My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 PURGATORY

KIERAN’S POV

The Blackthorne name meant something in every corner of the world, but here—on my island—it meant ownership.

Musha Cay stretched before us in glimmering white sand and crystalline turquoise shallows, the kind of paradise people paid hundreds of thousands to rent for a weekend.

Palms bent in the trade winds, manicured pathways gleamed like something out of a resort brochure, and discreet cameras tracked every angle.

Sentinels sworn to protect my son with their lives stood at invisible checkpoints, blending into the foliage, their presence silent but absolute.

The yacht had docked smoothly, crew jumping to secure lines. I stepped onto the pier with the practiced ease of someone who’d done this a hundred times, but my eyes weren’t on the scenery or the staff lined up in crisp uniforms. They were on her.

Seraphina.

She was kneeling, Daniel’s arms around her neck as though he’d never let go.

Our son’s laughter carried over the water, bright and unguarded, tugging at something deep inside me. His bright eyes looked at her as though she were his whole world.

For the first time, I could see the toll their separation must have had on them, and guilt knotted in my stomach.

I knew I should join them, hug Daniel, and reunite with my family.

But something kept me rooted to the spot until Daniel’s voice reached me.

“Dad!”

Truth be told, I’d been a little...concerned about Daniel’s reaction when he saw me, considering the strain on our relationship these last couple of months, but that concern melted away under the warmth of his bright smile as he pulled away from Sera and barreled straight into me, his laughter ringing out.

I caught him mid-sprint, lifting him off the dock as he wrapped his arms tight around my neck.

My chest clenched as I pressed a kiss to his hair, inhaling the sun-warmed scent of him. “Missed you, champ.”

“I missed you more!” he declared, pulling back to grin widely at me.

Behind him, Sera stood a step back. She looked composed, chin lifted, but the faint stiffness in her posture betrayed her.

Her hands smoothed Daniel’s shirt even as she watched me hold him, something unreadable flickering across her face.

Before I could linger on it, the familiar perfume of my mother’s roses swept in. “Kieran,” she breathed, her arms open wide as she came toward me.

I set Daniel down just as my mother reached me. She wrapped me in an embrace that, despite her elegance, still carried the unyielding strength of a Luna. “My son. You look...” Her astute grey eyes narrowed. “...tired.”

“I’m fine, Mother,” I assured, forcing a faint smile.

“Fine,” my father repeated, his voice rougher, skeptical as he came up beside me. He clasped my shoulder in a grip that was both steadying and scrutinizing.

His sharp eyes scanned me as if reading the truth beneath my skin. “You’ve lost weight.”

“I haven’t,” I said smoothly. “The sea air isn’t kind, that’s all.”

My mother cupped my cheek, frowning. “Tell me, how are things with the pack? And—” her pause was deliberate, too deliberate— “with Celeste?”

I felt Sera’s gaze on me, though she pretended to be occupied adjusting Daniel’s collar.

“Things with the pack are...stable,” I said, voice even. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. As for Celeste,”—I kept my tone clipped, measured, giving nothing more than what courtesy demanded—“she’s fine.”

My mother arched a brow, not satisfied. My father crossed his arms, his silence heavier than words.

I cocked my head slightly, a little put off by their countenance. They’d always been huge supports of Celeste; why were they acting so...off?

“Mom!” Daniel piped up suddenly, bouncing on his heels as he gripped her hand. “I want to show you everything! Come on!”

Sera’s lips pulled into a beautiful, bright smile, and the thought that she’d never directed that kind of smile my way made my chest twist.

She let him tug at her hand, casting me a brief, unreadable glance before letting Daniel lead her down the path.

I watched them go, hand in hand, Daniel’s little voice full of pride as he played tour guide. The twisting in my chest sharpened and deepened.

My mother followed my gaze, then returned her eyes to me, sharper now. “He adores her,” she said simply. “That child hasn’t smiled like that in weeks.”

“She’s his mother,” I replied, my voice coming out slightly hoarse.

She nodded and remarked casually, almost conversational, “Seraphina raised him well. He’s an amazing child.”

“He is.”

And I knew I could take none of the credit. Daniel was an amazing child because Seraphina was an amazing mother—simple as that.

She’d given him all the love and care she had lacked. She hadn’t seen our family as a trap or some sort of punishment for our mistake. She’d genuinely tried to make the best of her new life.

And I made that life a cold hell.

And now that she was free of me, I didn’t even have the decency to back off.

I’d dreamed of her last night, her touch, her lips. I’d woken with a hunger I had no right to feel, kissed her with a recklessness that belonged to another man entirely.

And she’d bitten me, shoved me away with steel in her voice.

‘Keep your distance, Alpha.’

My jaw tightened.

“I’m going with them,” I announced lowly. “Please see to it that our luggage is deposited in our rooms.”

I didn’t wait for my mother’s reply as I took off down the path, but her knowing glance lingered, as tangible as the heat of the sun on my neck.

The island unfolded in luxury as Daniel tugged Sera from one marvel to the next. He wanted to show her everything: the glass-bottomed lagoon where stingrays drifted, the infinity pool that spilled into the sea, the shell-shaped cabanas scattered along the private coves.

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