My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her Chapter 3 ALL I WANT

SERAPHINA’S POV

The pronouncements should not have wounded me – not after a whole decade spent anticipating this precise moment. Nevertheless, they pierced me as if made of silver, the agony from my fractured heart reaching out to every single nerve ending.

I had always been aware that Kieran would, at some point, request this. Especially now. Celeste. His very first crush. His one true love. She was back.

It held no significance that my love for him had bloomed in our childhood, long before Celeste had ever even cast her eyes his way. It meant nothing that I had gifted him a son. The instant she reappeared, I simply faded into obscurity – precisely as I had always been in his gaze.

Celeste was the radiant diamond, capable of blinding everyone to the unremarkable pebble lying at her feet. I understood this truth. So then, why did it feel as though my very soul was being rent asunder?

"It is because of Celeste, is it not?" My voice maintained an unnervingly calm tone. The answer was already known to me, but a self-punishing part of my being yearned to hear him articulate it. It craved for him to twist the blade still deeper.

Kieran’s eyes flickered – the first genuine emotion he had displayed towards me in years. "No," he snapped, his jaw tightly clenched. "Certainly not."

Utter fabrication.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, letting out a sharp exhalation. "Edward’s demise just... served as a stark reminder that life is far too fleeting to be squandered on a grave misjudgment."

A misjudgment.

I would have gladly accepted a dagger. I would have preferred him to bellow Celeste’s name rather than to reduce our marriage – our son – to a mere source of regret.

I found myself compelled to let out a laugh.

The sound was harsh, almost deranged, ripping from my throat as Kieran regarded me as if I had completely lost my sanity. Perhaps I had.

I chose to laugh, for the alternative was to resort to screaming.

My gaze drifted over the features of this man whom I knew so intimately, yet understood so little, this stranger I had cherished for eighteen years who had never truly perceived my existence.

Who was the greater object of pity – him, or myself?

He harbored feelings for Celeste, yet a sense of honor and a single ill-fated instance had tethered him to a union he never desired. What had these ten years bestowed upon us? Had it not been for that fateful night, had we not been compelled into this union devoid of affection, would his eyes have ever held even the slightest glimmer of warmth for me?

Our destinies were never intended to intertwine in this manner.

Although I could never express regret for Daniel, my words that night were sincere – I had been prepared to disappear entirely. I should have fled further away. I should never have entered that clinic, nor allowed them to become aware of the pregnancy.

I had convinced myself that remaining, and enduring, was solely for Daniel’s welfare. But now, I could no longer deceive myself. What sort of existence had I provided him, with parents whose hearts resided in entirely different universes? While Celeste was absent, Kieran had faithfully portrayed the role of a devoted father. But now that she had returned, the fragile illusion of our marriage was destined to shatter.

I shall not permit my son to witness his mother becoming a figure of ridicule.

"Very well," I finally declared, the laughter receding from my lips.

Kieran’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. Had he anticipated tears? Supplication? Had he desired to witness my complete breakdown?

Too unfortunate for him, then.

Throughout my entire life, individuals had yearned to witness my submission. However, I resolved to deny them even a single iota more of my pain.

When I eventually depart from this marriage, I shall take with me merely two things:

My inherent dignity.

And my cherished son.

"I intend to seek full custody of Daniel."

His surprise swiftly transmuted into outright fury. "Absolutely not! He is my son!"

"And he is mine!" I retorted sharply.

"You cannot possibly wrest the pack’s heir away from his Alpha!" Kieran’s voice vibrated with rage that was barely suppressed.

"And you cannot tear a mother’s heart from her very chest!" My hands trembled, yet my voice remained unwavering. "I desire neither your wealth nor your possessions, nor anything else. I seek only my son."

Daniel represented the solitary beacon in my otherwise desolate world. If Kieran were to deprive me of him...

I would not survive such a loss.

"And most crucially... You and Celeste shall have new offspring."

These words seemed to steal the very air from my lungs. The mere contemplation of it – of her bestowing upon him the pups that I could never provide – caused my chest to ache as if afflicted by a fresh, open wound. Yet, for Daniel’s sake, I would endure any hardship. Even this.

I observed Kieran intently, his expression impossible to decipher in the dim illumination of the kitchen. In the end, he offered a solitary, stiff nod.

"Agreed. You may indeed have full custody."

The hidden condition was apparent. He assented with such startling ease.

Not a single objection. Not a solitary word to refute my assertion about him and Celeste. He still harbored a preference for a family with her, did he not?

And the most pitiable aspect of it all? A certain foolish, desperate corner of my heart had nonetheless clung to hope. It had continued to wait for him to utter something – anything – that might serve as proof our marriage had not merely been a sentence of imprisonment for him.

I pressed the palms of my hands against my stinging eyes. Heavens, what was amiss with my own being?

I could no longer afford to harbor hope. Not this night. If I did not depart from this place very soon, I would inevitably collapse right here upon the cold, unyielding tiles –

Then, Kieran’s hand seized my wrist.

He cleared his throat, a gesture of evident awkwardness, his grip warm against my skin. "We could perhaps postpone finalizing everything until subsequent to the funeral, should you deem it preferable."

For one perilous instant, I nearly found myself believing him. I almost perceived this as an act of genuine kindness.

If only he had extended such consideration to me even once over the course of ten long years.

I roughly pulled my arm free. "There is no necessity for postponement. It is not as though there exists a great deal to dissolve – you never even bestowed upon me a mating mark."

The one concession he had stubbornly refused at our wedding. That, and his affection for me.

"Your wolf never manifested," he had stated that very night, his tone meticulously neutral. "A mate bond would only bring you suffering when..."

When our eventual divorce became a reality.

He had left the sentence unfinished, yet the implication was clear to both of us. Just as the true reason was obvious—in his heart, the mark was destined for Celeste. It always had been.

A chilling realization settled in my soul: this outcome had been meticulously planned from the very beginning.

What actual significance did it hold now? Whether born of pity or deliberate design, the outcome remained identical—my neck bore no mark, my spirit remained fractured, and Kieran would walk away unburdened.

Kieran’s brow deepened in a frown.

"Seraphina, there’s absolutely no reason for any bitterness. Our marriage was a grave error—I sincerely hope we can both find a way to move forward." His voice gentled, the faint undertone of pity causing my stomach to revolt. "You truly deserve—"

"Oh, please, spare me." I turned away, preventing him from witnessing how his pity wounded me far more deeply than his anger ever could have. "Do not concern yourself—I have accumulated sufficient funds to provide for both Daniel and myself. You will be officially free by dawn tomorrow."

The astonishment that flickered across his features was almost amusing. Could he possibly have anticipated me pleading or fighting for his affections?

Yes, my love for him was real. It still is.

However, a decade spent in a futile attempt to warm his frozen heart had taught me an immutable truth: no amount of warmth could ever thaw a glacier that refused to yield.

And now, with Celeste’s return, did he truly expect me to cling to a delusion that I ever stood a chance?

Why should I shatter the remnants of my dignity merely to inflate an Alpha's inflated ego?

I had finally learned my lesson. Ten years ensnared in this barren union had been more than enough. I was finished fighting for individuals who never truly desired my presence.

My steps felt leaden as I ascended the stairs, vivid recollections of Kieran flitting like spectral apparitions before my eyes:

*The radiant smile he bestowed upon me during our first childhood encounter.

*My silent observation from the periphery as he claimed victory in his inaugural Hunt.

*The agonizing moment my heart fractured as he presented the victor's wreath to Celeste, her lips meeting his in a tender embrace.

*The hazy recollection of clinking glasses during the announcement of their engagement.

*That disastrous evening which instigated this entire painful saga.

*And then—Daniel's birth, his tentative first steps, every subsequent developmental milestone...

Reaching the midpoint of the staircase, Daniel's drowsy voice resonated within my thoughts:

"Mommy and Daddy will always be here forever, right?"

My heart constricted painfully. Good heavens. How was it possible to convey such news to him?

I spun around abruptly, my earlier conviction faltering. "How... how are we going to explain this to Daniel?"

Kieran paused, his hand halfway to a glass of water. "I will handle it."

Naturally. He had already orchestrated this aspect as well. My fists tightened involuntarily.

"And you need not fret over financial matters," he added, his tone now decidedly cool. "Daniel remains my son. I shall assume all responsibility for his expenditures—and yours as well."

His expression remained unreadable. After ten years, the most familiar aspect of him was still that impassive facade. Yet, this time, I adamantly refused to expend any further energy attempting to decipher his true thoughts.

Tomorrow, upon the formal signing of the documents, we would become mere strangers. Precisely as he desired.

I turned and continued without offering a reply.

The bedroom door swung shut behind me—and then, the emotional dam finally broke.

Unbidden sobs wracked my frame as I sank to the floor, the accumulated grief of the day finally overwhelming my defenses. Somewhere below, the old floorboards creaked softly.

Kieran was likely already engaged in packing his belongings. Perhaps already envisioning Celeste inhabiting this very home, nurturing my child.

My hand instinctively flew to my unmarked throat—the precise location where his fangs should have imprinted. Where a sacred mate bond should have irrevocably bound us together.

"It's alright, Sera," I whispered into the vast emptiness of the room, my arms encircling my trembling ribs with a desperate grip. "You will endure this."

For my son—I possess the strength to survive anything.