[{"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-436":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},764560,1010,"Chapter 436 BEYOND THE BARRIER","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-436",436,"\u003Cp>SERAPHINA’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clearing behind Daniel’s treehouse became something else entirely over the next few days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No longer just a quiet place tucked away at the edge of Nightfang, it turned into a space that hummed with purpose, with tension, with the kind of quiet vigilance that never truly let anyone rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there were another way—if there was even the slightest chance we could avoid whatever lay buried beneath the ruins of the royal line—then I would find it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that meant fixing Aaron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alois, Corin, and I practiced through the nights, the moon our constant witness, refining the delicate, dangerous work of navigating a fractured mind without further tearing it apart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under their guidance, I learned to feel the difference between a memory that could be coaxed back into place and one that would shatter under pressure, to thread my power through the gaps without forcing it or triggering any backlash.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each session left me more drained than the last, but also more confident in my power and skills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the time came, I was ready.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron was once again seated in the center just as before, though the difference now was unmistakable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t empty anymore. Not completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze was no longer blank. It tracked movement, held emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time I stepped into his mind before now, the difference from before was stark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Where there had once been only scattered fragments drifting in disarray, there was now structure—fragile, incomplete, but forming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ready?” Kieran’s voice came from my right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned, meeting his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t said anything more about the royal path since that night. Not a word, not even a hint—but it hadn’t disappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel it in him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the way his attention sharpened whenever I pushed too far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the way his presence stayed just a little closer than before, like he was bracing for something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the number of times he’d reassured me we could ‘find another way’ if I wasn’t sure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am,” I said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His hand brushed against mine, a quiet, grounding touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t push past your limit,” he murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I almost smiled. “You sound like Alois.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m serious.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So am I.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I intertwined our fingers. “I can do this, Kieran.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He lifted our joined hands and pressed the back of mine to his lips. I closed my eyes, savoring the flood of electricity that ignited my nerves at his touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wordlessly, he dropped my hand and stepped back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned away and stepped toward Aaron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver rose easily this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t surge or fight or demand control. Instead, it gently settled into me, threading through my veins like a current of energy, connecting me to the moon’s pull above, as if channeling its magic in a way that felt natural.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t need to Shift tonight; Alina’s presence was as strong within me as ever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I reached Aaron, recognition flickered in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay with me,” I said quietly, lowering myself in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His lips parted, as if he wanted to respond, but no sound came out. He settled for a sharp nod.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I closed my eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shift into his mind was smoother this time. Less jarring and disorienting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fractured space unfolded around me, but it was different now—less chaotic, more...contained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fragments were no longer scattered without meaning. They hovered in clusters, connected by faint threads of light that pulsed gently, like a heartbeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You’ve improved,’ Alina murmured, her presence warm against mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘We have,’ I corrected softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her quiet approval brushed through me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then I focused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outer layers came first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Memories of movement, of places, of faces without depth—those were the easiest to restore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fragments responded quickly now, flaring to life as I guided them, linking them, reinforcing the old neural pathways that had once existed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron’s childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His training.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The day he met Imani.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moments that had shaped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each connection strengthened the structure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each success made the next one easier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But deeper...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Deeper was different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The resistance began subtly at first—a drag against my awareness, a pressure that hadn’t been there before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I slowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Do you feel that?’ I asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes,’ Alina answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The threads ahead of us were...thinner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached out anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment my awareness brushed the next fragment, the space reacted. The fragment flickered—then dimmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if it was being pulled away from me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My focus sharpened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” I murmured under my breath. “You don’t get to hide.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reached again, reinforcing the connection, pushing more of the silver into the thread—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pushback was stronger this time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A force I hadn’t encountered before slammed against my awareness, not chaotic like the fractured memories had been, but controlled, directed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like something was actively resisting me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My breath hitched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s not natural,’ Alina said, tension threading through her voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I agreed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I steadied myself—then pushed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The silver flared, threading deeper, forcing the connection. The fragment snapped into place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Aaron screamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was ripped back into my body so abruptly that the world tilted as air slammed into my lungs and sound rushed in all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron’s body jerked violently in front of me, his head snapping back as a raw, broken cry tore out of him, the sound so sharp it cut straight through my chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stop!” Imani’s voice cracked from somewhere behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pulled back instantly, cutting the connection before the damage could spread further.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron collapsed forward, his breathing ragged, uneven, his entire body trembling as if he’d just been dragged through a field of thorns.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Kieran—” I started.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve got him,” he said, already moving.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He caught Aaron before he could slump completely, steadying him, his grip firm but careful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Easy,” Kieran murmured. “You’re alright. You’re alright.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aaron wasn’t hearing him. His eyes were unfocused again, his chest rising and falling too fast, his body struggling to keep up with what had just been done to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pushed myself back to my feet, my pulse still racing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Something is blocking the deeper layers,” I said, my voice tight and sharp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alois stepped forward, his expression grim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I felt it from here,” he said. “That wasn’t natural resistance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” I said. “And it’s reactive. It pushed back the moment I tried to connect anything past a certain point.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Imani dropped to her knees beside Aaron, her hands hovering uncertainly before finally settling against his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aaron,” she whispered. “Baby, can you hear me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His breathing began to slow as he leaned into her touch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Relief flickered through me—but it didn’t last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because I could still feel the barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If we keep forcing it like that,” Alois said quietly, “you’ll break him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My jaw tightened. “I know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And not just him,” Corin added. “You’re taking the strain too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wiped a bead of sweat off my forehead. “I can handle it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But he can’t,” Alois pointed out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, Aaron couldn’t.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not if every attempt meant tearing into something that was actively fighting back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not if each failure cost him more than we could afford to lose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Frustration built in my chest, sharp and suffocating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had come this far.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was so close, I could feel it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just beyond that barrier, there was something important. Something we needed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I couldn’t reach it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Silence settled over the clearing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll do it.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1229,"2026-06-03T02:27:49.405Z",1,"novelbin.me","2da6c5fa8ae45da6fea527af2585c1d0e57ceeb69b8719b87f09877f6b3d4a17","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-437","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-435",488,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-cover.jpg"]