My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her Chapter 485 CATHERINE’S ISLAND

SERAPHINA’S POV

The Maldives appeared far too stunning to be Catherine’s property. That was my initial thought as the islands materialized below us, scattered across the vast ocean like emerald fragments adrift on an endless sapphire expanse.

Sunlight cascaded upon the water in blinding sheets, transforming the surface into shifting silver and catching the morning light in pools of gold.

From this vantage point, it was nearly inconceivable that any form of monstrosity could lurk beneath such breathtaking beauty.

Then, the mark tethered to Jack sent a pulse through me. The ocean’s warmth receded from my consciousness, replaced by the chilling, familiar pressure of the darkness lurking beneath.

My grip tightened on the armrest.

Kieran recognized my reaction instantly. He was seated opposite me, clad for combat, his dark hair expertly swept back, his features honed into that focused calm preceding conflict. Our eyes met as he leaned across the narrow divide, his hand reaching for mine.

“What is it?” he inquired.

I glanced once more through the small, oval window, past the dazzling water and the clustered ring of islands directly ahead. “She anticipated our arrival. This location was prepared long ago to withstand an attack.”

Corin’s expression grew stern. “So much for the element of surprise.”

I closed my eyes. The intricate silver markings on my spine grew warm beneath my clothing. I focused on my breathing, executing the technique Mother had taught me in the dream—inward first, then outward.

Instead of reaching for Catherine’s island like a desperate hand in the void, I allowed the connection to settle within me. The mark on Jack became a subtle throb beneath distant waters, and beyond it, I sensed the formidable barrier.

Dark magic had been interwoven into the very air above the sea – a sickening concoction of potent witchcraft, ritualistic blood offerings, residual psychic energy, and an acrid, metallic tang that reminiscent of wolfsbane at the back of my throat.

This was no mere blockade; it was an active sentinel. It observed, it inhaled, it detected transgressions with the same primal instinct a slumbering predator uses to recognize the sounds of approaching footsteps near its lair.

As my eyes opened, the aircraft’s interior felt eerily silent.

“It has been here for an extensive duration,” I stated. “Long enough for portions of it to have become intrinsically part of the island itself.”

Maxwell let out a quiet curse.

Brett’s jaw clenched, and beside him, Maris turned her gaze toward the window, her expression mirroring the cold, intense focus I’d witnessed when she protected me at Seabreeze’s frontier.

Kieran’s thumb brushed my knuckles once.

“Can you breach it?”

An immediate “yes” was what I longed to give.

I craved the ability to offer him unwavering certainty, mirroring the confidence he so readily extended to Daniel, to me, to all who sought his strength.

Instead, I offered the unvarnished truth.

“I can carve an opening,” I replied. “However, I cannot guarantee I can dismantle the entire structure without alerting everything beneath it, nor can I ensure the collapse of any wards intrinsically linked to the facility.”

Alois’s head nodded slowly, his eyes already turned inward as he began to assess the potential outcomes.

“That course of action would be inadvisable. Should the barrier be integrated with the physical infrastructure, its reckless destruction could instigate powerful defensive mechanisms, catastrophic containment breaches, or the immediate execution of any hostages.”

Kieran’s hand tightened around mine.

“If Sera manages to purify a slender passage,” Alois elaborated, his voice steady, “I can reinforce the boundaries with carefully layered counter-wards. Corin can then bolster the psychic defenses, preventing the barrier from sealing the breach once we’ve passed through.”

“Hooray,” Corin drawled sarcastically. “I get to play doorman while everyone else gets the fun.”

Despite the flippancy in his tone, a heavy silence descended upon the cabin, laden with unspoken fears.

None of us desired to separate.

No one wished to make the agonizing choice of who would venture into Catherine’s stronghold and who would remain at its threshold, guarding an open path, anxiously awaiting the safe return of those who entered.

Far too soon, the aircraft commenced its descent, bringing the island ominously closer.

From our aerial perspective, Catherine’s domain presented itself as an exclusive haven, bordered by vibrant coral reefs and pristine white sands, its interior blanketed by dense, verdant foliage.

A sophisticated estate, fashioned from pale stone and glass, graced the western incline, its elegance perfectly suited for a luxury travel brochure. Beyond it, nestled amongst the trees, I discerned utilitarian structures, a slender jetty, and what appeared to be a helipad, partially obscured by swaying palm trees.

Yet, beneath this veneer of luxury, the oppressive darkness churned, weighing heavily on my senses.

Direct landing on the island was impossible for the aircraft, necessitating our approach via water from a nearby, uninhabited atoll.

By the time our boots met the yielding sand, the sun had climbed high, casting an intense heat across the beach. The air was thick with the scent of salt, damp vegetation, and the distant, melancholic cries of seabirds.

Our specialized team moved with swift, silent precision, disembarking gear from the boats and assembling in formation behind Kieran.

I stood alongside Kieran at the water’s edge, gazing across the channel toward Catherine’s island. The distance was not vast, yet the imposing barrier rendered it feel immeasurable.

A strange shimmering was now visible. The atmosphere above the water warped unnaturally around the island, displaying areas too smooth and others too dense, as if reality itself had been overlaid with dark, glassy material.

Alois moved forward, extending one hand.

A sharp noise rent the air.

Several warriors flinched as a ripple traversed the channel. Invisible to human eyes, it was sharp enough that every wolf present felt it brush against their primal instincts.

A grim line formed on Alois’s mouth. “Intriguing.”

Corin positioned himself to my other side.

“Is that your professional assessment?”

“My professional assessment involves several terms I am deliberately omitting in the presence of armed warriors who are already on edge.”

Despite the tension, a few weary smiles flickered across the closest ranks.

Then, the barrier pulsed once more, and the brief moment of levity vanished.

I advanced toward the water’s edge.

Kieran moved with me, instantly.

“Wait,” I said softly, placing a hand on his arm before he could proceed further. “Not yet.”

His gaze deepened. “Sera.”

“I need to sense where it will yield.”

“It might retaliate.”

“I am aware.”

That was precisely the core of the issue.

Catherine never left her defenses unguarded. She instead presented invitations that mimicked weaknesses, waiting for the naive to mistake them for opportunities.

Taking a slow breath, I first turned my power inward.

My awareness descended through my own respiration, my skeletal structure, my blood flow, and the completed markings etched onto my back began to radiate warmth like moonlight beneath my skin.

I did not charge the barrier or attempt to overwhelm it with brute force. Instead, I sought out the places where Catherine’s magic had been compelled to contort around elements it could not fully assimilate.

The ocean.

The sunlight.

The earth.

The island had an existence prior to her influence.

Regardless of how thickly she had cloaked this place in her darkness, its creation was not her doing.

There!

A slender point near the reef where the barrier intersected with shallow water and coral formations. The magic here was substantial but not cohesive.

It had warped around ancient life, around salt and stone, around something stubbornly quiescent that had refused to be absorbed into Catherine’s grand design.

I reopened my eyes.

“There,” I whispered.

From the outside, the point of entry was not apparent, appearing merely as a stretch of glittering water nestled between coral ridges.

Alois drew nearer, his expression sharpening with focus.

“Indeed. I perceive it now.”

I began walking forward, before hesitation could take root.

Kieran followed, his presence settling beside me, a bastion of steadiness and immovability, while the warriors behind us remained in a state of tense anticipation.

The closer I approached the barrier, the more pronounced the chill in the air became.

It commenced subtly—an unnatural sensation against my skin, progressing to a tangible pressure on my chest, and finally manifesting as a whispering weight at the periphery of my hearing.

Faint voices, layered and indistinct, echoed from within the barrier. Some carried tones of anger. Others conveyed fear. Still others sounded like pleas.

My stomach roiled.

Catherine had not merely infused this barrier with spells; she had steeped it in suffering.

I extended my hand.

The barrier made contact with my palm before my fingers could reach it, and an icy, insidious burn attempted to penetrate my skin, seeking a point of purchase.

Underlying it all, I detected Catherine’s signature—elegant yet malevolent—woven through every stratum as if she had personally stitched the darkness into existence.

My knees nearly gave way.

Kieran’s arm encircled my waist instantly.

“Sera.”

“I am alright,” I managed to breathe.

“That is untrue.”

“No,” I conceded, pressing my palm more firmly against the intangible surface. “But I can manage this.”

Power surged through me, not as a chaotic outburst but as a consistent flow. I directed it inward first, grounding it within myself before allowing it to course through my arm and into the barrier.

A silver luminescence began to spread outward from beneath my palm, faint initially, then intensifying as it encountered the dark filaments, initiating their combustion.

The barrier emitted a piercing shriek.

Every warrior present on the beach reacted visibly.

Some stumbled, while others covered their ears. Wolves let out guttural snarls as the sound seemed to slash through flesh and bone, yet I kept my palm pressed against the barrier’s surface, forcing myself to maintain my breathing.

I traced the point of weakness around the coral structure.

The silver light permeated the narrow seam.

The darkness recoiled.

For a single, heart-stopping moment, an entity on the other side pushed back.

My power flared instinctively in response.

Kieran’s grip tightened.

“Sera, do not pursue her.”

His voice cut through the overwhelming pull, and I realized with a shock that the opening had been intentionally enlarged, luring me deeper.

A calculated trap.

I withdrew from the seductive invitation and instead drove my power downward, into the fissure near the reef, purifying only what was essential and no more.

The barrier resisted with fierce intensity, attempting to seal itself around my light, but Alois commenced a chant behind me, his voice cutting through the escalating wind with clear authority.

Corin’s psychic influence joined him a moment later, cool and immense, enfolding the breach like a second structural support.

The oppressive force altered.

The barrier fractured.

A slender, arching gateway of shimmering silver materialized above the water, its edges writhing with dark veins that persistently sought to reconnect and mend.

Beyond the shimmering gateway, the passage appeared more ominous, the island drawing nearer and losing its allure now that its concealed corruption was laid bare.

Alois materialized beside me, his complexion ashen but his demeanor resolute. “This is the extent of what we dare risk.”

“What is your estimate for how long you can maintain this?” Kieran inquired.

Alois’s gaze shifted from the archway to Corin, then to the operatives skilled in sensing witchcraft, who were already taking up their positions behind him. “If Catherine ceases her resistance through it, perhaps for a sufficient duration.”

He then turned his attention to me. “Upon your entry, do not assume the pathway will remain stable without opposition. Should we be compelled to reposition the rift, maintain your connection to Corin’s psychic thread.”

Corin lightly tapped his temple with two fingers. “I shall endeavor to maintain a psychic link with you for as long as feasible.”

I gave a solemn nod as Kieran positioned himself before the assembled contingent. His voice resonated across the sandy expanse, deep and unwavering, piercing the prevailing fear with the authority only an Alpha could command. “Our advance will be swift, we maintain our formations, and we will not pursue any anomaly that deviates from the primary objective unless I specifically authorize it. Catherine has had ample time to fortify this location, which implies that any apparent easy victory is a trap and any seemingly clear path is a lure. Our paramount mission is the safe retrieval of Margaret Lockwood and any other survivors. If Marcus is encountered, we are to apprehend him if the opportunity arises. Should Jack make an appearance, you are expressly forbidden from engaging him individually.”

His stern gaze surveyed each warrior present. “And should Catherine attempt to sow discord among you, you must steadfastly recall the purpose that binds you here.”

A profound silence followed, yet a palpable resolve filled the air as shoulders straightened and eyes hardened.

Kieran then faced me directly. “Are you prepared?”

I glanced past him, my focus drawn to the silver rupture quivering precariously above the water’s surface.

No.

No one could ever truly be prepared to confront Catherine.

However, my mother was somewhere beyond that veil, innocent souls required our intervention, and with every passing moment of hesitation, Catherine gained more time to choose whose life she would shatter next.

I reached out and took Kieran’s hand. “I am ready.”