My Sister Stole My Mate, And I Let Her

Chapter 517 AWAKENING HOPE

SERAPHINA’S POVAfter the briefing concluded, the room didn’t immediately empty.

Clusters of Alphas lingered around the long table, continuing quieter conversations no longer meant for the entire alliance.

Strategies for reconstruction replaced battle plans. Discussions of supply lines replaced casualty reports.

A reminder that the world still functioned even after nearly breaking apart.

But I was done with bureaucracy for the day.

As soon as Kieran caught my eye, he understood exactly what I needed without my having to say a word.

"I’ll see you later," I murmured.

His gaze searched mine for a moment before he nodded.

"I’ll be in my office with Gavin and Alois," he said softly. "Come find me when you’re done."

He brushed his thumb across the back of my hand as he stood, a fleeting touch that steadied me more than words ever could.

Then he disappeared into the crowd.

Ethan appeared beside me almost immediately.

"Shall we?" he asked.

I nodded.

The medical wing stood a short distance away across the estate, connected by a winding stone pathway bordered by ancient oak trees whose leaves danced lazily in the afternoon breeze.

Birdsong floated overhead. Somewhere nearby, I could hear young wolves laughing.

It was a beautiful day, and I wondered when mundane, beautiful things would stop feeling strange and unsettling.

“Feels weird, doesn’t it?” Ethan said. “Not to have dark clouds looming.”

We both knew he wasn’t talking about the weather.

I sighed. “Tell me about it.”

He wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer.

“It’ll take some time,” he told me, “but you’ll get used to peace, I promise.”

I managed a small smile. “I’ll take your word for it.”

He gave my shoulder a gentle squeeze, and we walked the rest of the way in companionable silence.

The building smelled exactly as hospitals always seemed to—clean linen, antiseptic, herbs, with the addition of medicinal wolfsbane tinctures used for pain management.

Healers and nurses moved quietly through polished corridors, their expressions gentle as they tended to the injured we’d brought back.

One of them smiled and tipped her head respectfully when she recognized us.

"Lady Seraphina. Alpha Ethan."

"How is Margaret Lockwood?" Ethan asked without preamble.

The nurse’s expression softened. "Stable."

That one word visibly eased something inside him.

She directed us toward the private recovery rooms, and Ethan’s speed increased as we followed the directions.

When we approached the door, however, he slowed, and I noticed his hands clenched at his side.

"You okay?" I asked gently.

A muscle ticked in his jaw.

“I failed her.” His voice cracked so quietly that someone standing two feet away probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“I was supposed to protect her in Father’s place and I...” He hung his head.

“It sounds like you’re taking credit for Catherine’s entire schemes.”

He turned to me, an eyebrow raised. “What?”

I gave him a soft smile. “Mother went to that island of her own free will. It’s awful that the friend she trusted turned out to be a monster. That’s not your fault.”

I reached over and squeezed his forearm.

“She’s safe now, Ethan. That’s all that matters.”

He swallowed hard, and before he could wallow further in guilt, I pushed the door open.

The room was bathed in soft afternoon sunlight spilling through the tall windows, washing the pale walls in warm gold.

Medical monitors hummed quietly beside the bed, their steady rhythm the only sound in the otherwise peaceful room.

Mother lay motionless beneath the crisp white blankets.

Unlike during the chaos and havoc of the underground chamber, I could finally take in how she looked.

Her normally elegant features seemed almost translucent against the white pillow beneath her head.

The woman who had always carried herself with such quiet dignity now looked as though a strong breeze might carry her away.

Ethan stopped short, and a strangled sound escaped him.

"Oh gods..."

I watched my older brother cross the room slowly, every step more hesitant than the last, until he finally reached her bedside.

His hand hovered above hers for several seconds before finally settling gently over her fingers. They looked impossibly small inside his.

"Mom—"

His voice broke as he lowered his head.

For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor and Ethan’s strangled sobs.

I closed my eyes as tears of my own slipped down my cheeks.

It was all a little too familiar, and I tried hard not to think of another hospital room, another parent surrounded by monitors who hadn’t made it.

Eventually, Ethan lifted his head, and when he turned to me, his eyes were red.

“Is she...” His throat worked. "Is she ever going to wake up?"

The question settled heavily between us, and before I could search for any befitting words, a soft voice interrupted us gently.

"She will."

Ethan and I turned to find Evelyn standing by the door we hadn’t heard open, her hands loosely clasped in front of her.

She walked into the room quietly, stopping beside Margaret’s bed.

"I’ve been checking on her every few hours."

I held my breath. “You said we needed to retrieve her powers from Catherine, but—”

“Catherine imploded before we could do that,” Evelyn finished for me.

Ethan frowned. “Wait—what does that mean for her?”

Evelyn pursed her lips. “You’re familiar with the Law of Conservation of Energy?”

“Energy cannot be created or destroyed,” I whispered. “It can only be transferred or transformed from one form into another.”

She nodded. “All that power wasn’t entirely destroyed with Catherine.”

A single petal of hope unfurled in my chest. “Meaning...?”

Evelyn touched a hand to Mother’s wrist, and faint strands of pale blue energy flickered around her fingertips before disappearing again.

“Most of the power was released into the atmosphere, with nowhere to go, but Margaret’s...” She smiled softly. “Margaret’s found home. Not all—but enough. She’ll recover.”

I hadn’t realized how afraid I’d been until relief rushed through me so powerfully my knees nearly gave out.

“Oh, thank the goddess,” I exhaled.

"It’ll take time," Evelyn cautioned. “Weeks, maybe months—”

“But she’ll wake up?” Ethan asked.

Evelyn nodded. “She will.”

Without thinking, I threw my arms around Evelyn.

She stiffened, her breath hitching.

“Thank you,” I choked out.

“I didn’t do anything,” she said softly.

I pulled back. “Are you kidding? If you hadn’t cast that spell...” I shook my head. “You saved both my mother and me. I’ll never forget that.”

She pursed her lips and nodded once. “You’re welcome.”

She took a step back, and my arms fell to my side.

“Well...” She cleared her throat awkwardly. “I should go.”

Before either of us could say anything else, she slipped quietly out into the hallway.

I watched the doorway after she’d gone, unable to shake the feeling that, even though I barely knew her, something about her had changed.

"I’ll be right back," I said to Ethan.

He barely looked away from our mother as he nodded.

I stepped out into the corridor and found Evelyn only a short distance away.

"Evelyn."

She slowed at the sound of her name and turned to face me, a questioning look on her face.

For a brief moment, I simply looked at her. She wasn’t physically injured, nor did she wear the obvious fatigue that had settled over so many of us after the battle.

But there was a heaviness in her eyes that hadn’t been there before. It seemed to weigh down the way she carried herself, her shoulders subtly bowed beneath a burden that had nothing to do with physical exhaustion and everything to do with worry.

"How is Lucian?" I asked quietly.

I knew I should see him, too, but I was still conflicted about everything.

And honestly, I didn’t trust myself not to lose it at the sight of my friend-turned-traitor-turned-questionable ally lying weak and comatose. Not today, at least.

Evelyn’s eyes drifted toward the far end of the corridor, where the intensive recovery rooms were located, before she let out a slow breath.

"I don’t know." Her voice cracked despite her obvious effort to keep it steady.

"Catherine’s damage..." She lowered her eyes, struggling to find words that seemed painfully out of reach.

"My powers aren’t enough to bring him back because I don’t even know where he is."

The quiet helplessness in her confession tightened something painfully inside my chest.

Without thinking, I stepped closer and took her hand in mine. She looked down at our joined hands in surprise before her fingers slowly curled around mine.

"You’re not alone," I said gently. "I meant what I told you on the island. We’re going to fix him."

Her eyes lifted to mine, and they glistened with awakening hope.

"Together," I continued, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze. "We’ll bring him back. I promise."

For a long moment, she simply looked at me, and I watched a dozen different emotions pass across her face before she finally returned the squeeze with surprising strength.

"Okay," she whispered.

She hesitated as though another thought had found its way to the surface, her lips parting before she seemed to lose her nerve.

When she finally spoke again, there was uncertainty in her voice.

"Sera..." She glanced away briefly before looking back at me. "I wanted to ask you something...about mates."

Almost immediately, she seemed to regret saying even that much.

She shook her head with a faint, embarrassed smile. "No...never mind."

Before I could stop her, Evelyn slipped her hand from mine and continued down the corridor, leaving me watching after her with the distinct feeling that the words she’d swallowed were going to be another weight on her shoulders.