Page 63 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Luna pulled her arm free. “What connection? The one where you rejected me six years ago, or the one where you hunted me down and forced me into a marriage to steal my powers?”
Dominic stepped back, his face hardening. “You know that wasn’t what happened.”
“What am I supposed to think?” Her voice rose, emotion finally breaking through her careful façade. “You were very clear about what you thought of me back then. You called me an abomination!”
“I didn’t have a choice!” The words burst from him, louder than intended.
Luna fell silent, watching him with wary eyes.
Dominic ran a hand through his black hair, struggling to find the right words. “I didn’t have a choice,” he repeated, softer this time.
“There’s always a choice,” she whispered.
“Not when it comes to keeping you alive.” He moved to the window, staring out at the dense forest surrounding their hideout. “Do you know what happens to witches discovered by the Hunter Organization? Especially ones with your potential?”
“I’m getting a pretty good idea,” she said bitterly.
Dominic turned back to her. “They hunt them down. Force them into marriages with hunters to bind their powers. But that’s just the beginning. Once the magic is suppressed, they’re studied, experimented on. Some disappear entirely.”
Luna’s expression remained skeptical, but she didn’t interrupt.
“My family is one of the founding families of the Hunter Organization,” he continued. “I knew from childhood what happened to people with magic. When your powers manifested that night, I wanted to help you esca—"
He stopped, the memory still painful. “I knew what would happen if anyone found out. Back then, we used to see the witches after, though; they would just be rid of their magic.”
“So you insulted me after my first time and kicked me out?” Her voice trembled with anger and old pain.
It was my first time, too.
“I needed you to run,” Dominic said, the admission tearing from him. “I needed you to hate me enough to get as far away as possible. If you’d stayed, they would’ve found you, and I couldn’t protect you then.”
Luna stared at him, disbelief written across her features.
“It’s the truth.” He met her eyes. “I was young, scared, and it was the only solution I could think of. Make you hate me. Make you run. Keep you safe.”
“If you were so concerned about my safety, why hunt me down now?” The question was pointed, accusing.
“I didn’t know it was you.” Dominic’s hands clenched into fists. “When they gave me the file, there was no name, just alocation and description of a powerful witch. I didn’t know until I saw you in that parking lot.”
“And then what? You still captured me.”
“I was under the dark influence by then.” The admission came with shame that burned through him. “My judgment was compromised. My wolf was suppressed. But even then, something in me recognized you—fought for you.”
Luna crossed her arms over her chest, her posture defensive. “So you’re saying the rejection, banishment, and kidnapping were all for my own good?”
“I’m saying I did the best I could with what I knew then.” Dominic stepped closer. “I’m not asking for forgiveness. I just want you to know the truth.”
Outside, rain began to fall, pattering against the roof of the cabin.
“Do you know what it was like?” she asked, her voice barely audible above the rain. “To be rejected by my mate minutes after discovering the bond? To be called an abomination when I just gave my all to you, when my mother had just died?”
The pain in her voice cut into him. “No,” he answered honestly. “I can’t imagine.”
Her eyes glistened with tears. “I spent years thinking I was so flawed even my fated mate couldn’t want me.”
Remorse crashed through Dominic. “Luna—”
“I had to rebuild myself from nothing. Learn to survive alone.” She wiped angrily at her eyes. “And just when I thought I’d made a life for myself, you showed up to destroy it all over again.”
