His words struck like a whip, leaving me momentarily stunned. “Sister?” I repeated, my voice cracking. “That’s all you see her as? Not the woman who’s been undermining your mate and disrespecting your family at every turn?”
“Sera—”
“No,” I cut him off, stepping closer, desperate to make him see reason. “I’m your mate, Lucian. Your mate. The woman who bore your child, who has fought for this family every single day. Why are you defending her over me? Over us?”
He glared at me, his expression as cold and distant as it had been for months. When he finally spoke, his words sliced deeper than any blade.
“Because you’ve always been the problem, Sera. You lash out, you overreact, and you expect everyone else to clean up the mess. Maybe this bond was never real.”
The air left my lungs as if I’d been struck. “You… you don’t mean that,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.
Lucian’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing more, his silence screaming louder than any words.
Talia, still holding her cheek, let out a humorless laugh. “This is exactly what I mean, Sera. Always making everything about you. You’re exhausting.”