Page 90 of Broken Forced Mate
“I’d rather have you part-time and happy than full-time and resentful.”
The compromise feels right for both of us. My intellectual ambitions don’t have to compete with my emotional needs. We can build something that honors both aspects of who I am.
“The matriarch mentioned she’s expanding exchange programs between territories,” Dora adds helpfully. “Students could complete degrees while contributing to inter-territorial projects.”
“That could actually work perfectly,” I muse. “Environmental restoration, diplomatic coordination, security consulting.”
“Using your enhanced abilities for practical applications,” Sera observes.
“Exactly. Making the education serve real purposes instead of just academic achievement.”
But it’s during a quiet moment while reviewing security that I feel something fundamental transform inside me. My psychic abilities suddenly burst to life, not with dangerous instability, but with new clarity and strength that takes my breath away. The sensation coincides with a moment of perfect understanding between Wyn and me as we coordinate defensive improvements.
“Did you feel that?” I ask, gripping the edge of the table.
“The psychic surge? Yes. But it felt different this time.”
“Like everything just clicked into place.”
“The bond between us is getting stronger.”
Sage confirms my suspicions during the next medical check. “Your abilities are stabilizing at a much higher level than before the battle. The trauma seems to have unlocked new potential we didn’t know existed.”
“Is that common with psychic abilities?”
“Rare, but not unheard of. If you’ve fully accepted your part as Wyn’s mate, it can trigger supernatural evolution in some individuals.”
“What kind of evolution are we talking about?”
“Enhanced range, improved control, new applications you couldn’t access before. The possibilities are quite remarkable.”
The practical work of rebuilding gives structure to our developing relationship. Wyn’s strategic mind complements my analytical approach as we design improved defenses that incorporate lessons learned from the battle. Our different perspectives create solutions neither of us could have developed alone.
“The eastern approach needs magical wards in addition to physical barriers,” I suggest during a planning session with Theodore and other security personnel.
“Agreed completely,” Wyn responds without hesitation. “But we also need conventional sensors for enemies who don’t use magic.”
“Layered defenses that cover multiple threat types,” Theodore adds. “Standard doctrine adapted for supernatural threats.”
“Exactly what I was thinking.”
Jay contributes intelligence analysis based on Mordaunt’s interrogation. “We should expect moresophisticated enemies in the future. The international weapons market means better-funded and better-equipped adversaries.”
“Which means our defenses need to be equally sophisticated,” I conclude.
“And adaptable,” Wyn adds. “We can’t prepare for every specific threat, but we can build systems that respond to unexpected challenges.”
The collaborative planning process reveals how well Wyn and I work together when we’re not fighting our bond or external expectations. Our partnership creates something stronger than either of us could manage alone.
But the question of our future together requires personal decisions beyond tactical planning.
“We still need to talk,” Wyn says during dinner one evening.
“The mating bond.”
“Whether we want to complete it. Properly this time, as a choice rather than an obligation.”
“Do you want to?” I ask him.
