Page 70 of Broken Forced Mate
“Plans fail. Protocols break down. People die.”
“People also die when we don’t have adequate intelligence to plan our defense.”
We keep circling back to the same fundamental disagreement. I can’t accept the risk to her safety. She can’t accept limits on her agency.
“What if something happens to you?” I ask quietly. “What if I never see you again?”
“What if something happens to you? What if one of your patrol missions goes wrong, or Thornridge gets lucky with an ambush?”
“That’s not the same thing.”
“It’s exactly the same thing,” she screams, throwing her hands in the air. “We both have dangerous jobs. We both accept risks for the greater good.”
“I need time to think,” I tell her.
“We don’t have time. The briefing is happening now, and the mission window is tomorrow night.”
“Then we’ll delay it.”
“We can’t delay it. You heard Reeyan’s research. Tomorrow night is the only opportunity before they lock down for attack.”
I feel trapped between impossible choices. Let her go on a mission that could get her killed, or force her to stay and destroy any trust we’ve built.
“I can’t support this,” I tell her honestly.
“Then don’t support it. But don’t try to stop it, either.”
She moves toward the door, and I realize this conversation is ending whether I’m ready or not.
With that, she opens the door and walks out, leaving me alone with a pile of historical documents that prove her mission is both necessary and potentially suicidal.
Through the window, I imagine Thornridge positions in the distance. Forces that are hunting my wife, planning to use her against us.
The thought of her walking into their hands makes me want to destroy something.
I could go to her brother, convince him to forbid her from leaving town. But the thought of betraying her trust and treating her like property makes me equally sick.
I have no idea how to protect someone who doesn’t want my protection.
Chapter 20 - Raegan
The Amanzite burns against my skin as I press myself flat against the rocky outcropping.
My wolf form gives me advantages no human operative could have—enhanced senses, natural camouflage among the desert scrub, and the ability to move silently across terrain that would betray a person on foot. The deep black stone pulses warm against my chest, hidden beneath my fur but connected to my psychic abilities in ways I’m still learning to understand.
The Thornridge compound spreads below me like a militarized fortress. What strikes me immediately is how different this location is from their previous bases. This isn’t temporary. Steel buildings rise from concrete foundations, connected by covered walkways and defensive positions that suggest permanent occupation.
Guard towers anchor each corner of the complex, manned by sentries whose emotional signatures radiate alertness and anticipation. Something big is happening soon. Their excitement feels electric through my psychic senses.
Focus on finding Mordaunt,I remind myself. Learn where he’s directing operations from. Gather intelligence on their final assault plans. Get out alive.
My psychic abilities feel amplified in wolf form, more instinctual but requiring careful control. Emotions from the guards below slide over my fur—boredom from perimeter patrols, excitement from someone anticipating action, and fear from a group near the central building.
But there’s something else. A psychic presence so strong it makes my abilities recoil and shrink away. Someone down there has power that dwarfs my own developing skills.
I pick my way down the slope, using shadows and natural cover to approach the perimeter. The guards move in patterns I’ve memorized from hours of observation, but their equipment is more sophisticated than anything I’ve seen before.
Motion sensors sweep approaches to the fence line. Heat detection systems monitor the ground. Electronic surveillance covers every angle. Magical wards halo around key buildings, designed to detect unauthorized psychic probing.
