Page 43 of Broken Forced Mate
“Then we find another way.”
The door opens and Wyn walks in, still wearing tactical gear from his latest reconnaissance mission. He looks exhausted but alert, like someone running on adrenaline and Amanzite alone.
“How did it go?” he asks.
“Our prisoner was very cooperative,” I reply. “We have confirmation of the timeline and general strategic approach. Reeyan found historical precedents that suggest we’re dealing with a conquest pattern that’s been refined over generations.”
Wyn nods and takes a seat at the table. “That matches what we observed at their main camp.”
We spend the next two hours going through Reeyan’s research, comparing historical tactics to current intelligence, trying to find weaknesses we can exploit. The more we learn, the more hopeless our situation appears.
“We need help from the other territories,” Veva comments. “The Llewelyn are here, but we could use the coastal packs, maybe even reach out to some of the eastern territories.”
“That takes time we don’t have,” Wyn replies. “And it assumes they’d be willing to get involved in what they might see as a local dispute.”
“This isn’t local if Thornridge is planning a regional conquest.”
“Try convincing territorial leaders to commit resources based on historical speculation and the testimony of one captured operative.”
The argument that follows reveals just how desperate our situation has become. Every potential solution requires resources we don’t have or time we can’t spare. We’re reacting to a plan that’s been months in the making, and we’re losing ground with every hour that passes.
“Enough,” I say when the debate starts going in circles. “We work with what we have. Forty or so fighters, knowledge of the local terrain, and advance warning of their timeline. It’s not much, but it’s something.”
“It’s not enough,” Wyn insists. “We need every advantage we can get, including your enhanced abilities at full strength.”
My jaw drops, and I gawk at him. “Ash told you…?”
He drops his eyes to the table and replies, “She didn’t have to.”
“Just like I told her, that’s not happening,” I snap as my face burns.
“Why? Because you’re still angry about how we got married?”
“You’re seriously suggesting I sleep with you to save the world?” I scoff. “Are you kidding me right now? I’m not going to make life-altering decisions under this kind of stress, Wyn.”
We’re on our feet now, standing toe to toe in the middle of the break room while Veva and Reeyan watch in uncomfortable fascination.
Wyn’s voice drops to a whisper. “This is about survival, Raegan. Your survival, my survival, everyone we care about.”
“Don’t you dare make this about protecting me. I can protect myself.”
“What happens when Thornridge forces breach our defenses and you’re the primary target they’re here to capture?”
“Then I’ll deal with it when it happens.”
“Or you could just accept that we’re stronger together than apart.”
“We’re not together, Wyn. We’re legally bound by a forced marriage that neither of us wanted.”
Something moves across his face—pain, maybe, or disappointment. For a moment, I think he’s going to step back and end this argument like he always does when things get too personal.
Instead, he cups my face in his hands.
The contact sends electricity through every nerve ending I have. He brushes his thumbs across my cheekbones, and I can feel the calluses from years of weapons training.
Before I even know what’s happening, he’s kissing me.
This isn’t the desperate, angry kiss from our wedding night. This is deeper, like he’s trying to pour everything he can’t say into the connection between our mouths. My hands fistin his shirt without conscious thought, pulling him closer even as my brain screams warnings about letting desire cloud my judgment.
