Page 53 of Broken Forced Mate
I open my mouth, and I almost tell her about what happened between us three years ago, but the memory of Raegan’s face last night is too fresh. The self-loathing in her voice when she called herself weak.
“She regrets it,” I grind out.
“She regrets the circumstances that led to it. That’s not the same thing.”
Maude reaches across the table and covers one of my fists with her hand. The contact is gentle, maternal in a way I haven’t experienced in so many years.
“Your parents accepted resentment as inevitable, love as impossible.” Her fingers squeeze mine. “Don’t make their mistakes, child.”
“What if I hurt her more than I already have?”
“What if you don’t? What if you trust in her strength instead of hiding behind your fear?”
Jay bursts through the door without knocking, interrupting the conversation.
“We’ve got a problem,” he announces, then notices Maude and stops. “Sorry, didn’t know you were—”
“I was just leaving.” Maude rises from her chair, but she pauses at the door. “Think about what I said, Wyn. That girl loves you, whether she’s ready to admit it or not. The question is whether you’re brave enough to love her back.”
Then she’s gone, leaving me with Jay and whatever crisis he’s brought.
“What’s the situation?” I ask.
“Thornridge has accelerated its timeline. They’re moving in days, not weeks.”
My stomach drops. “How certain are we?”
“Dead certain. Once we took that prisoner, they got spooked and assumed he talked. They’re ready to jump into action.”
I follow Jay down the hallway toward the communications center.
“There’s more,” Jay continues as we walk. “More schools in the area have discovered their exchange students are with Thornridge. Shifters and wolves. We’re running background checks on every exchange student in the region.”
“They’re trying to get eyes all around us. How many territories are compromised?”
“We’re about to find out. Emergency communications going out to every pack leader within a hundred miles.”
The communications center is in chaos when we arrive. Radio chatter fills the room as operators coordinate with pack after pack, sharing intelligence and confirming similar infiltration patterns.
“Riverside Territory reports two confirmed operatives among their exchange students,” Theodore calls out from his station.
“Westfield has four,” another operator adds.
“Pine Ridge just found evidence of a supply cache hidden on their southern border.”
Each report paints a clearer picture of Thornridge’s regional strategy. They’re surrounding us by infiltrating all the neighboring towns. Then, they’ll be in place to use the Amanzite to expand.
“It’s a resource grab,” I realize aloud. “They hit us first for the Amanzite, then use that wealth to fund expansion into neighboring territories.”
Jay nods. “Domino effect. Once they take us, the others fall like clockwork.”
The responsibility settles on my shoulders. We’re not just fighting for our own survival; we’re the first line of defense for every pack in the region.
“Start coordinating intelligence sharing with every territory that’s been infiltrated,” I order. “Somebody find Oren and make sure he’s up to date. The alpha needs the details.”
The next few hours run together in a stream of phone calls, tactical planning, and resource allocation. By the time I return to my house, my head is pounding from too much caffeine and too little sleep. The bond with Raegan snaps to attention as soon as I step foot inside, but I don’t seek her out. After last night, she’s made it clear she needs space.
Instead, I try to sleep and fail miserably.
