[{"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-68":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},764611,1010,"Chapter 68 FIRST DATE","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-68",68,"\u003Cp>SERAPHINA’S POV\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maya had insisted that if I was going on a date—even if it wasn’t officially a “date-date”—I needed to “look hot enough to make him forget his name.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her words, not mine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d spent nearly twenty minutes rummaging through my closet with all the intensity of someone diffusing a bomb, tossing aside sweaters and jeans like they’d personally offended her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When she pulled out a lacy wine-red slip dress I didn’t even remember owning, I’d nearly fainted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You expect me to wear that to the movies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d just arched a brow. “Don’t forget the dinner after. Besides, it’s not about the movie. It’s about the impression you leave with Lucian. He’s not supposed to be able to watch the movie; he’s supposed to be watching you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shook my head. “I’m going to feel so awkward the whole time if I wear that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She rolled her eyes and tossed the dress into the back of my closet, where it belonged. “Okay, do you at least have sexy lingerie?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes bulged out of their socket. “What? Maya, we’re watching a movie, not...” My face burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She winked. “You never know what could happen, and you should always be prepared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tossed the Boy Scout out of my room.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the end, I didn’t wear the dress—or the heels she left behind as a “backup option in case you grow a spine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instead, I went with my favorite black jeans, a soft mauve blouse that hinted at femininity without being overly sultry, and white sandals. No makeup other than tinted sunscreen, a light coating of mascara, and sparkly lip gloss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simple. Casual. Me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was my first proper date with a man. Not a forced dinner or event orchestrated by pack politics.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not a night I had to endure as the figurehead wife for Kieran’s image.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was just...Lucian and me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that felt monumental enough without the need for push-up bras and smoky eyeshadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He picked me up right on time, dressed in a dark grey button-down with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, exposing his striking tattoo and slacks that did a poor job of hiding just how ridiculously built he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what caught me off guard, as always, was the softness in his eyes when he saw me. That kind of open admiration wasn’t something I was used to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You look beautiful,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “You clean up well yourself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, his left hand came out from behind him, holding a bouquet of pink carnations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My lips parted in a small gasp. “How did you...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t even that he brought me flowers—something no one had ever done before. It was that they weren’t generic roses or some flashy, store-bought bouquet. They were pink carnations—my favorite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian smiled, and my heart did a flip. “I see you, Sera,” he said, handing me the flowers. “Carnations aren’t the flashiest, mostly overlooked, but...they’re strong, quietly beautiful. Like you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My eyes pricked with sudden tears, and I thanked the gods I didn’t use eyeliner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Our fingers brushed as I took the bouquet, and my voice was soft, a little shaky when I said, “Thank you, Lucian.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t say anything, just gave me that look again—warm and steady and so full of quiet understanding it nearly undid me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I clutched the flowers tightly as we walked to his car.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The drive was comfortable and...fun. Lucian let me pick the music, and when I chose an old 80s rock playlist, he didn’t bat an eye—just grinned and drummed his fingers on the steering wheel like he already knew the songs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The movie theater was mostly empty when we arrived, which was a relief. The last thing I wanted was to run into anyone I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that I was ashamed of being out with Lucian or anything; it’s just that the people I knew all shared the remarkable ability to ruin my day with their mere presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian got the tickets while I hovered near the popcorn stand, feeling awkward and fidgety. He returned with two bottles of water and a shared bucket of popcorn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Figured we’d go old school,” he said with a shrug.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I smiled. “I like old school.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes into the movie, I cursed myself for considering Maya’s suggestion when Lucian asked me to pick a movie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The title of the film sounded harmless enough—Until the Last Breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When I asked Maya what it was about, she just shrugged, smirking. I should have fucking googled it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought it was a drama. Maybe a slow-burn romance with lots of longing glances and sad piano music.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What it was...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to melt into a puddle and evaporate under the heat of my burning cheeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For my first date with Lucian, thanks to Maya fucking Cartridge, I’d picked what was essentially ninety minutes of softcore porn with a sprinkle of emotional warfare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst part was that the sex wasn’t the in-your-face kind, but the kind with long stares, heavy breathing (moaning, a shit ton of moaning), and music that swelled at the exact wrong time. The kind that reminded you what it felt like to be touched like you mattered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which, unfortunately, I hadn’t felt in a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, I tried to focus on the plot. The two characters met in a rainy bookstore—cute. Then they went on a picnic and somehow ended up half-naked under a tree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I shifted in my seat, pressing my legs together like a chastity measure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian, of course, sat completely composed. Like he was watching an educational documentary and not a film that should’ve come with a trigger warning titled ‘Not Safe for the Sexually Starved.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three rows ahead of us, a couple started making out, their moans mingling with the ones coming from the speakers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to die from embarrassment. Would Lucian think I picked this movie because I wanted to do...that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fucking Maya.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lucian didn’t look or seem as flustered as I did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t stare at me. Didn’t edge closer. He just sat there, eating popcorn, sipping his water, and existing like the incredibly respectful man he was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which somehow made everything worse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By the time the fourth naked scene rolled around, you could fry eggs on my cheeks. I didn’t dare look at Lucian.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when the film reached its emotional climax—the protagonist reading a letter from her now-dead lover about how love wasn’t about timing but about choosing someone every day—I felt a tear slip down my cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian’s hand gently closed over mine, warm and grounding. I glanced sideways and found him looking at me, a soft smile playing on his lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he lifted our joined hands slightly and pressed a soft kiss to my knuckles. And he didn’t let go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That single gesture carried more emotion than anything I’d seen on screen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And suddenly, I didn’t feel flustered or overwhelmed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I felt...cherished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After the credits rolled and the lights came up, I stood, still a little dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucian didn’t let go of my hand until we were out of the theater. Then he smiled and motioned toward the concession stand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay here. I’ll get us something sweet before we go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I nodded and watched him disappear into the crowd. My phone buzzed in my pocket, so I stepped aside near the wall to check it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was Maya: So? Did the movie set the mood? Did you two make out in the back like horny teenagers?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I laughed despite myself and started to type a reply when I heard a voice behind me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey. You here alone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned, surprised to see a tall, lanky teenager—maybe seventeen—grinning at me like he’d just won the lottery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um. No,” I said politely. “I’m waiting for someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked me up and down, then leaned against the wall beside me. “Boyfriend?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sort of,” I replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He chuckled. “You look too hot to be with a ‘sort of’.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I blinked. “Excuse me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean, not in a creepy way,” he added quickly, his gaze leering. “Just saying. You’re like smoking—in a MILF kind of way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stared at him, mouth slightly agape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve always had a thing for older women,” he continued, undeterred. “Age is just a number, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I think,” I said carefully, “that you should go find someone closer to your age.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He laughed like I’d just flirted back. “What, you don’t like compliments?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I was about to shut him down—gently but firmly—when a familiar voice sliced through the air, smooth and venom-laced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She likes compliments, just not from someone young enough to be her fucking son.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My stomach plummeted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I turned slowly to see Kieran standing just a few feet away, arms crossed, dark eyes drilling into the teenager like he was about to Shift and eat him whole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And there goes my perfect day.\u003C\u002Fp>",1488,"2026-06-03T02:27:49.404Z",1,"novelbin.me","09d05bae3eb93b2385a26371b6d18b02d9d1f8bb2c0aafbbb9c6687de93cd0f2","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-320","my-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-chapter-319",488,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fmy-sister-stole-my-mate-and-i-let-her-cover.jpg"]