Chapter 10: Forced Bonds

MAEVE

"But they did call off the rituals, Siobhan, I'm sure of it, or at least tried to," I said, feeling the weight of it settle in my chest like a stone. "Ronan was furious when it happened, and Jean... Well, honestly, I have no idea about Jean." I shrugged, the uncertainty gnawing at me. "But they couldn't stop it after it had already started. The magic, the rituals... they were sure none of it would happen. Everything was supposed to be canceled the moment it became clear I was taking Isabelle's place.", 

Siobhan looks at me, her brows furrowing. "But they weren't."

I nod, bitterness creeping into my voice. "No. The Coven... Apparently they had other plans."

Her eyes widen, and I can see the pieces clicking into place in her mind. "You're saying the Coven did this? That they went ahead with the rituals anyway?"

"Exactly." I let out a hollow laugh, shaking my head. "They tricked all of us. The whole wedding was meant to just be symbolic at that point—a political move to keep the peace. No magic, no binding rituals. But the Coven went through with the magic anyway. They—" I pause, rubbing my temples. "They did something, Siobhan. Something to me, to Ronan. I can feel it. You saw it in action. And I don't know their reasons but we have to figure them out."

She's quiet for a moment, absorbing the weight of what I'm saying. I can practically hear her brain working through the implications, the anger building behind her eyes again, sharper this time. "They used you," she says, her voice tight, controlled. "They manipulated all of you."

"Yeah," I murmur, my voice flat. "That's about the size of it."

"And Ronan? His mother? They didn't know?"

"They were blindsided," I say, remembering the way Ronan's eyes had darkened with shock when the magic surged around us. "Ronan was furious. I've seen it in his face at the altar. They must have thought the magic would stop the moment I stepped in for Isabelle, but the Coven pushed the rituals through, anyway. I don't even think Jean knew what was happening until it was too late. And knowing her it must royally pissed her off."

Siobhan's jaw clenches, her fingers tightening around mine. "Those witches. I swear, if Nimah knew anything about this, if she kept this from me—"

"I don't know if she did," I cut in, shaking my head. "I'm not entirely sure who I can trust right now, beside you, to be honest. Something feels off. The magic... I can feel it in my skin, Siobhan. It's like it's inside me, moving around, and I can't get it out. And the visions—I think I have them because of that—"

Siobhan clenches her jaw, her hand tightening around mine. "And where the hell is Ronan in all of this? He and his mother forced you into this mess, the least he could do is face it with you."

I swallow hard, my gaze dropping to the floor. "He's... avoiding me."

There's a long, tense silence, and when I finally look up, Siobhan is staring at me like I've just grown a second head. "Avoiding you?"

I nodded, the all-too-familiar frustration bubbling up inside me. "It's like I'm invisible. We've been married for five days, and he still manages to avoid me like I'm some kind of ghost. It's not like I'm hard to find—I'm practically on lockdown in this room right next to his. But, of course, he's always got some excuse not to talk to me. I haven't even had a real conversation with him about this whole... marriage situation. And now? I have no idea where he is. So what am I supposed to do? Sit around and hope he shows up?"

Yeah, that'll work.

Siobhan lets out a long, slow breath, shaking her head in disbelief. "That's because he knows he screwed up. They all have. Jean, Liam, the Coven—they've all thrown you into the middle of this, and now none of them want to deal with the fallout."

I open my mouth to argue, but I can't. Not really. I've felt it from the moment I stepped foot in this house—the tension, the avoidance, the way no one seems to know what to do with me. And Ronan... God, Ronan. Every time I think I'll finally have a moment alone with him, he slips away, leaving me to drown in the silence of this too-big suite.

"It's not just Ronan," Siobhan says quietly, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It's Nimah, too."

I blink, surprised by the sudden shift in her tone. "Nimah?"

Siobhan nods, her expression hardening again. "I talked to her last night. Asked her about everything that's been going on with the Coven, with Isabelle, with the wedding... and she didn't tell me a damn thing. She knew something was wrong, Maeve. She had to have known. But she didn't say a word to me."

My heart sinks at the pain in her voice. Siobhan and Nimah have always been rock solid, the kind of relationship that could weather any storm. Hearing that there's a crack in that foundation feels like someone's knocked the wind out of me. "Maybe she didn't know," I offer, though I don't even believe the words as they leave my mouth.

Siobhan scoffs. "She knew. And now I don't know if I can trust her. I don't know if I can trust anyone."

The room falls silent again, and I don't know what to say. Siobhan's anger is a mirror of my own, but it's deeper than that. She's scared. Scared for me, for herself, for the cracks appearing in her own life. And I don't know how to fix it.

"What do we do?" I ask, the weight of it all pressing down on me. "How do we even begin to fix this?"

Siobhan doesn't answer right away. She looks down at her hands, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Then, finally, she speaks, her voice low and fierce. "We figure out what's going on. We get to the bottom of whatever the hell the Coven is planning, and we stop it. We keep you safe."

Her words should be comforting, but all they do is remind me how much danger we're really in. The Coven, the pack, the rogue wolves, the visions... it's all tangled together in a web I can't see the edges of. And every time I try to pull at one thread, the whole thing seems to tighten around me, suffocating me just a little bit more.

Before I can respond, the door to the suite swings open with a sharp creak, and Ronan strides in, his presence filling the room with a sudden intensity that sucks all the air out of my lungs.

"Oh, look who decided to show up", I said, sarcasm dripping in my voice. "Well, hello, Mr. Surprise. Nice of you to drop by six days after announcing our sentence—oops, I mean marriage."

He's tense, his jaw set, his ice-blue eyes sharp as they lock onto me. There's something off about him, though. Something beyond the usual brooding intensity. He looks... nervous. And Ronan Westwood doesn't do nervous.

"We need to talk," Ronan says, his voice low but tight, like he's holding something back. His gaze flickers briefly to Siobhan, acknowledging her presence but not really addressing her. His focus is entirely on me, and it sends a wave of unease through my body. There's something in his eyes, something I can't quite place, a mixture of urgency and frustration that twists my stomach into knots.

I open my mouth to say "sure we do" — I'm not gonna let him intimidate me after all of this, but Siobhan beats me to it.

She steps forward, her hands clenched into fists at her sides, her body radiating anger. "You've got a lot of nerve walking in here like that, after what you've done to her."

Sure, he's the mighty Alpha and he's, like, ten times bigger than her, could probably snap her like a twig without even breaking a sweat—but it's kind of nice to see him thrown off balance. Even if it's just a flicker. 

His jaw tightens, his whole body goes stiff like a statue, but still, no response. Not a single word to defend himself, no sharp retort. Nothing.

His eyes stay locked on mine, though. Unyielding. It's like he's waiting for something, and I can't figure out what. Like he expects me to stand up and confront him, to scream, to cry, to—what? 

Fuck him and whatever he wants from me!

I don't even know how to react. Every word, every feeling I've been holding back for the past six days sits heavy in my throat, but I can't let it out. Not with Siobhan standing there, ready to tear him apart.

"Siobhan..." I say, trying to ease the tension in the room, even though I'm not sure I can. My voice sounds far away, like I'm watching this all from a distance. "I need to talk to him. We've got a lot to discuss."I keep my eyes locked on Ronan, not backing down. He's not going to intimidate me, not this time.

She whips her head toward me, her eyes wide with disbelief. "What? Maeve, are you serious?"

I nod, still holding my gaze steady on my husband—funny word, considering the circumstances. "Yeah, I'm serious," I say, not breaking eye contact for a second.

I hate asking her to leave. She's the only person in this room I feel like I can count on, the only one who really knows what this whole situation is doing to me.

 But I can't deal with both of them at the same time. Not right now. Whatever Ronan needs to say. He has also a lot to answer for. And I need to hear it. Alone.

Siobhan looks like she wants to argue, like she wants to throw herself between me and Ronan and protect me from whatever's coming next. But after a long moment, she sighs, her shoulders dropping.

 "Fine," she says, her voice sharp with frustration. "I'll go. But if he so much as looks at you the wrong way, you call me." 

She tosses my phone and charger onto the bed with a sigh before turning on her heel and leaving without another word.

Her eyes dart to Ronan, giving him one last glare before she turns on her heel and heads for the door. She pauses at the threshold, glancing back at me with a look that's a mix of worry and something else—something protective, almost desperate.

"Remember, sis," she says quiety. "I'm just a phone call away."