Page 65 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
His hand caught her wrist, gentle but firm. "Because I'll make them."
Something in his tone caused her look up into his eyes. Something fierce burned behind those gray eyes, making her stomach flip and her magic hum.
Making her trust his words.
"The pack is the only place with the numbers to stand against Xavier if—when—he comes," Dominic continued. "And I…" He paused. "I'm still their alpha. Even if I've been away hunting."
"Do you really believe they'll take me in?" she asked. "A shiftless who's now a witch? I'm everything they despise."
Dominic's expression hardened. "They'll accept what I tell them to accept."
But Luna knew pack politics didn't work that way. Respect was earned, not commanded. Even for an alpha.
"We leave at dawn," Dominic said, releasing her wrist. "Pack what you need. And trust me, I won't let anyone hurt you. Not again."
She nodded once more to show she accepted his words. In a hurry, she made her way to her room, before the flutter in her chest could betray her.
A flutter she wasn’t sure came from fear or something far more dangerous.
* * *
The journey to Silverlight Valley territory took most of the day. Luna sat beside Dominic in their beaten SUV. They spoke little, but it was a comfortable silence. She spent most of the drive lost in memories of the pack she'd once called home.
Will they remember me?
As they crossed onto pack land, Luna felt it immediately, a familiar energy that called to her blood despite everything.
This is still home.
The pack compound hadn't changed much in six years. The main house—a sprawling log structure where the alpha family lived as well as the hall which served as the pack's gathering place—stood in a clearing surrounded by smaller cabins.
"Try and breathe, Luna," Dominic whispered, sensing her anxiety.
Luna obeyed, suddenly realizing she'd been holding her breath as she exhaled shakily. "I'm breathing. If I wasn’t, I’d be dead."
Liar.
“You didn’t even need that lie.” He saw right through her, like every other time. "Don’t you know you’re a terrible liar, Luna Mitchell?"
Before she could get a lick back, figures emerged from the main house.
Luna recognized Harrison Blackwood, Dominic's father and current alpha, his silver-streaked black hair unmistakable even at a distance. Beside him stood several Elders and members of the pack.
Dominic rolled the SUV to a stop, and for a moment, the two of them didn’t move.
"I need you to stay close to me," he said. "No matter what happens."
Need me?
Luna swallowed, adjusting the neckline of her blouse. "Where would I go anyway? For a walk?"
A ghost of a smile crossed his face before he masked it when stepping out of the car. Luna took one more deep breath to steady her nerves, and followed him.
Her boots touched Pack ground for the first time in six years, and Luna held her head high despite the weight of two dozen stares locked on her. Some faces she recognized—older now, harder—and others were new.
None looked welcoming.
"Dominic." Harrison stepped forward, his voice a deep rumble so similar to his son's. He looked at Luna for just a just a second before speaking to his heir. "It's been too long, son."
