Page 8 of Broken Forced Mate
“Nervous packer,” Dora explains with a knowing look.
“Right.” Sera settles into my desk chair. “So, how are we handling this engagement announcement? Full fanfare or subtle mention?”
“Subtle,” I quickly respond. “Very subtle.”
“Your brother is going to want details,” she warns. “Alphas are protective types.”
The thought of facing Oren’s questions makes my stomach twist. He’s always been able to see through my defenses, to know when I’m hiding something important. This engagement is going to raise red flags for him.
“Maybe I should tell him about Bastian before the formal announcement,” I muse.
“Good idea,” Dora agrees. “Give him time to process before you spring a wedding on him.”
Wedding. The word makes me feel slightly nauseous. I haven’t even thought about planning a ceremony, choosing colors, or sending invitations. The whole thing feels surreal, like someone else’s life I’m observing from the outside.
“When’s the wedding supposed to happen?” Sera asks.
“We haven’t set a date yet.” Another truth that should worry me more than it does. What engaged couple doesn’t immediately start planning their future together?
“You might want to figure that out before you go home,” she suggests. “Your family is going to ask.”
My family. The concept feels strange after three years away. Oren and his wife, Ash. My mother, whom I speak to once a month in stilted phone conversations that never go beneath the surface.
And Wyn, who will probably be there in his role as Oren’s advisor and protector.
The thought of seeing him again makes my pulse spike. Three years of careful distance, of building a new life where his rejection can’t touch me, and now I have to face him with another man’s ring on my finger.
“You okay?” Sera asks, tilting her head to the side. “You look pale.”
I close the suitcase and zip it shut. “Just tired. Long drive ahead of us tomorrow.”
“About that,” she says, standing. “I should probably tell you something before we leave.”
Her serious tone makes me look up. “What?”
“I got a message from the matriarch this morning. She wants me to accompany you as an official representative of the Llewelyn pack.”
I blink. “Why?”
“Your engagement to Bastian has regional implications. She wants to make sure the Llewelyn interests are properly represented in any discussions. I won’t be able to leave with you because I need to finish up a couple of things, but I’ll come up a couple of days after you get there.”
The idea of turning my personal announcement into a political event makes me feel even more unsettled. “This is supposed to be a family visit, not a summit meeting.”
“I know. But you’re not just anyone, Rae. You’re the sister of the Grayhide Alpha, and Bastian has connections throughout the territory. Your marriage could influence trade agreements, territorial boundaries, resource sharing…the list goes on.”
This is exactly what I’ve been trying to escape by coming to Llewelyn territory. A constant awareness that my personal choices have political consequences.
“Sometimes I think it would be easier to be nobody,” I mutter.
“But then you wouldn’t be you,” Dora offers, gathering her things from her desk. “And despite all your complaining, you love being involved in diplomatic work. It’s what you’re good at.”
She’s right. The classes I’ve taken here have awakened something in me that I didn’t know existed. The complex dance of negotiation, the challenge of finding common ground between opposing sides, the satisfaction of crafting agreements that benefit everyone involved.
Maybe that’s why Bastian’s proposal felt so natural to accept. On paper, we make sense together. Two young diplomats building a future in interpack relations.
On paper doesn’t account for the way my heart still skips when I think about gray eyes and the memory of a rejection that cut me to the bone.
“Safe travels, you two,” Dora tells us, heading for the door. “Try not to start any diplomatic incidents.”
