quieter. “Things just...got complicated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Complicated how?” I asked gently. “You look like you’ve been keeping vigil in hell.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze slid away from mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re keeping secrets,” I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His silence confirmed it. It stretched, thick and uncomfortable, and I fought the urge to check my watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Lucian spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know why?” he asked quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I frowned. “Why what?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why she went back to him,” he clarified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head. “Lucian, I’m in no place to—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me why.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath hitched, and I shifted in my seat, suddenly aware of the pressure in the room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian had always been careful with his Alpha presence. Outside of training sessions or controlled demonstrations, he kept it tightly leashed, more philosophy than force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The people at OTS followed him because they believed in him, because he inspired loyalty, not fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now his aura pressed at the edges of my awareness with an intensity that made the hairs on my skin rise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop that,” I ground out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian blinked, then drew a slow breath, his shoulders easing as the pressure receded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sorry,” he said, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’ve been in back-to-back meetings all week. High-intensity ones. You get used to...letting it off the leash.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was truth in that. I’d seen Ethan come back from negotiations carrying that residual edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But something else lingered beneath his words, something he wasn’t naming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Questions flickered through my mind. Where had he really been? Who had he been meeting with? And why did it feel like he was carrying more than professional stress?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before I could decide which one to voice, my phone buzzed again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ethan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reminder jolted me back into my body, back into time. Twenty minutes didn’t quite stretch as you’d think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian saw the screen and winced. \"Right. Your mate’s probably pissed.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t deny it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I shouldn’t have put you in this position tonight,” he went on, voice steadier now. “I wasn’t thinking.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s new,” I said dryly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corner of his mouth twitched, but the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations, by the way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. “What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your engagement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of my irritation melted away at that. “There’s going to be a party... You should come.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hesitated. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sera’s my best friend, and she’s about to become my family,” I added softly. “But you’re my family, too. I don’t want to lose either of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something in his expression shifted, and his smile was a little less empty. “You’re a good person, Maya.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I snorted. “Debatable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled weakly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go home, Lucian,” I urged. “Take a shower and a nap. You’re less likely to tear yourself apart if you’re thinking more clearly.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded slowly. “I’ll try.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wished I could do more—reach in and mend what had fractured in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But whatever Lucian Reed was dealing with felt far beyond my reach.\u003C\u002Fp>",1611,"2026-06-03T02:27:49.405Z",1,"novelbin.me","8460ea7c707b9cb67129b9fa9c55f84dc995db4af0e1ebc674df48df04eef9e7","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-80","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-79",488,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-cover.jpg"]