Much to his surprise, she laughed, raising her eyebrows.
“Is that what you think? You think I’m so hung up on one night of sex with you that I followed you to see where you were going?”
Ronan looked at her, trying to read the bemused expression on her face. If she wasn’t stalking him, why was she here? There was no other reason for it that he could see.
“Yes. That is exactly what I think,” he replied.
“I’m not here for you, Alpha. I’m here to represent my clan,” she replied.
“Your clan?”
“Yes. We have no Alphas of age, so my clan elected an Omega to lead us. That Omega is me.”
Ronan was speechless. He stood looking at her, uncertain what to say next. If she wasn’t stalking him today and had already known about this council meeting, perhaps about him, was she stalking him last night then? Was that any better?
“Then you were stalking me last night,” he stated.
“Aye. I’ll admit to that.”
“Why?”
“I just wanted to see what you were like for myself, without all these others pushing me to the side like they are so keen to do.”
“You could have just asked for a private meeting.”
“I could have, but would you have taken it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Exactly.”
They stood there looking at one another in silence for a moment. Finally, Ronan sighed.
“That won’t ever happen again. I don’t appreciate you being so deceitful just to get an in with me. I’ve a mind to ban you from this meeting, as well.”
“I didn’t sleep with you to get into this meeting. I just wanted to meet you. The rest just happened. Anyway, it’s not up to you,” she told him, but he could hear the uncertainty in her voice.
“No, but you need me to talk that bunch out there into letting you stay. They weren’t exactly welcoming you with open arms now, were they?”
“No.”
“All right. I’ll get them to give you a seat at the table, but you’ll have to hold your own from there. Fucking me won’t win you any favors. That was a bad decision on your part.”
“Was it?” she cooed.
“Yes,” he replied, ignoring the urge to push her against the nearest wall and fuck her so hard she had to stand during the rest of the meeting.
Instead, he opened the door and motioned for her to exit. They walked back out into the meeting to find all eyes on them—some questioning, some disapproving.
“Maeve will be staying for the meeting today. Past that, we’ll decide how to move forward.”
“You speak for all of us now?” one of the Alphas snarled.
“No. We all speak together, every clan in this region, but that includes hers.”
There was a loud scoff from the other end of the table, but Ronan couldn’t be sure who from based on the scowls across all their faces. He chose to just ignore it and move on with things. It was up to her to gain their acceptance, not him.
CHAPTER FIVE
Maeve
Maeve remained silent as Ronan continued to quell the grumbles from around the room. They continued even as the men began to take seats around the table.
“I know that this is unusual, but we agreed that we would work toward bringing the bear clans of the south into more modern times. If we are to toss out the old ways and build a path forward, that should include an opportunity for everyone. Maeve is here to represent her clan, which has no Alpha. We should see what they can bring to the table, as well.”
“She’s a fucking Maguire,” someone shouted.
Ronan looked struck, turning to Maeve with a shocked expression. She was surprised it had never occurred to him to ask her any questions about her clan, but he’d had different things on his mind last night and, she supposed, this morning. She had to speak now or risk him turning on her. She turned toward the men in front of them.
“I am not a Maguire. I am a woman who was promised to one of their men, like so many other women in my clan. Some of us are now widowed, and others, like me, are released from the betrothals made against our will. I am no more a Maguire than any of your Omegas who were sent to be married into a clan that decimated your numbers and used them to build their own.”
“You’re not an Alpha. You don’t belong here. All this nonsense about modernizing isn’t what our clans are about. We are built of fire and steel, born from men who fought wars to hold our lands,” a voice called out from the back.
“Omegas gave birth to those warriors and nursed their wounds. You lost your last war, and still, they remained by your side. Well, except those who were sold, traded, or promised to the brutal men that stole your lives from you. I think we’ve earned a seat at the table,” she replied.