“There is no other way. She’s the only Llewelyn woman with psychic abilities. The only one bonded to her mate. Without her attempting this, the curse continues unchallenged for another generation.”
“Then maybe it continues,” Ash speaks quietly but with conviction. “Maybe some things aren’t worth the cost of breaking them.”
She’s right. Maybe asking Sera to risk everything isn’t worth it. Maybe I’m just trying to justify keeping my mate close under the guise of noble intentions and curse-breaking necessity.
Maybe I’m no better than the witch who wove revenge into protection spells.
“The council will support whatever Sera decides.” Oren cuts through my spiraling thoughts with the finality of an alpha’s decree. “Security during the ritual, if she chooses to attempt it. Defense coordination with Llewelyn, regardless of what she decides to do about the curse. But Reeyan? If you push her toward a choice she’s not ready to make, if you manipulate her using the mate bond or pack politics or anything else, you’ll answer to me personally. Understood?”
I gather my documents, suddenly exhausted by this conversation. “Is there anything else the council needs from me?”
“Just one thing.” Wyn stands, preparing to leave. “When are you planning to tell her about the marriage requirement?”
“Tonight.”
“Good.” He moves toward the door. “Because if she finds out about it from anyone but you, this whole thing falls apart before it even starts. She’ll never trust you again, and without trust, the magic won’t work, anyway.”
The council meeting breaks up with members filing out with their assignments and various levels of concern about what we’re attempting. I remain at the table, staring at the mapshowing Thornridge positions and trying to figure out how to tell Sera that breaking the curse requires marrying me.
A woman I’ve known for barely a week. Who has every reason not to trust me after I kept the mate bond secret. Who’s already struggling with whether what we have is real or just supernatural coercion dressed up as connection.
And now I have to ask her to marry me to break a curse that might kill her.
Perfect.
Chapter 19 - Sera
I sit across from Reeyan in his study, watching him organize documents with the same meticulous care he applies to everything. He’s been quiet since returning from the council meeting, and the dread building in my stomach tells me whatever he needs to say isn’t going to be good.
He finally looks up from the papers to say, “The council agreed to support our attempt at breaking the curse. They’ll coordinate defenses with Llewelyn, provide security during the ritual, and offer whatever resources the Hysopp Coven needs.”
“That’s good.” I wait for the other shoe to drop. “What else?”
“There’s a complication with the ritual itself. Something I found in the documents Evangeline gave us.” He pulls out a specific page from the Hysopp archives. “The mate bond needs to be formalized. Made official through a ceremony recognized by all the packs.”
“What does that mean, formalized?” But even as I ask, I already know. The sinking feeling in my gut tells me exactly what he’s going to say.
“It means we need to get married.” He says it plainly, without embellishment. “A formal mating ceremony that binds us legally and magically in front of witnesses from every pack. The power required to break a curse this old can only be channeled through a bond that’s been consecrated properly.”
I gawk at him, waiting for the punchline that doesn’t come.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not. The magic requires more than just the physical bond we’ve completed. It needs the formal recognition, the public declaration, the witnessed ceremony that makes the mating official in every sense.”
I stand because sitting feels impossible right now. “So, let me get this straight. To break the curse, I need to marry you. Actually, marry you. In front of everyone. Binding myself to you forever.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re just telling me this now?” My voice rises despite my efforts to stay calm. “When exactly were you planning to mention this little detail?”
“I just found out the full extent of the requirement myself.” He stands as well, moving around the desk toward me. “This isn’t something I kept from you intentionally.”
I back away when he gets too close, holding my arms out between us. “This seems awfully convenient. You save me, you keep me here, you complete the physical bond, and now suddenly, the only way to break the curse is for me to marry you? That’s not suspicious at all.”
“It’s what the magic requires.” His voice stays level even as mine climbs higher. “I didn’t write the rules for breaking three-hundred-year-old curses. I’m just telling you what needs to happen. Where we go from here is your decision.”
I bark out a laugh. “Like I have any choice in the matter. Marry you or let my entire pack stay cursed. Bind myself to a man I barely know, or condemn every future generation of Llewelyn women to living as ice. That’s not a choice, Reeyan. That’s coercion.”
