Forced Marriage: The Commander's Wife

Forced Marriage: The Commander's Wife: Episode 3

RAVEN’S POV

The house was quiet. Too quiet for the chaos unfolding miles away.

I sat at the large desk in my private study, laptop open, multiple screens displaying real-time feeds. My fingers moved with precision over the keyboard, checking updates from my team. Every unit reported back exactly as I expected—positions confirmed, movements monitored, contingencies ready.

“Alpha team, status?” I asked, my voice was calm and professional.

Responses came immediately over the encrypted channels, clear and efficient. No mistakes. No hesitation.

I leaned back in my chair for a moment, scanning the maps and tactical data. Northern sector—movement confirmed. Diversion attempts detected. My team was handling it perfectly.

A faint smile tugged at my lips. Lucas didn’t have a clue. He was out there, following the voice I had authorized, completely unaware that I was controlling every step from here.

The irony was delicious. He assumed he was in command. He assumed the battlefield required his authority. He didn’t know that I had already anticipated every possible scenario.

I typed a quick set of instructions, sending orders simultaneously to three different units. Every command precise. Every outcome is calculated.

Then I paused, glancing at the clock. A slight shiver of satisfaction ran through me. The General’s daughter—or, as the world saw me, just Raven Blackwell—remained completely hidden. No one outside my team knew who I really was. No one knew the depth of my work, my rank, or my experience.

Lucas… my husband, my reluctant companion in this forced marriage… would only see what I wanted him to see. And right now, that was a calm, composed woman, seemingly harmless, managing the situation with effortless authority.

I closed my laptop briefly, stretching. My team had everything under control. My husband, out there in the field, had no idea who was truly directing him.

And that was exactly how I wanted it.

For now.

Because secrets were my advantage.

And he didn’t even know the game had already started.

LUCAS’ POV

The northern sector was chaos, but somehow, everything felt… organized. Orders came through my earpiece with perfect timing—move, hold, flank—but I couldn’t see who was actually giving them.

I glanced at the unknown voice, standing a few meters away, calm and composed. She wasn’t giving commands. She wasn’t even looking at me. And yet… every instruction I received matched her calm, precise demeanor.

I gritted my teeth. “Who is giving these orders?” I muttered under my breath, frustration rising.

The voice crackled again through my earpiece. “Commander Smith, adjust position. East cover is compromised. Fall back five meters and maintain line of sight.”

I obeyed automatically, heart pounding. My instincts screamed that this was no ordinary operation—and that the person behind it wasn’t ordinary either.

I stole another glance at the unknown voice. She was still standing there, completely at ease, phone in hand, quietly coordinating the unseen units. She hadn’t exposed herself, hadn’t stepped into the field, and yet she controlled everything.

And I had no idea what she was capable of.

Every move I made, every decision I followed, was because of her. And the more I obeyed.

Her calm, composed presence unnerved me in a way I couldn’t shake. I wanted to confront her, demand answers, assert control—but I knew better. Not now. Not while she had the battlefield in her hands.

Step by step, I moved exactly as instructed, aware that the unknown voice was watching… and unseen, she was winning.

I froze as the voice crackled again in my earpiece.

“Commander Smith, adjust your position. East cover is compromised. Fall back five meters immediately.”

I clenched my jaw. My instincts screamed at me to obey—but something inside me refused.

I didn’t know who was giving these orders. Not their rank. Not their unit. Not even their face. And yet, the voice spoke as if it owned the battlefield.

I shook my head. “I don’t take orders from ghosts,” I muttered under my breath.

the unknown voice was standing nearby, calm as ever, phone in hand, perfectly composed. She didn’t even look at me. And yet… I could feel her presence, her authority, lurking just beneath the surface.

“Commander Smith, move now!” the voice barked again.

I ignored it. My eyes scanned the terrain, relying on my own experience, my own judgment. I was not about to blindly follow someone I couldn’t see, someone I didn’t know.

The unknown voice continued issuing commands to her unseen team, her calm voice echoing over the line. The operation was progressing perfectly… and I was entirely outside of it.

A flash of frustration ran through me. Who was this woman commanding unseen forces—and why was I even married to her?

I knew one thing for certain: I wasn’t going to follow anyone blindly. Not without knowing who they were.

And I had no idea how.

I ignored the voice, relying on my own judgment. Every movement I made was deliberate—scanning the terrain, positioning my squad, anticipating enemy movement. Years of war had trained me to trust my instincts.

But no matter how carefully I acted, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something—or someone—was always one step ahead of me.

“The east flank compromised,” the voice barked again.

I clenched my teeth. I wasn’t going to follow it. Not blindly.

And yet… units I couldn’t see were moving exactly as the voice had instructed. Every path, every maneuver, every cover position—perfectly executed.

I froze mid-step, staring at the empty landscape. Where were these people? Who was controlling them? And why did everything seem to work better than if I had done it myself?

A woman in disguise stood a few meters away, phone in hand, calm and collected. She didn’t look at me. She didn’t give a single command. And yet… I knew, somehow, that she was behind it all.

I hated that I couldn’t confirm it. Hated that I was forced to guess. Hated that I had no control over the situation.

And the worst part? I couldn’t deny that part of me was… impressed.

Her calm, hidden authority unnerved me more than any battlefield I had ever faced. And I realized with growing frustration: I was completely in the dark about this woman in disguise.

The unknown voice who is commanding was in disguise. Invisible, untouchable, untamed.

And I had no idea how to fight back.

RAVEN’S POV

I noticed immediately that he didn’t follow.

Commander Lucas Smith—stubborn, arrogant, infuriating—was trying to take control on his own. The operation was delicate, every second critical, and he was moving against my plan.

I didn’t hesitate.

Slipping into the shadows of the garage, I grabbed the tactical mask and hood I kept for emergencies. Only my eyes would be visible. My uniform was standard, unmarked, dark—enough to blend into the night and give no hint of who I really was.

Every movement was precise. Every action is calculated. I didn’t want him to see me coming—not yet. He needed to remain unaware that I was in control.

The earpiece crackled faintly in my ear, my team reporting positions. I gave quick, silent adjustments, then slipped out through the back gate.

The wind was cold, but I ignored it. My focus was entirely on Lucas. He was in the field, moving cautiously but still dangerously close to the enemy, relying on his own instincts. And instincts alone were not enough here.

I had to intervene.

Not as Raven Blackwell, the General’s daughter. Not as his wife.

But as the ghost commander he didn’t even know existed.

I moved silently, keeping low. My eyes never left him. Every step, every shift in cover, every glance toward the enemy—I calculated it all.

If he saw me, I had to be unrecognizable. Mask, hood, dark uniform—enough to hide my identity, but not so much that I lost my peripheral vision. He had to see only a figure moving with deadly precision.

And yet… part of me wondered if he’d recognize me anyway.

I was covering more than the battlefield. I was covering myself. My identity. My secrets. And for the first time since our forced marriage, I realized how much control I actually had over him—without him even knowing.

I needed to get close enough to guide him, without him realizing who I was.

Because if he discovered me now…

Everything would change.

And I couldn’t allow that.

I moved closer, keeping low behind the ridges and rocks, eyes fixed on Lucas. He was trying, doing everything by instinct—but he was dangerously exposed. I couldn’t risk letting him get hurt.

I didn’t make a sound. My earpiece allowed me to communicate with my team without him knowing. “Shift your units two meters east. Watch the flank closest to the ridge,” I instructed, sending quick adjustments.

From my hidden position, I could see him tense. His movements became more precise, more controlled—but he still wasn’t following the “ghost” orders. Not yet.

That was fine. He didn’t need to know I was behind everything. Not yet. He needed to learn to trust the hard way.

The enemy had no idea I was here. My disguise kept my face hidden—mask and hood leaving only my eyes visible, cold and focused. Every step I took was silent, deliberate. I moved like a shadow, watching his back, guiding him without him realizing it.

“Commander Smith, adjust your cover slightly left,” I whispered through the earpiece, careful to blend the command with the background chatter from my team.

He flinched slightly, eyes scanning the ridge. I could see the hesitation in his movements, the frustration building—but he didn’t know the orders were coming from me.

Good. He had to rely on his instincts. He had to learn that he wasn’t in full control here.

I moved even closer, keeping my figure hidden behind a boulder. A flash of movement from the enemy—a small unit trying to flank him—and I acted instantly.

Through subtle signals and careful timing, I redirected his path, ensuring he stayed safe while staying unaware of my presence.

He was brave. He was skilled. But inexperienced in this kind of orchestrated operation. He needed me, even if he didn’t know it.

And I would remain invisible.

Because if he ever discovered who I really was…

This advantage—my secret, my control—would be gone.

And Lucas Smith… he couldn’t know the truth yet.

Not today.

Suddenly, movement from the eastern ridge caught my eye—too fast, too coordinated to be random.

Enemy reinforcements. A strike team moving in to flank Lucas.

My heart didn’t race. My mind didn’t falter. Instinct took over.

I stayed hidden behind the boulder, mask and hood shielding my identity. Only my eyes were visible, scanning every detail. I could see the enemy clearly—positions, angles, weaknesses.

“Alpha unit, suppress the eastern ridge. Bravo, flank left,” I whispered into my earpiece. My team responded instantly, unseen by Lucas, perfectly coordinated.

Lucas was still moving on his own, unaware of the danger closing in. I needed to guide him without revealing myself.

I tapped a small device on my wrist, sending subtle signals to redirect his path. A shot rang out—too close. Lucas ducked instinctively, just missing the enemy fire.

Good. He had instincts. But instincts alone wouldn’t be enough.

I moved a step closer, keeping low, silently calculating the next moves. “Charlie team, neutralizes the far left flank. Cover Commander Smith,” I instructed, carefully masking the voice as background chatter over the comms.