My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 180

Chapter 180: Chapter 180 COUPLE GOALS

SERAPHINA’S POV

If I’d known Lucian would be here, I might’ve made an excuse to skip this trip entirely.

Not because I hated him—goddess, I wished it were that simple—but because I felt uncertain and exposed. After the Zara bomb, I was struggling to understand the new dynamic between us. I didn’t know what I wanted from him or from myself.

It had barely been two days since I asked for space. I hadn’t learned how to master the art of avoidance.

Now, I could only hope I’d figure out how to handle this as it unfolded.

For a moment, everything—the laughter, the sunlight, the smell of pine—blurred into background noise.

His gaze was steady but cautious, as if he wasn’t sure whether to smile or retreat. He looked older somehow, like our last conversation was twenty years ago, not just a couple of days.

His hair was out of its usual neat bun and brushed his shoulders, a little disheveled. His usual poise was replaced with quiet fatigue.

I pulled my gaze away from him and turned to Judy, forcing a smile that probably fooled no one. “I didn’t know he’d be here.”

Judy smiled, oblivious to the way my stomach had dropped. “Yeah, we invited him at the last minute. I mean, can you imagine a victory retreat without our founder?”

Right. Duh.

Lucian was the one who created OTS, the one who built it from the ground up. It made sense that everyone saw him as the heart of the group.

If Zara were alive, she’d probably be invited too.

Ah shit.

The whole Kieran...debacle had distracted me from the Lucian situation. But now, the Lucian situation had shoved the Kieran debacle to the back of my mind.

Do you know what would have been amazing? If I were born human. Then I could be a nun and take a vow of abstinence from men.

And my life would be a million times easier.

“Come on.” Judy clapped her hands once, grinning. “Let’s get you squared away.”

I managed a nod, though my pulse hadn’t steadied.

Muscle memory took over, and I went on autopilot. My mind scrambled to reorient, to adjust to the reality of spending the next two days in proximity to the person I’d asked for space from.

I could feel Lucian’s presence like heat on the back of my neck. Now and then, when I risked a glance, I caught him stealing one too.

True to my request, he kept his distance and made no attempt to speak to me.

I should have been content with that, but then I heard him talking with my teammates in that his engaging tone, laughing, smiling that same charismatic smile that had once made me feel safe.

He still looked maddeningly composed. Of course he did. He was Lucian Reed—calm, collected. The Alpha who could charm his way through anything.

And now I was in a shitty mood.

Judy noticed first.

We were sitting on a fallen log by the firepit, slicing vegetables for the barbecue, when she leaned closer, lowering her voice.

“Okay, spill. What’s going on between you and Mr. Tall-and-brooding over there?”

I nearly dropped the knife. “What?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she said, arching a brow. “You’ve barely looked at him since you got here. And he’s been looking at you like a kicked puppy.”

“He’s not—” I sighed. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated is my favorite flavor,” Judy said, grinning. “Come on. I know I’m not almighty Maya Cartridge, but we’re friends, right?”

I laughed softly. “According to your mother, we’re sisters.”

She giggled, nudging me. “Exactly. So what’s up?”

I hesitated. Heat prickled my cheeks as the words swelled against my throat, trying to burst out of their own accord. Keeping everything bottled up was exhausting.

Finally, I exhaled. “We broke up.”

Judy blinked. “Oh.” Then, softer, “Oh, Sera.”

Her expression melted into sympathy, and somehow that hurt even more than if she’d teased me.

Before I could say more, someone coughed behind us. We turned toward the sound. Roxy stood there with a tray of skewers, looking guilty as sin.

“I—uh—I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said quickly. “I just—”

“Roxy, it’s fine.” I gave her a small smile. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

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