Page 92 of Broken Forced Mate
The words feel true in a way they never could before. Not obligation or expectation, but genuine feeling earned through crisis and choice and mutual respect.
“I want you to mark me,” I whisper as pleasure builds toward something overwhelming.
His eyes snap up to my face. “Are you sure? Once I do, there’s no going back.”
“I’m completely certain. I choose this. I choose you. I choose us.”
His movements become more frenzied as we both approach the edge of something transformative. When release builds through my body, he finds the spot where my neck meets my shoulder, and his teeth pierce my skin in the ancient claiming that completes our mating bond.
The sensation explodes through my body—physical pleasure combining with a supernatural connection that links our souls. My psychic abilities explode and merge with his wolf, creating new pathways of understanding and strength that leave me gasping.
“Mine,” he growls against my throat as his own release follows.
“Yours,” I agree breathlessly. “And you’re mine. Completely mine.”
“Always. Forever.”
We lie together afterward, skin cooling as our breathing gradually returns to normal. I trace the mark on my neck that will never fade, and it tingles with a new connection that allows me to sense his emotions and thoughts in ways I never could before.
“How do you feel?” he asks, craning his neck to look at me.
“Complete.”
“The bond is stronger than I expected. I can feel your thoughts.”
“Our abilities are enhanced, too. I can feel your wolf like it’s my own.”
“And I can sense your psychic awareness. It’s incredible how connected we are now.”
“Do you think the others know?” I ask. “About the completed bond?”
“Probably. Mated pairs have a different energy signature that most supernaturals can detect. I’m sure you’ve noticed it in others around town.”
“Good. No more questions about whether this is real.”
“It’s real. Finally, completely real.”
Outside our window, reconstruction of the valley continues under the stars. But inside our bedroom, two people who started off married out of necessity have finally become something genuine and lasting.
When we meet with the tactical team the next morning, Jay mentions the intelligence they've gathered on Thornridge's recruiting methods. "They're still pulling from the same pool," he reports. "Disgruntled pack members, people who left bad situations seeking something better."
"And Mordaunt exploited that," I observe. "Promised them purpose and belonging, then used them as cannon fodder. The same cycle that drives people away from traditional pack structures in the first place."
"Which is why our approach has to be different," Wyn adds. "We can't just defeat Thornridge. We need to offer genuine alternatives to the systems that create fighters for people like Mordaunt to recruit."
The future stretches ahead with new challenges and opportunities, but we’ll face them as true partners bonded by choice rather than obligation.
The mark on my neck throbs as a permanent reminder of the love we chose and the bond we completed when we were finally ready to embrace both.
Tomorrow will bring new responsibilities and decisions about our shared future. But tonight belongs to us, to the connection we’ve built and the love we’ve finally acknowledged without reservation or fear.
Epilogue - Wyn
Six months after the battle, I watch my wife command a room full of interpack leaders who once dismissed her as a political convenience.
“Early warning systems require more than just technology,” Raegan explains to the assembled delegates. Her voice carries complete confidence now, nothing like the reluctant bride who fought our marriage arrangement. “They need trust networks that cross territorial boundaries and information sharing protocols that survive leadership changes.”
She clicks to the next slide of her presentation. Statistics and threat assessments fill the screen behind her. “The Thornridge infiltration succeeded because they exploited our isolation from each other. They counted on us not communicating effectively across territorial lines.”
