My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her

Chapter 519: Chapter 519 FITTING

SERAPHINA’S POV

It was amazing how beautiful laughter sounded when it wasn’t edged with exhaustion.

For so long, every smile had been measured against loss, every moment of peace shadowed by the certainty that battle waited just beyond the horizon.

Even after Catherine’s fall, even after we returned home, it took time for my body to believe the danger had truly passed.

Two weeks.

Two weeks of sleeping through the night.

Two weeks of laughter rippling through the corridors instead of hushed murmurs.

Two weeks of healers seeing fewer patients each morning.

Two weeks of watching broken people slowly learn to live again.

Tonight felt like the first real breath Nightfang had taken in months.

The pack grounds had transformed into something out of a dream.

Strings of golden and silver lanterns hung between towering pines, their warm light weaving through the branches like fallen stars.

Hundreds of tiny fairy lights spiraled around tree trunks, glowing softly against the dark bark until the entire clearing shimmered beneath the full moon.

Massive bonfires burned in carefully arranged circles, sending sparks dancing into the silver sky. Their warmth chased away the cool bite of night while casting everyone in flickering amber light.

Music—real music—floated through the air.

Drums pounded with primal rhythm while fiddles sang bright melodies over them. Flutes added lighter notes that seemed to chase the wind, and somewhere—everywhere—a chorus of wolves sang along.

The pack was alive in a way I’d never known before.

Children darted between adults with painted faces and sticky fingers, chasing one another through the grass while parents pretended not to notice them stealing sweets from overflowing dessert tables.

Older wolves gathered around roaring fires, telling stories that grew more exaggerated with every retelling.

Young couples danced barefoot across the grass without a care in the world.

Pack warriors who had bled beside one another only weeks ago now argued over grilling techniques with the same passion they’d once reserved for battle strategies.

The mouthwatering aroma of roasted venison, smoked ribs, freshly baked bread, honey-glazed vegetables, and warm spices drifted through the clearing, mingling with the sweet scent of berry pies, cinnamon pastries, rich chocolate, hot cider, and mead.

Together, they filled the cool night air with the fragrance of a feast prepared with love.

I was watching from the edge, trying to remember the last time I’d seen so many genuinely happy faces gathered in one place, when my phone pinged with a text from Maya.

Maya: You better not be lurking in the shadows

A small smile slipped onto my face as I typed back.

Me: Old habits die hard

Maya: Kill them harder. You’re not allowed to lurk when you’re practically the guest of honor

Before I could reply, Daniel crashed into me with all the enthusiasm of a ten-year-old hopped up on too much sugar, nearly knocking me off balance as he wrapped both arms around my waist.

”Mom! There you are.” His words tumbled out in one excited breath. ”Grandpa says the pups can have our own special run, and Gavin said there’d be prizes for the fastest, but won’t say what.”

I smiled, brushing an unruly lock of hair away from his forehead. ”Is that why you’ve been running all over the pack grounds? You’re practicing?”

He nodded so vigorously I thought his head might fall off. “I’m the heir; I have to win.”

I snorted. “Looks like you inherited your dad’s competitive spirit.”

“Nothing competitive about being the best and making sure no one forgets,” Kieran drawled as he came to stand beside us.

I looked up, and for a moment, the sounds of the celebration faded into the background.

He had traded his Alpha regalia, which he usually wore for pack events, for simple black clothes, his sleeves rolled to his forearms, a few strands of dark hair falling across his forehead after spending most of the afternoon helping prepare the celebration.

Without the ceremonial jacket or the weight of official duties on his shoulders, he looked younger somehow—less like the Alpha everyone revered and more like the boy in the tree I’d fallen in love with.

Daniel beamed. “Yep! Now I have to go back to supervising.”

I arched a brow. “Supervising?”

Kieran snorted. “Our son has spent the evening convincing the kitchen staff to give him an early taste of the desserts.”

Daniel looked up at him without a trace of guilt.

”I was making sure they were good enough for everyone else.”

”Oh, what would we do without you?” Kieran said dryly.

Daniel immediately launched into an animated explanation about how important it was that he start taking up whatever duties were available—if those happened to be dessert tasting, who was he to complain?

Laughter—real, effortless laughter—spilled out of me as he gestured enthusiastically.

“...and you can never be too careful. What if the pies are too creamy or the lemonade has—wait! I haven’t approved that chocolate fountain!”

Kieran and I watched our son shoot off after two Omegas who were setting up a chocolate fountain at the edge of the clearing.

With a small chuckle, Kieran stepped behind me and slipped both arms around my waist, drawing me back against his chest.

The warmth of him settled around me as naturally as breathing.

For a while, neither of us spoke.

We simply stood there together, watching the celebration unfold beneath the full moon. Loud. Chaotic. Beautiful.

”What are you thinking about?” Kieran murmured beside my ear.

I rested my hands over his where they lay across my stomach.

”I was just remembering.”

”What?”

”The first pack celebration I attended.”

His embrace tightened ever so slightly.

”I remember standing off to one side all night.” I smiled faintly at the memory. ”I spent more time refilling drinks than enjoying myself. I stood on the outside of so many celebrations like this. I thought happiness belonged to everyone else, and I was meant to witness it, not be part of it.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kieran whispered. “I’ll always regret never letting you shine the way you deserved to.”

I turned in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. His head lowered, and I pressed my forehead to his.

“You care now,” I whispered. “That’s all that matters.”

“Not just me,” he said, just as softly.

He pulled back just enough to lace his fingers through mine, then led me deeper into the celebration.

A group of young wolves broke off from a game they were playing to wave enthusiastically the moment they noticed me looking their way.

An older woman sitting near one of the bonfires caught my eye and lifted her mug with a warm smile before calling out, ”You look gorgeous, Luna!”

Others nearby echoed the greeting with cheerful agreement.

Before I could respond, a little girl wriggled free from her parents’ hands and hurried over, clutching a tiny wildflower.

She held it up to me with both hands, her cheeks turning pink beneath my gaze.

”For you,” she whispered.

My heart melted.

”Thank you,” I said softly, accepting it as though she’d entrusted me with a priceless jewel.

Her grin lit up the entire clearing.

The instant I tucked the little flower behind my ear, she dissolved into delighted giggles and ran back to her waiting parents, who watched us with the kind of quiet affection and respect that made my chest ache.

I looked around once more, taking in the familiar faces turned toward me—not with obligation or expectation, but with genuine warmth.

Kieran gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

”It took too fucking long,” he said quietly, his voice thick with emotion. ”But just like me, they finally saw you.”

His thumb brushed over my knuckles.

”And now they love you.”

The words settled somewhere deep inside me.

For years, that’s all I ever wanted.

I’d spent so much of my life believing I simply didn’t belong anywhere.

My own family had made me feel like an obligation.

My marriage had begun and ended with resentment.

The pack I’d married into had never acknowledged me as their own.

I could never shake the feeling that I was occupying a space meant for someone else, constantly living in Celeste’s shadow.

Tonight, that feeling was gone, and I knew it would never return.

“It’s better than I imagined,” I whispered.

“What is?” Kieran asked.

”Fitting.”

The words caught in my throat as I turned back to him.

”Looking around and realizing these people are happy to see me. That they’re smiling because I’m here, not just because I’m standing next to the Alpha.”

I laughed softly, shaking my head. ”They’re my family now. My pack.”

Kieran’s hands slid to my waist and pulled me closer. The firelight danced across his face, softening every familiar angle.

“Forever,” he promised.

I leaned up and pressed my lips to his. “Forever.”

Kieran’s smile deepened as he brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, his fingertips lingering for just a moment.

”Come on,” he murmured, glancing toward the growing crowd gathering beneath the rising moon. ”The night’s only just beginning.”

I looked around again, letting the laughter, the music, the warmth of the bonfires, and the smiling faces settle deep inside my heart.

For the first time in my life, I wasn’t on the outside looking in.

I was exactly where I belonged.