Page 35 of Broken Forced Mate
Lydia Thornwick making a personal phone call is like seeing a unicorn—theoretically possible but practically unheard of. The Llewelyn Matriarch maintains careful distance from political entanglements, preferring to operate through intermediaries and formal channels.
“We’re driving to your location as we speak,” she continues. “Sera has information you need to hear.”
“What kind of information?”
“It’s better delivered in person. We’re already on our way; we should arrive in just a few minutes.”
The line goes dead, leaving me staring at my phone in confusion.
“What was that about?” Ash asks.
“I’m not sure. But if Lydia Thornwick is personally traveling here, the situation is worse than we thought.”
Wyn appears in the kitchen doorway, clearly having overheard the conversation. “The Llewelyn Matriarch is coming here?”
“Apparently.”
“Why?”
“I have no idea. But Lydia doesn’t make house calls unless the world is ending.”
Ash gathers her files and stands. “I should report this to the other leaders. If Llewelyn is getting directly involved, they’ll want to set up a meeting with her.”
She leaves through the back door, probably to meet up with my brother. Wyn and I are left alone in his kitchen, surrounded by evidence of the conspiracy that destroyed my old life and created this impossible new one.
“Are you okay?” he asks quietly.
“No. I’m married to a man who rejected me, living in his house, studying intelligence reports about people who want to use me. Nothing about this situation qualifies as okay.”
“I meant about Bastian. Learning that everything between you was fake.”
I let out a shaky breath and chuckle. “He cried when he proposed. Actual tears. He talked about his sister dying in a car accident and how meeting me made him believe in love again. It was all a lie. And I believed every word because I wanted to believe that someone could love me for who I am rather than who my family is.”
Wyn inches closer, but he stops himself after a couple of steps. “Someone does love you for who you are.”
“Don’t.”
“Raegan—”
“I said don’t. You made your feelings clear that night in the garden. This marriage doesn’t change that.”
A part of me wants him to argue, to fight to make me understand, but he doesn’t. Wyn just rubs the back of his neck and glances out the window as cars pull into his driveway.
Through the window, I see Sera climbing out of the passenger seat of a black sedan. The driver is a woman I don’t recognize, but her posture screams bodyguard.
Matriarch Lydia emerges from the back seat like royalty stepping out of a carriage. She wears a tailored coat the color of deep wine, fitted slacks, and heeled boots polished to a shine. A string of pearls rests at her throat as a subtle but noteworthy symbol of her status. Her silver hair is drawn back in a smooth chignon, and her pale blue eyes move over Wyn’s property, weighing every detail.
More cars arrive behind hers. I recognize several faces from Llewelyn: women from my classes, my roommate Dora, and even Professor Holeman from the diplomatic relations program. This isn’t a social call. It’s an invasion.
“What the hell?” I mutter, moving toward the front door.
Wyn follows me outside, and I can feel his wolf reacting to the sudden presence of so many unfamiliar people on his land, but he doesn’t say anything.
Sera reaches me first, and she wraps me in a hug that smells like her familiar vanilla perfume and something else—fear.
“I’m so glad you’re safe,” she whispers in my ear. “When we heard what really happened…”
“What did you hear?”
