Page 29 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Where Xavier—his mentor, his leader for years—had stood moments before, a grotesque creature now loomed. Leathery gray skin stretched over inhuman features, crimson eyes glowing with malevolence in a face warped beyond recognition.
He’s a demon. A fucking demon.
Luna’s whispered warning still echoed in his ear.Be smart, don’t give yourself away.
When she pulled back from the kiss, her eyes locked with his, silently pleading. The priest—no, the second demon—announced in a raspy voice that didn’t quite match its monstrous form, “The binding is complete. You may take your bride, Alpha.”
Dominic forced his face into an expressionless mask. Years of training as a hunter had taught him how to conceal his emotions, though never had he needed that skill more desperately than now.
“Thank you,” he managed, his voice remarkably steady despite the chaos raging inside him. With a firm grip on Luna’s arm, he guided her from the stone chamber.
The compound was quiet as they walked back toward the remote cabin area. Despite the warmth of the evening, a chill had settled deep in Dominic’s bones.
Luna remained silent beside him, her eyes darting nervously as they passed other hunters. None of them transformed before his eyes—did that mean they weren’t demons?
Who can I trust? Has everyone been compromised?
As soon as the cabin door closed behind them, he released her arm and stepped back, putting distance between them.
“What the hell just happened?” he demanded.
Luna rubbed her arm where he’d been gripping it and squared her shoulders. Even in the simple white dress, with her brown hair falling in waves around her face, there was something regal about her stance.
“You saw what happened,” she replied quietly. “Your precious Council leader is a demon. So is your priest.”
“That’s impossible.” The denial came automatically, even as his mind replayed the horrifying transformation he’d witnessed. “Xavier has been hunting demons for decades. He’s dedicated his life to destroying them.”
Luna laughed, the sound brittle and humorless. “Then a demon must have taken over after you met him.”
“We saved witches,” he insisted, but the words sounded hollow even to his own ears. “Protected them from demonic influence.”
“By binding them to men who were already under demonic influence themselves?” Luna shook her head, disbelief etched on her features. “You’ve been played, Dominic. Yourentire organization has been infiltrated. They’ve been using you to round up witches for their own purposes.”
“And what purpose would that be?” he challenged, turning back to face her. “If what you’re saying is true—”
“It is true! You saw them with your own eyes!”
“—then why would demons want to suppress witch magic?” he finished, ignoring her interruption.
Luna ran a hand through her hair, frustration evident in every line of her body. “They’re not suppressing it. They’re harvesting it.”
The silence that followed her statement hung heavy between them. Dominic’s mind raced, struggling to reconcile everything he’d believed with what he’d just witnessed.
“That’s ridiculous,” he finally said, but doubt had crept into his voice. “I’ve seen the rituals work. I’ve seen witches lose their powers after the binding.”
“Have you?” Luna questioned softly. “Or have you just been told that’s what happens? When was the last time you actually saw a witch after her binding ceremony? What happens to them, Dominic?”
Shit, shit.
His brow furrowed as he tried to recall. The witches were always taken away by senior members of the organization after their ceremonies—for “integration and training,” Xavier had said.
But now that Luna mentioned it, he couldn’t remember ever seeing them again.
“They’re taken to the Council,” he said slowly.
“And what does the Council do with them?”
I don’t know.
