My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 186

Chapter 186: Chapter 186 ABOUT DANIEL

SERAPHINA’S POV

The last thing I wanted to do with Kieran was ‘talk.’

I still hadn’t fully recovered from the last time we’d talked.

The sensible thing would have been to pull my hand out of his grip. Back away. End this before we repeated that night in my driveway—right here in the very fancy hotel lobby.

But...

And there it was: that hesitation, that tiny niggling thread that, for some inane reason, still tethered me to Kieran—making it impossible to step away completely.

I fucking hated it.

I didn’t realize how long I just stood there, my chest tight with indecision, until Maya’s soft touch brushed my free wrist. “I’ll be in the car,” she murmured.

She glanced between me and Kieran with a loaded look that told me I was in for an interrogation after this.

Whatever this was.

Maya slipped towards the exit, which left me standing in front of Kieran, his fingers still lightly curled around my wrist.

“I just want to talk,” he said. His voice was lower than usual, rough at the edges, heavy with that same desperation I’d heard that night in my driveway.

“The last time we...talked didn’t go so well,” I said, my voice softer than I wanted it to be.

A muscle ticked in his jaw. “Yes, but this is nothing like that. I promise.”

I swallowed against the lump forming in my throat, taking him in under the soft, almost ethereal glow of the chandeliers.

He was the same Kieran—strong, tall, commanding. But there was an almost invisible strain in the way he carried himself now.

His shoulders, usually squared like steel, now slumped just slightly, as if bracing against a weight invisible to everyone but him.

Tension rippled through his frame. He stood too straight, as if relaxing even a little would allow everything inside him to come undone.

This looked nothing like Lucian’s exhaustion. Kieran didn’t look sleep-deprived; he looked like something was eating at him, gnawing in places sleep couldn’t reach.

For a wild moment, I wondered if this was all because of Celeste—maybe their breakup had taken a toll on him.

But something in me knew it wasn’t that.

And then—even wilder—I dared to imagine that he looked this way because of me. Because of how we’d last left things.

I held his gaze longer than I meant to, then gently tugged my wrist free from his grip, trying to ignore the tingling sensation his touch left along my arm.

“Fine.” I didn’t meet his eyes. “But I really don’t have long. I need to pick up Daniel from your father’s soon.”

He didn’t do a good job of hiding his relief at my acceptance.

He nodded and gestured to a quieter seating area by the windows. When we sat, I made sure to keep a good arm’s length between us. Silence stretched, heavy, but not suffocating—yet.

Kieran inhaled slowly, as if gathering courage. “About that night—”

“No.” My interruption was sharper than I intended. I didn’t miss the way his jaw tensed. “We are not doing this again.”

His brows drew together.

“I get it,” I continued, pushing past the flutter of nerves that immediately rose as he said, ‘that night.’

“You said what you needed to. I said what I needed to. I assure you my stance hasn’t changed since then, so there’s no need for a repeat.” I pressed my hands tightly into my lap and let out a breath. “I’m not interested in scraping open the same wound again.”

Kieran looked away, swallowed. His fingers curled slightly against his knee. I frowned. The skin over his knuckles was raw and scabbed, like he’d gotten into a brawl.

But I didn’t care. Whatever he did in his free time was his business.

“I’m not trying to hurt you again, Sera, I swear. I just—”

“Kieran.” Too sharp. Too loud. I really, really didn’t want to talk about this again. Ever.

“Okay.” He exhaled. “Okay.”

There was something so...vulnerable in the way he drew back, accepting that boundary. His shoulders dropped, the slightest quiver barely contained, and I found myself having to look away to hide the sting behind my own eyes.

“What is this about then?” I asked finally, careful to make my voice a little gentler.

“It’s about Daniel.”

Immediately, I stiffened. “What about him?”

He hesitated just long enough to make my pulse tick louder. “As you know, my father started his Alpha conditioning and early training while they were on the island.”

I clenched my teeth. “Yep.”

He sighed. “He should have asked for your permission before he did that.”

“I bet he asked for yours.” My tone had gone sharp again.

It wasn’t a question. His silence confirmed it.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

I pursed my lips. “It’s fine. Daniel’s enjoying it, so that’s that.”

He hesitated. “There’s...more.”

I held my breath as he continued. “Daniel turns ten soon.” 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

“I’m aware of my son’s birthday, thank you very much.”

He rolled his eyes.

Something about that movement eased the trapped breath out of my lungs. It was so...natural. Annoying, definitely, but—

“My parents want to hold an heir ceremony for him.”

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