Page 18 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Luna’s lungs burned as she ran blindly into the storm. Her boots thumped against the damp pavement, raindrops splashing beneath her feet with every desperate stride.
Keep moving. Don’t stop. He’s still behind you.
The rational part of her brain knew she couldn’t outrun an alpha werewolf—especially not one like Dominic Blackwood. Six years ago, he’d been the most formidable wolf in the pack.
Now? The wolf he’d been in the past was a mewling puppy compared to the now cold, cunning predator she had seen in the parking lot. She scurried, staying in the shadows, along a little lane between two brick buildings. She was sure he could follow her by the sound of her pulse pounding alone.
Think, Luna. You prepared for this. You knew they’d find you eventually.
But she hadn’t prepared for him. Not Dominic. Anyone but him.
She might have gone back with a member of the Silverlight Valley Pack, but she would not willingly go to some vague Council.
Luna pressed her thumb against a small tattoo on her wrist, feeling the latent magic respond to her touch. It was a protection sigil she’d inked herself three years ago.
If she could just make it to her safe house, she could activate the concealment wards she’d set up. Even the most skilled hunter wouldn’t be able to find her there.
The rain should have washed away her scent trail by now. He shouldn’t be able to find her unless the mate bond was still—
No.
That bond had been broken the moment he’d called her an abomination and ordered her to leave. Luna hadn’t survived six years on her own by clinging to false hopes.
Luna had memorized every escape route when she’d first moved here, had planned for a day she prayed would never come.
After twenty minutes, she approached the abandoned railway depot on the outskirts of town and slowed to a careful stroll. Years ago, the century-old brick structure was supposed to be demolished, but local preservationists had slowed down the process with many court cases.
For now, it remained empty—except for the small back room Luna had secretly converted into an emergency shelter.
She crept around to the building’s rear entrance, casting glances over her shoulder. No sign of pursuit. The drumming rain had settled into a steady drizzle, the storm moving east. Luna allowed herself to hope that maybe—just maybe—she’d lost him.
No one knew of this place.
After Luna uttered a silent spell, the rusting door’s padlock clicked open. Slipping inside, she adjusted her eyes to the darkness.
Decades of dust covered everything, except for the nearly invisible trail Luna had carefully maintained to the storage room at the back.
She whispered a second spell to detect any presence in the building.
Nothing registered.
Luna exhaled a shaky breath and moved toward her sanctuary. Once inside, she could activate the protective wards, gather her emergency supplies, and be gone before dawn. She’d start over somewhere new—again.
Change her name, her appearance—again.
Maybe Alaska this time? Or Canada?
Somewhere cold, where even werewolves would think twice about tracking prey.
The storage room door was exactly as she’d left it three days ago when she’d last checked her emergency supplies. Luna pushed it open and reached for the light switch—a battery-powered lamp she’d installed herself.
“Fuck!” she cursed when the light came on.
Dominic rested against the far wall of her purportedly private haven while the light continued to flicker. His dark clothing was drenched through and stuck to his body’s hard angles. His steel-gray eyes watched her with predatory intent, glinting in the low light.
“How—” Luna took a step back towards the door. “How did you find this place?”
Dominic pushed away from the wall. “Do you really think I work alone? My team has been watching you for weeks. They’ve mapped every route you take, every place you visit.” His lips curved into a cold smile. “You’re good, Luna. But we’re better.”
