Page 143 of His Forced Bride

Unable to eat, I pick up my plate and toss it in the sink.

Pancakes and syrup splash on the counter and I grip the edge of it to steady myself.

"You don't understand the realities of this world?—"

"Stop," I snap.

Then I turn to face him, as angry as I've ever been.

"Stop treating me like a child who doesn't understand consequences. I know exactly what my mother is capable of. I know the risks, and I'm telling you I don't care."

Yuri moves closer, and I see something dangerous flickering in his dark eyes.

"You should care. This war is bloodier than anything you can imagine. Once you cross certain lines, there's no going back to who you used to be."

"Good. I don't want to go back to who I used to be. That woman was naive and trusting and weak. She let people betray her because she couldn't imagine anyone being cruel enough to hurt someone they claimed to love."

I step closer to him, not backing down from the intensity of his stare.

"I'm not her anymore."

"And who are you now?"

"I'm your wife. Your equal. The woman who's going to help you destroy the people who tried to destroy us."

I reach up to cup his face, feeling the tension in his jaw beneath my palms.

I've forgotten what it felt like to be weak and let someone shepherd me.

I don't want that anymore.

I am leaning into this new version of me—the angry one, the violent one.

Because this version of me can protect myself.

"Stop trying to protect me from this fight. I'm already in it, whether you like it or not. The only question is whether I'm fighting beside you or fighting alone."

My eyes search his and he scowls at me.

I know he doesn’t want me involved, and that's half the reason he kept me locked away with no contact to the outside world, but it's too late.

I'm involved now, and he has to respect me.

"You want to be involved in planning?" he finally asks.

"I want to be involved in everything."

"The meetings with my lieutenants can get brutal. These men don't pull their punches when discussing strategy, and some of their suggestions might shock you."

"Let them try."

Something shifts in his expression then.

He's actually thinking about this.

He's seeing me differently, recognizing that the woman standing before him isn't the same one he'd married months ago.

"There's a meeting scheduled for this afternoon," he says slowly.