My Sister's Mate

Tension Begins

A mistake. That’s all it is.

But the mistake won’t stop looking at me.

The night feels too loud, the music, the voices, the clinking of crystal. It all blends together in a blur, like the whole room is moving while I stand perfectly still. Except for him.

And when Kieran’s head turns, slow, deliberate, our eyes meet.

A spark ignites low in my chest, hot and sharp, searing through every rational thought. For a breathless moment, I can’t move.

I should. I should drop my gaze. I should pretend it never happened.

But I don’t.

I hold his gaze, as if some part of me is waiting, waiting for something I can’t name, something dangerous. And it’s there, smoldering beneath the surface, dark and raw. Pulling me in.

He doesn’t look at Julia this way.

Not even close.

“Ava,” Lena hisses under her breath, bumping my shoulder. “If you keep staring at him like that, I swear I’ll dump this wine on your dress.”

I snap my head away, my heart hammering against my ribs. Heat burns up my neck and into my face, and I press my fingers against the cool glass in my hands, willing myself to calm down.

A mistake. That’s all this is. And mistakes can be fixed.

Right?

The night drags on, but the knot in my stomach only twists tighter.

I laugh when I’m supposed to. Smile when it’s expected. But nothing feels normal, not with Kieran’s gaze curling around me like an invisible leash.

Lena and Selene stay close, and for that, I’m grateful. But I see the way they glance at me when they think I’m not looking, worried, like they’re expecting me to snap under the pressure.

“Would you relax?” Lena finally groans, dragging me toward a quiet corner of the room. “You look like you’re bracing for an ambush.”

I shake my head, forcing a smile. “I’m fine.”

“Liar,” she sings, sipping her wine with far too much satisfaction. “Your face is doing that twitchy thing again.”

“It’s not twitching,” I protest, but even to me, my voice sounds tight.

Selene leans in, her voice softer. “Ava, it’s okay. No one else noticed… except us. Julia’s got the whole pack eating out of her hand. They think the mistake was just that, a mistake.”

But Kieran noticed.

And Julia definitely noticed.

Lena snorts. “And you call me a liar. Come on, Ava. You saw her claws sink into him. If Julia were any more territorial, she’d pee on his leg.”

“Lena,” Selene gasps, choking on her laughter.

I shake my head, but the tension doesn’t ease. “I just… I don’t want to cause trouble. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Lena rolls her eyes. “Yeah, because you totally begged the Alpha to call your name in the middle of his bonding ceremony. You must have hypnotized him with your very intense ability to drink wine in a corner.”

Despite the anxiety gnawing at my chest, I laugh softly. They’re trying to help, even if the ache in my chest won’t fade.

“Hey,” Lena says, nudging me. “I’m serious. You didn’t do anything wrong. Julia’s just…” She waves a hand, searching for the right word.

“A perfectionist?” Seleste offers.

“A control freak,” Lena corrects. “And trust me, if anyone’s going to lose sleep over this, it’s her, not you.”

Maybe she’s right. Maybe this will all blow over.

And yet…

I feel his eyes on me again. Even across a crowded room, I feel it, like a touch I can’t escape.

When the final toast is given and the music fades into soft background melodies, I let out a slow breath. It’s over. I survived.

At least, I think I have.

Until her voice cuts through the air, smooth and honeyed.

“Ava, can I steal you for a moment?”

Ice slides down my spine.

Julia stands poised at the edge of the room, the picture of grace and control. Her fingers still rest on Kieran’s arm, knuckles white where she grips him. But her smile? Too sweet. Too sharp.

“Don’t go,” Lena whispers, her body tense beside mine.

Selene touches my arm gently. “You don’t have to follow her, Ava. Not tonight.”

But that’s the thing, they don’t know Julia like I do. When she summons, you obey. There’s no escaping her claws.

“I’ll be fine,” I murmur, even though we all know it’s a lie.

Julia leads me into the shadowed corridor, where the noise from the celebration fades into a distant hum.

The moment we’re alone, her mask drops.

“What were you thinking?” Her voice is low, controlled, but there’s venom underneath it. “Or is that the problem? You don’t think.”

I swallow hard, my pulse roaring in my ears. “I didn’t do anything.” My voice trembles, and I hate it. “It wasn’t my fault.”

Her smile sharpens, and my stomach twists. “Wasn’t it?” Julia steps closer, towering over me in her emerald gown. “I saw the way you looked at him. I’m not blind.”

“I wasn’t.....”

Her nails dig into my wrist, cutting off my words. Hard enough to bruise.

“You always do this,” she whispers, her voice dripping with false sweetness. “You play the helpless little sister, and somehow, somehow, you end up right in the middle of everything that belongs to me.”

Her words slice through me, hot and bitter. And I know there’s no point in denying it. She’s already decided I’m guilty.

“You’re being ridiculous,” I snap, though my voice shakes. “I didn’t ask for this.”

Her laugh is cold. “Oh, please. Don’t insult me, Ava.”

I flinch as she steps closer, her grip like iron. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve waited for this night? How much I’ve sacrificed to stand by his side? And in one careless moment, you almost ruined it.”

“I didn’t mean, ”

“But you did,” she hisses, cutting me off again. “And don’t pretend you don’t know exactly what you’re doing.”

Her words tighten something raw inside me, something old and aching. “I never wanted to take anything from you, Julia. I never wanted, ”

“You never wanted to be better than me?” She tilts her head, her smile twisting into something cruel. “You expect me to believe that? You’ve been stealing attention since the day you were born. Poor, fragile Ava, so weak, so quiet, so pathetic. And everyone loves you for it.”

“That’s not true,” I whisper. But even as I say the words, my throat burns because, maybe she’s right.

Isn’t that what everyone sees when they look at me? The weak one. The shadow trailing behind Julia’s light.

Julia lets out a soft, mocking laugh. “You think I don’t notice the way Father fawns over you? Like you’re some delicate thing that needs protecting?”

I freeze at the mention of our father. “That’s not true,” I repeat, but the words feel thin, fragile, in the air between us.

Her expression hardens, all the softness falling away. “You don’t understand, do you? You’ve always had the luxury of being nothing. No expectations. No weight on your shoulders. Meanwhile, I’ve spent my whole life preparing for this, earning my place. You don’t get to take that from me.”

“I don’t want it!” I snap, frustration bubbling to the surface. “I never wanted your place, Julia. I just wanted, ”

I cut myself off before I can say it. I just wanted to belong.

But that’s the one thing Julia will never let me have.

“You want everyone to believe you’re innocent,” she murmurs, her voice dropping to a dangerous hush. “But I know better. You play helpless, but beneath it, you love the attention. Don’t you, Ava?”

The accusation hangs heavy between us, and for once, I don’t know how to answer.

Because maybe, deep down, there’s a part of me that doesn’t hate the way Kieran looked at me. And that part terrifies me.

“I didn’t ask for any of this,” I whisper, the words tasting like defeat.

Julia tilts her head, studying me with cold amusement. “No. But you’re still in my way.”

I shake my head. “You’re wrong about me.”

Her smile fades, the last trace of warmth vanishing. “Am I?”

For a moment, something flickers in her eyes, something darker. Fear. But it’s gone just as quickly, replaced by the same razor, sharp confidence.

“I worked too hard for this,” she says quietly. “I won’t let you ruin it.”

Her voice softens, like she’s trying to convince herself, as much as me. “I won’t let you take him from me.”

I open my mouth to protest, to say something, anything, but her hand moves before I can speak.

A sharp tug, and her nails graze across my forearm, just enough pressure to leave a mark. “Consider this your only warning,” she murmurs. “Stay out of my way.”

And then she turns, her emerald gown brushing against me as she starts to walk away.

But for once, I can’t let her have the last word.

“You’ve already lost him, haven’t you?” The words spill out before I can stop them.

Julia freezes mid, step.

The air between us grows thick, electric and sharp. When she finally turns back to face me, the mask cracks.

“I won’t lose,” Her voice shakes, just slightly. “Not to you.”

She steps closer, too close, and when she speaks again, her voice trembles with something between fury and desperation. “He is mine, Ava. And if you think you’re a threat to that, ” Her lips curl, cold and cruel. “I will destroy you.”

The venom in her voice is like a slap. But before I can respond, a new voice slices through the air.

“Is there a reason my daughters are bickering on a night meant for celebration?”

Our father.

Elder Elias stands in the hallway, his silvered hair gleaming beneath the moonlight. His face is unreadable, but the weight in his tone is unmistakable.

Julia’s expression softens immediately, practiced, perfect, and she slips back into the role of the doting daughter with ease.

“Of course not, Father,” she says sweetly. “I was just giving Ava a little… guidance.”

His eyes flick to my wrist, where faint red marks bloom beneath my skin. For a heartbeat, I wonder if he’ll say something. Defend me.

But instead, his mouth tightens into a thin line. “Go back inside, Julia. I’ll speak with Ava.”

Julia hesitates, her lips twitching with something unspoken, but she obeys, disappearing back into the hall without another glance.

And when she’s gone, my father sighs, as if the weight of the entire pack rests on his shoulders.

“Why do you always make things difficult, Ava?”

The words sting more than they should.

“I didn’t, ” My voice falters. “I didn’t mean to.”

His hand rests on my shoulder, heavy, warm. “I know you wouldn’t do this on purpose. But intentions mean little when the entire pack is watching.”

I swallow the ache rising in my throat, forcing myself to nod. “I understand.”

He brushes a stray lock of hair behind my ear, a rare softness in the gesture. “I love you both. But Julia… she carries more responsibility. Try to understand and don’t make it harder for her.”

And with that, he’s gone, leaving me in the cold.

I stand there long after he’s gone, the cold creeping under my skin.

He didn’t ask if I was okay. He didn’t ask why Julia’s nails were still burning on my wrist.

Because it doesn’t matter. Not when I’m not the one he’s worried about.