My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 67

Chapter 67: Chapter 67 CARBS AND ALCOHOL

SERAPHINA’S POV

I’d spent all night thinking about the kiss.

I finally got a couple hours of sleep, but as soon as I woke up, it was the first thing on my mind.

It had happened less than twelve hours ago, and yet it replayed in my head with a gentle ease and familiarity, like a memory that had already been playing on loop for years.

The best part was that the memory of Lucian’s kiss didn’t drive me crazy the way Kieran’s had. It had been warm—not fiery—and gentle—not hard and demanding and possessive.

I wasn’t trying to decipher intentions or force my erratic heart into a non-cardiac arrest-inducing rate.

But it had still mattered.

I’d felt safe, cradled in the warmth of his hands, the steadiness of his body. There had been something quietly reverent in the way he held me—like I was made of something sacred, not shattered pieces barely held together.

And that was...new.

The fact that there was a man in my life who didn’t make me want to put my fist through a wall was so refreshing.

As I made breakfast, I kept glancing at my phone on the kitchen counter, half-hoping, half-dreading a message from him. But it stayed dark.

Would things be awkward now? Should I have said something before he left? Should I have asked Daniel to call back? Would Lucian think I regretted it?

Because I didn’t.

If Daniel hadn’t called...

I flushed just thinking about it. Maybe something more would’ve happened.

I wasn’t sure how far I would’ve gone; I wasn’t sure how far Lucian would have gone—but I don’t think I would’ve stopped him.

The idea of being with someone else—with Lucian—wasn’t as off-putting as I would have thought.

I bit my lip, smiling down at my diced tomatoes like they were the ones responsible for the warmth and anticipation stirring in my belly.

The idea that someone like Lucian—an Alpha, a man of his strength and reputation—wanted me, still felt surreal.

I wasn’t used to being wanted. Not after spending ten years as little more than an avenue to satiate my otherwise cold husband’s needs while he pined after someone else.

The sudden ring of the doorbell broke through my reverie, loud and sharp in the quiet house. I frowned, wiping my hands on a dish towel. I wasn’t expecting anyone.

That wasn’t true—I was fully prepared for either Celeste or Kieran to be on the other side of the door for our regularly scheduled altercations.

But when I opened the door, it was Maya who stood there with a six-pack of beer in one hand, a plastic bag of snacks in the other, and an odd look of vulnerability that screamed ‘Please don’t send me away.’

“Isn’t it too early to be drinking?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Not if I intend to drink for the rest of the day,” she said, breezing past me. “You’ll take care of me if I blackout, yeah?”

I closed the door behind her and followed her into the kitchen, a confused frown on my face. “Are you okay? Did something happen?”

She didn’t answer right away. Just tossed the bag onto the counter and started unpacking—popcorn, chips, chocolate-covered pretzels. Comfort food. A silent alarm bell went off in my chest.

“Can’t a girl just decide she wants to have an emotional breakdown with carbs and alcohol?”

“A girl can,” I said. “Maya Cartridge, whose body is a temple and has more mental fortitude than a monk, can’t. Not unless something is seriously wrong.”

I handed her a bottle opener, waiting.

Her beer opened with a quiet fizz, and she threw her head back, downing half of the bottle in one go.

She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and sighed.

“It’s Ethan,” she finally said, voice quiet but hard-edged.

I leaned against the counter, my chest tightening. “What did he do?”

“We fought after I left you and Lucian. I confronted him about how he let Celeste and your mom corner you like that, and instead of admitting it was wrong, he told me to respect his family, and then dangled a threat over my head.”

I winced. What the fuck was wrong with my brother?

“And I told him,” she said, slamming the bottle down a little too forcefully, “that you’re his family, too. That he couldn’t demand my respect if he didn’t give you yours.”

My stomach twisted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry,” I said softly. “I didn’t want to cause problems between you two.”

“Don’t,” Maya snapped, eyes flashing. “Don’t you dare apologize for existing.”

I blinked.

“You didn’t ask to be the family’s punching bag,” she continued, voice tight with fury. “You’re not the problem; I’m mad because they treat you like you are.”

I looked down, my throat thickening.

“Besides,” she muttered, softer now, “if Ethan can’t see through the bullshit, if he can so thoroughly defend his mother and sister like that, then maybe he’s not who I thought he was.”

My eyes widened. “Maya...”

She looked over at me, brown eyes suddenly serious. “You know what’s cruel?”

“What?”

“The mate bond.” Her words were bitter, bitten off. “This fucked-up magical lottery that says you’re permanently, irrevocably bound to this other person, no matter how dumb or frustrating or emotionally constipated they are.”

“That bad, huh?”

“If it weren’t for the bond,” Maya muttered, “I would’ve walked away a long time ago.”

I tilted my head. “Would you?”

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