My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her - Chapter 131

131: Chapter 131 FRAGILE AND SOLID 131: Chapter 131 FRAGILE AND SOLID SERAPHINA€™S POV
The hall still hummed with noise long after Lucian€™s announcement.

Excited murmurs collided like sparks from flint, igniting speculation in every corner.

€œThe Moon Dew Nectar…could it be real?€ someone called out, their tone half awe, half disbelief.

€œThe Moon Dew Nectar doesn€™t exist,€ someone else barked, disbelief curling through his tone.

€œIt€™s folklore.€
€œNo, I€™ve read papers on it,€ another insisted, breathless.

€œThe plant€™s real.

The recipe?

Lost centuries ago.€
€œHow could OTS possibly have it?€
€œOr…is this all a clever trick?€
Speculation tangled with awe until the whole place was a fever dream.

I didn€™t need heightened hearing to catch the words: impossible, fabricated, mythical, priceless.

The voices around me tangled together-awed gasps, suspicious whispers, greedy mutterings.

My hands fisted the fabric of my dress harder than I intended, my knuckles whitening.

This was no ordinary prize.

It was more than glory, more than wealth.

Whoever claimed it would wield a miracle.

Lucian stood tall before the case, his expression carefully composed but unmistakably proud.

His dark suit caught the gilded light, his presence commanding the entire room.

€œDoubt,€ he said smoothly, his voice carrying with the authority of a born Alpha, €œis natural.

But truth does not need belief to exist.€
A murmur rippled again, skeptical yet attentive.

And then-because of course Lucian would leave no room for doubt-he lifted his hand.

The massive screen behind us flickered to life.

The image sharpened into the face of a man even I recognized-a pharmaceutical master, gray at the temples, with a reputation untouchable in the werewolf world.

His work in medicine and elixirs was often called revolutionary, his name whispered with reverence like an incantation.

€œMaster Qadir,€ Lucian introduced.

€œA name that requires no embellishment in our world.

He has examined and authenticated the elixir personally.€
The man adjusted his silver glasses and nodded into the camera.

€œYes,€ he said plainly.

€œAnd what OTS has unveiled is no counterfeit.

I have examined samples of this elixir personally.

The Moon Dew Nectar is real.€
Gasps swept the room anew, this time edged with exhilaration.

Skeptics fell silent, their folded arms loosening.

And then the hall erupted.

Some cried out in wonder, others muttered feverishly, while a few still shook their heads, stubbornly unwilling to accept what their eyes and ears told them.

But it no longer mattered.

Lucian had brought forth an unimpeachable authority.

I found my pulse racing, heat crawling up the back of my neck.

The weight of the prize pressed down on me, heavier than expectation.

I wasn€™t just competing for prestige now.

This was about legacy, salvation, hope-for so many.

For myself.

And yet, despite the knot of nerves in my stomach, a strange fire lit inside me.

Excitement.

Determination.

As though the Nectar itself was daring me: come and earn me, if you are worthy.

***
When the evening€™s formalities finally drew to a close, Lucian was at my side almost instantly, his hand finding the small of my back with the kind of easy claim that made warmth dart up my spine.

€œCome with me,€ he murmured, steering me gently but firmly away from the dispersing crowd.

His pace carried me out of the grand hall and onto a private terrace tucked along the hall€™s edge.

Cool night air swept against my skin, carrying the faint perfume of roses from the garden below.

Above us, strings of lanterns glowed like captive stars, their light softening the world into something almost intimate.

€œYour expression betrays you,€ Lucian said softly as we walked toward the railing, his tone teasing but edged with something cautious.

€œYou€™re still thinking about it.€
€œHow could I not?€ I glanced up at him, my voice low, almost reverent.

€œThe Moon Dew Nectar-it€™s the stuff of myths.

Logically, it shouldn€™t actually exist.

Yet here it is.€
I shook my head.

€œIt€™s so surreal.€
Lucian chuckled indulgently.

€œIt€™s actually not that unbelievable.

The formula was not…mine to begin with.€ His tone carried a note I rarely heard from him-a wistfulness, threaded with something close to…grief.

€œIt was entrusted to me.

By someone I once knew.€
There it was again-that shadow, flickering across his expression before he mastered it.

I tilted my head, curiosity sparking.

€œSomeone you knew?€
His lips pressed into a thin line.

€œShe shared with me the basics.

But the attempts to replicate-hundreds of them-failed.

It was only after tireless trial and error that we achieved success.€
€œShe?€ The word slipped out terser than intended.

A faint smile curved his mouth, not quite reaching his eyes.

€œA friend.€
A friend.

Yet the soft longing in his tone betrayed more.

I caught it, tucked it away in the back of my mind for examination later.

Still, before I could probe further, he deflected, leaning closer.

€œTell me honestly, Seraphina.

Do you resent me for not giving the Nectar directly to you?€
The question disarmed me.

My breath hitched.

For a moment, I imagined it: me, healed, whole, powerful beyond my wildest imaginations.

And yet-I shook my head slowly.

€œNo.

I understand.

Something that precious…you can€™t just give it out recklessly.

Too many others need it too.

I€™d rather earn it.

That way, it€™s mine-rightfully.€
Lucian€™s gaze deepened, heat and admiration mingling in the pools of his eyes.

€œI have no doubt that you will win it.€
€œReally?€
He nodded.

€œIf my friend were here, I know she would want someone like you to have the Nectar.

Integrity and bravery-she prized those above all else.€
The words struck me like a bell, echoing in my chest.

Not only was I now carrying Lucian€™s confidence, but the conviction of someone I had never even met.

And then, as if sensing the weight of my nerves, Lucian took my hand.

€œI have something for you.€
He gestured toward a chair near a table draped in silver cloth.

Upon it sat a long, elegant box, its surface etched with faint designs that glimmered in the lantern light.

€œWhat€™s this?€ I asked cautiously as he led me towards it.

€œA gift,€ he said, his voice lower now, carrying that elusive softness I liked to think he reserved just for me.

I exhaled.

€œYou€™ve already given me so much, Lucian.€
He smiled.

€œThen consider this a reminder.€
€œA reminder?€
€œDue to a…conflict of interest, I can€™t have any contact with you during the LST.

I don€™t want to jeopardize your victory with false accusations or speculations.€
€œOh.€ And even though he was still in front of me, I felt a pang of his absence resonate within me.

€œBut,€-he raised our joined hands and kissed my knuckles-€œeven if we won€™t have contact during the trials, you are never alone.€
My pulse quickened as I slowly lifted the lid with my free hand.

Inside lay an outfit folded with meticulous care.

With trembling hands, I unfolded it, and my breath caught.

I could tell it was tailored for me, down to the last seam.

Midnight-dark fabric kissed with threads of silver, cut sleek and strong, meant not just to flatter but to empower.

It was beautiful, yes, but more than that-it felt like armor woven from his belief in me.

€œLucian…€ My voice faltered.

€œYou had this made for me?€
His lips curved, but the gleam in his eyes was what stole my breath.

€œFor you.

To wear when you step into the trials.

So that when you walk into that Arena, you€™ll know I am with you-even if I cannot be at your side.€
I swallowed hard against the tightness rising in my throat.

My fingers brushed the fabric, trembling faintly.

€œYou didn€™t have to-€
€œI did,€ he interrupted gently.

€œYou€™ve carried so much.

Tonight, I wanted to give you something that carried you in return.€
The night air pressed cool against my cheeks, but my chest was unbearably warm.

For a moment, words failed me, tangled in gratitude and something I couldn€™t describe.

I gently set it down into the box and reached for him-
A cough broke the moment.

I startled at the sound, the thread of intimacy between us snapping as my head whipped toward the balcony€™s entrance.

Maya stood there, one hand half-raised as if caught mid-apology, her cheeks tinged pink.

Her dark curls framed her face wildly, and her ever-present air of mischief softened the awkwardness of her intrusion.

€œSorry, sorry!€ she said quickly, her grin both sheepish and unrepentant.

€œI wasn€™t spying and I didn€™t mean to intrude-well, not on purpose.€
I exhaled, half-relieved, half-annoyed.

My heart was still racing from Lucian€™s words, and now I had to shove all that tangled emotion aside.

€œMaya…€ I tried to sound reproachful, but it came out more weary than anything else.

Lucian arched a brow, leaning back with an almost amused sigh.

€œYou have an uncanny talent for interruption.€
€œPart of my charm,€ she shot back, unabashed.

Then her attention swung fully to me, her eyes lighting up.

€œAs a judge, I also won€™t be able to have any contact with you during the LST.€
My eyes widened.

€œYou too?€
She crossed the terrace with brisk steps, then clasped my hands dramatically in hers.

€œYou€™re going to crush them, Sera.

Absolutely obliterate the competition.

And I brought…a gift of my own.€
Lucian€™s lips twitched.

€œOh, Goddess.

Spare us.€
Maya ignored him.

With a flourish, she pulled a tiny pouch from her pocket, scattering a few glittering pebbles onto the table between us.

They caught the lantern light, shimmering iridescently.

I blinked.

€œWhat are these?€
€œMoonstones.

Charged under the last full moon.

Totally legitimate werewolf good-luck charm.€ She winked.

€œDon€™t ask me where I got them; my sources are top secret.€
My lips twitched.

€œThe flea market?€
€œShush,€ she laughed.

Then she arranged the stones into a crooked circle, muttered something that might have been half prayer, half joke, then grabbed my wrist and pressed one into my palm.

€œThere.

Now you€™ve got the blessing of fate itself.

Guaranteed victory.€
I laughed, curling my fingers around the stone.

€œMaya…€
€œI know, I know.

You love me,€ she declared, beaming.

I shook my head as more laughter bubbled from my lips.

She wasn€™t wrong.

The three of us lingered there, the moon€™s glow spilling across the terrace, quiet and steady.

I looked at them-two of the most important people in this strange new chapter of my life-and something inside me settled.

€œI€™ll try,€ I said softly, breaking the silence.

The words felt both fragile and solid, like glass forged into steel, but it bore the weight of their faith in me.

€œI don€™t know if I€™ll win, but I€™ll give everything I have.

I promise.€
Maya squeezed my arm, grinning.

€œThat€™s the spirit.€
Lucian€™s gaze lingered on me, unreadable but searing all the same.

€œThat€™s all anyone can ask of you.

And it will be enough.€
Under the silver wash of the moonlight, I breathed in deep, letting the night carry my vow into the dark.