My Sister Stole My Mate And I Let Her (Seraphina) novel Chapter 340

Chapter 340: Chapter 340 TACTICS AND STRATEGY

SERAPHINA’S POV

"Sera? Are you okay?"

Only when Kieran called my name did I realize that I’d been staring at my reflection from the blackened laptop—eyes wide, lips parted, chest rising and falling with shallow breaths.

My thoughts were scattered, looping back to the words Lionel had spoken as if they were hooks lodged deep in my chest.

‘There’s a fire. Moonlight Alley.’

“I’m fine,” I said automatically, even as my pulse raced.

Kieran’s eyes searched my face, doubt flickering, suspicion deepening in his furrowed brow.

“No, you’re not,” he said, voice soft. “The news about the fire affected you. Why?”

I swallowed and dragged a hand through my hair, finally turning away from the laptop. I rose, crossed the room, and leaned against the edge of his desk, grounding myself in the solidity of something bearing my weight.

“Moonlight Alley,” I said slowly, “is where Alois sent me months ago. For a trial. It was a step I had to take to reach the Origin Archives.”

Kieran leaned forward, focusing the entirety of his attention on me. “Tell me what happened.”

I drew a breath and began from the beginning—about the puzzle with no edges, the vague instructions, the way Moonlight Alley had felt like a world forgotten on purpose.

I told him about the child who had crashed into me, the chase through narrow alleys, the traps she’d set with ingenuity no one had ever bothered to nurture.

“Ava lives there with her sick grandmother,” I went on. “Pneumonia. Malnutrition. Ava was carrying all of it alone.”

My voice faltered, thick with sudden emotion that threatened to spill over despite my efforts to bite it back.

“She can’t be more than nine years old, Kieran. She’s so small, and she was already convinced the world wouldn’t help her unless she took what she needed.”

His hand curled slowly into a fist in his lap.

“Maxwell helped me get her help,” I said. “A doctor. Safe lodging. Food. I forgot about the trial entirely.” I huffed a breath that wasn’t quite a laugh. “Turned out helping someone in need was the trial.”

Understanding flickered in his eyes.

“So when Alois’s assistant said there was a fire on Moonlight Alley...” I trailed off, shaking my head. “All I can think about is Ava and her grandmother. Whether they were able to get out in time.”

My head dipped, shame burning in my throat, tightening my chest, and sending a sting to my eyes. "With everything that has happened since I left, I haven’t even spared them a second thought. I promised I would be there for her and I just...forgot."

Kieran stepped closer, his presence solid and protective in a way that made my chest ache.

He wrapped his arms around me, and I didn’t hesitate to lean into him, letting his warmth and scent ease the guilt swirling inside me.

“I’m sure she’s fine,” he said. “From what I just heard, she’s extremely resilient.”

“She’s just a child,” I whispered.

“I’ll send a small team to assist the Institute. Medical aid, evacuation assistance, and perimeter security, if needed. And we’ll find out about Ava and her grandmother.”

I pulled back to look up at him. “You can’t divert Nightfang resources for this. Not now. Not with everything else unfolding.”

The corner of his mouth lifted. “You underestimate how much strength this pack actually has.”

I arched a brow. “Still. If you’re stretched too thin—”

“Nightfang isn’t fragile, Sera,” he cut in gently.

Then his gaze shifted into something thoughtful. “But...we do need to adapt. We’ve been holding the line for years, but lines don’t hold forever if they’re not reinforced.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

His tone turned contemplative, as if the plan were forming as he spoke. “The New Moon Institute has always been neutral, and we respected that. Let them play Switzerland while the rest of us bled around the edges. But that luxury is fading.”

I straightened. “You think they can’t stay neutral much longer?”

“I think,” he said slowly, “that neutrality becomes a liability once monsters stop respecting borders.”

The words sat heavy between us, and it confirmed that Kieran’s train of thought matched my own: that fire didn’t feel like coincidence.

“We have powerful alliances now,” he continued. “But I sense that what’s coming can’t be solved with brute force. We need to adapt, take on a different strategy.”

“What’s that?”

“Two things,” he answered. “First, we offer the Institute aid, and in the process, broach an alliance. Secondly, we snuff out the enemy before anyone else gets hurt.”

He nodded to himself, as if the final piece of the puzzle he was forming just clicked into place. “And the upcoming Hunting Festival is the perfect ground.”

My pulse picked up. “Of course. Whoever is circling us won’t be able to resist attending.”

Kieran nodded. “An excellent way to take everyone’s measure. Find out who’s an ally and an adversary.”

His gaze lingered on me then, sharp and assessing in a way that had nothing to do with tactics and strategy.

“You’ll attend,” he said, “right?”

“I will,” I replied calmly. “But not with you.”

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