My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120: Chapter 120 PLAYGROUND BULLY

SERAPHINA’S POV

Dinner with Maya was the first true pause I’d had in days.

Both of us too exhausted to go home and bother with cooking, we sat tucked into a corner booth of the OTS dining hall, where the scent of roasting lamb mingled with garlic and rosemary.

A steady hum of voices filled the space—students, instructors, even a few of the early-arrived guests spilling over from the hotel’s luxury dining rooms.

The table between us was scattered with dishes: Maya’s plate piled high, mine half-picked through.

She had been just as swamped as I was, maybe more. But now, with both of us finally seated, there was something almost giddy about the release.

“Please tell me I’m not the only one who wants to strangle half the guests,” Maya said, stabbing her fork through a hunk of lamb and pointing it at me like a weapon.

“Half?” I raised an eyebrow. “You’re being generous.”

Her laugh rang out, unapologetically loud, drawing a couple of glances our way. “Okay, fine. Three-quarters. Especially your friend Brynjar.”

“Don’t you dare call him my friend,” I muttered, swirling the remains of my stew. Just the memory of his sneer was enough to sour the food on my tongue.

“Oh, he’s a delight,” Maya went on, her sarcasm sharp. “The way he puffed his chest out in the lobby earlier—I thought for a second he was about to crow. Did you see the look on his wolves’ faces? Like they were both terrified and embarrassed.”

I couldn’t help the small smile tugging at my lips. “People like him thrive on humiliating others. Instead, he just made himself look like a child denied candy.”

Maya leaned forward, her smirk widening. “And you, standing there, cool as ice? Damn, Sera. I’ve been waiting years for someone to knock Shadow Claw down a peg. Didn’t think it would be you.”

Her words warmed me all the way to my toes. The sting of doubt had been my shadow for so long that victories, no matter how small, still felt surreal.

“It wasn’t just for me,” I admitted. “Judy was there. She would’ve taken the hit if I hadn’t said something.”

“Yeah, Judy,” Maya said, her tone softening. “That girl’s got more steel in her than people give her credit for.”

We ate in companionable silence for a moment, listening to the clink of cutlery and the occasional burst of laughter from a nearby table.

But soon enough, Maya was off again, recounting her own war stories from the past few days.

“Do you know what one of the Seabreeze wolves asked me?” she said, incredulous. “Whether we could install tide pools in their suite for ‘proper ambiance.’ Tide pools, Sera. With fish. As if the hotel staff could just whip up an ocean on demand.”

I choked on my drink, laughing. “Please tell me you said yes.”

“I told them sure, as long as they didn’t mind crabs crawling into bed with them at night.” Maya grinned wickedly. “The look on their faces—” She snort-laughed. “Oh, I wish I had a camera!”

I shook my head, amused. “You’re terrible.”

She tipped her head. “Thank you.”

We slipped into a rhythm: swapping ridiculous requests, snickering at Brynjar’s arrogance, venting about the endless stream of guests.

But somewhere between the jokes, the conversation deepened.

She leaned back, her expression sharpening. “You know why the turnout’s so huge this year, right?”

“Because it’s the anniversary?” I guessed.

“That’s part of it.” She lowered her voice, though the noise around us made it unnecessary. “But Lucian’s got something planned. A prize.”

I frowned. “A prize?”

“Mmhmm. He hasn’t announced what, not even to me. But from what I’ve gathered, it’s big. Like, game-changing big. He wants the OTS on the map in a way no one can ignore.”

The words stirred something in me. “That’s why the hotels are bursting at the seams.”

“Exactly.” Maya ticked points off on her fingers. “Half the wolves here are curious observers—waiting to see if we sink or swim. Thirty percent are already behind us. And the last twenty?” Her mouth twisted. “Here to mock us, sabotage us, or just watch us fail.”

Her breakdown settled in my chest like a weight. Lucian had always spoken of building something that could stand against the old systems, but hearing the numbers laid out made me realize just how precarious his vision was.

I set my fork down, appetite gone. “He’s betting everything on this.”

“Yup.” Maya sipped her drink. “And if he doesn’t deliver, they’ll tear him apart.”

Her bluntness stung, but it was the truth. I leaned back, staring at the ceiling beams above us.

Resolve prickled through me like fire through dry kindling. I couldn’t let Lucian’s work—his dream—be mocked into oblivion. Not after everything he’d done for me. Not after he’d given me a place when I had none.

“I won’t let that happen,” I murmured.

Maya tilted her head, studying me. Then, her lips quirked into a soft smile. “Yeah, neither will I.”

It was almost midnight when we finally pushed our chairs back. My muscles ached with exhaustion, but a steadier fire burned in me. I was ready to carry my share.

We were just stepping into the cool night air outside the hall when my phone buzzed violently in my pocket.

Apprehension prickled through me when I saw the caller ID.

I answered immediately. “Judy? Is everything—”

Her voice was high, cracking with panic. “Sera—please—I didn’t—I swear, I didn’t take anything—”

My stomach dropped, my exhaustion vanished. “Slow down. What happened? Where are you?”

“The hotel lobby,” she sobbed. “They—they’re saying I stole from them. Brynjar’s here. He—he won’t—” Her words tangled in a rush of fear.

I didn’t need to hear more. “I’m coming.”

Maya’s expression sharpened as I hung up. “What happened?”

“Shadow Claw,” I bit out. “They’re accusing Judy of theft.”

Her curse split the night air. “Of course they are. Come on.”

We didn’t bother with a car. We ran, the night wind biting at our faces, our feet hammering the pavement all the way to the Grand Crest.

The lobby was chaos when we arrived.

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