The Alpha's Silent Bride: Seventh Time's The Charm

Chapter 74: 074: Kael’s Mischief

~ RONAN ~

Even though I’m leaving her in Nikolai’s care, I can’t just walk away like that. The last two times I trusted him to watch over her, something went wrong. The first time, Mara got into her room. The second time, those two pack guards cornered her because they wanted their little revenge. I can’t afford to make that mistake again.

Even though I’m exhausted, I change my destination. Instead of heading to my room to sleep, I make my way to the Seer. Maybe she can help me. Maybe she can create some kind of connection that lets me know the moment Roselle is in danger.

Entering her quarters, I find her seated before the temple, an incense stick burning beside her. Wisps of smoke curl through the air. She stills as though she senses my presence before her eyes slowly lift to meet mine.

I bow my head in respect.

"What brings you here, Alpha?" she asks, her calm voice echoing softly through the temple.

I hesitate for a beat before stepping closer. "I need your help," I say quietly, then lower myself onto the chair across from her.

I explain what I need, and she watches me in silence for a long moment. Her gaze never leaves mine. Then she clears her throat.

"The spell I create will establish a link between the two of you," she says. "A bond that transcends physical distance. You’ll be able to feel her emotions... her fear... her pain."

She falls silent for a beat.

"If she’s hurt, you’ll feel it," she continues. "Not as though it’s happening to your body, but as though you’re living through her pain. If she’s terrified, you’ll know the exact moment her fear takes hold. The connection will be constant, tugging at the edge of your mind."

Another moment of silence passes before she studies me carefully.

"Are you willing to carry that burden?" she asks quietly. "To feel her pain from hundreds of miles away, knowing there’s nothing you can do except endure it with her?"

I hesitate for a moment. What she’s describing is pure fucking torture, an agony unlike anything I can imagine. It’s the worst kind of helplessness, knowing she’ll be in pain while I’m too far away to reach her.

But then I think about Roselle, and it’s better this way. It’s better that I can feel things and communicate easily with Nikolai than come back to find her hurt, broken... or worse.

"Yes," I say without a second thought.

"Absolutely yes. I’m willing."

She inclines her head, acknowledging my acceptance.

"We shall begin," she says, moving toward the shelves that line her walls.

My eyes trail after her as she gathers crystals, different herbs, and threads of silver and gold.

"Come," she says, beckoning me over with a gesture toward her table.

I exhale and walk over, my gaze never leaving her as she arranges the materials into an intricate pattern. Then she begins to chant, her voice flowing in a language that predates human civilization, each syllable vibrating through the very air around us.

The materials begin to glow.

The light intensifies, swirling together, merging into something that takes the shape of a pendant. It’s small, and almost feminine in its crafting. Made of silver and set with a stone that glows with soft blue light, the color of twilight, the color of safety, the color of the bond between true mates.

She lifts it carefully, the chain draping over her aged hands.

"This will only work if she wears it willingly," she says, handing it to me. "The magic requires her consent. She must choose to keep it on. If she removes it, if she rejects it, the protection will fail."

Warm against my skin, the pendant pulses gently in my palm, its rhythm mirroring the steady beat of my heart.

"When you place it around her neck," the Seer continues, "she will feel safe, and protected, but she won’t understand the full extent of what it does or know that you’re connected to her, that you can feel what she feels. That knowledge must come later, when the time is right."

I stare at the pendant, turning it over in my hands.

It’s beautiful. It’s perfect. And it’s terrifyingly inadequate.

The Seer’s expression grows somber.

"It will alert you to danger," she says carefully. "It will give you warning if she’s in immediate peril. And it will create a barrier against some forms of magical harm. But it cannot stop a determined enemy. It cannot prevent all pain, all suffering, all loss."

She steps closer to me.

"No magic can do that, Alpha," she says quietly. "All it can do is give you a connection. All it can do is ensure that you know when she needs you. The rest... the rest depends on her strength and your willingness to be there when she calls."

I close my fist around the pendant, feeling its warmth spreading through my palm.

"That will have to be enough,"

I rise to my feet, the relic clutched tightly in my hand. Giving a respectful bow, I turn and head to my chambers.

The moment the door shuts behind me, the silence settles in.

I can’t sleep.

I pace the room, dragging a hand through my hair before letting out a frustrated breath. The last thing I want to resort to is alcohol, but these nights without her have been miserable. Kael and I have buried ourselves in work, convincing ourselves that if we stay busy enough, we’ll eventually forget.

We were wrong.

If anything, the silence only makes it worse.

My chest feels tight, and my head throbs with a vicious pulse. It feels like World War III is raging inside my skull, each heartbeat pounding harder than the last. I squeeze my eyes shut and pinch the bridge of my nose.

Fuck.

I know I could take a Tylenol, but that’s going to be a fucking disaster because the ache in my chest is far worse than the one pounding in my head.

"How about we go to her room and see her again?" Kael suggests.

I huff, rubbing a hand over my face.

"No. We’re not doing that. It’s late, she’s probably asleep, and I’ll give her the pendant in the morning."

"Who says we’re giving her the pendant?" he counters, his tone dripping with mischief. "We can sneak up to her window and spy on her."

A laugh almost escapes me.

His suggestion drags me back to the first time we climbed up to her window like a couple of idiots, just to catch a glimpse of her.

"You’re a terrible influence," I mutter.

"Says the man who’s seriously considering it."

I shake my head, but a reluctant smile tugs at the corner of my lips.

"I’m not doing that!"