Page 97 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
"Your mate already belongs to me," he growled. "I've drowned his thoughts in so much darkness he won’t ever escape it."
He launched the swirling mass of darkness at her. Luna quickly crossed her arms over her face, summoning a glowing blue shield that held up against the hit. The force of the strike pushed her back, her boots scraping against the ground as she struggled to keep her balance.
Dominic stood up across the clearing. Blood still flowed from the gash in his shoulder, but he acted as if the pain wasn’t there. His empty expression and pitch-black eyes made him look distant, almost hollow. When Xavier motioned toward him, he moved like a marionette, pulling out his blade and stepping toward Luna.
"Dominic," she shouted, stepping back as he came closer. "Dominic, it's me. It's Luna."
No recognition flickered in those obsidian eyes. The darkness had him completely.
"He can't hear you now," Xavier said, mockery dripping from his voice. "He's mine again. Every piece of him belongs to me."
Luna's back slammed into a tree, halting her retreat. Dominic advanced, the knife in his hand poised to strike. She could’ve unleashed her magic to throw him back or turned and fled. But she didn’t.
She chose to stay.
If there was even a sliver of hope to bring him back, she couldn’t let it go.
"You're lying," she said, her voice firm as she kept her focus locked on Dominic. "He's still fighting. Our connection is stronger than anything you could ever twist."
Dominic loomed closer, his towering shape blotting out the forest around her. The knife caught what little light filtered through the trees, its edge glinting.
Luna didn’t lift her hands to protect herself. Instead, she spread her arms wide open, leaving herself exposed.
"Dominic," she said in a quiet tone, her words reaching out to the man buried under the darkness. "I know the real you is still there. I can feel you trying to fight your way back."
For just a moment, he hesitated. It wasn’t much, but it was enough to spark hope in her.
"Your wolf remembers me," she said, her voice gaining strength. "Your soul remembers me. I’m your mate, Dominic. Your true mate."
He gave a tiny shake of his head, like he was struggling to shake off a haze. The knife in his hand dipped slightly before rising again, a frustrated hiss coming from Xavier.
"End her!" the demon barked.
Luna inhaled. This had to be the moment.
"I love you, Dominic Blackwood," she said. The words escaped the place where she had buried them for so long. "I’ve loved you since that night six years ago. I never stopped—not when you turned me away, not when you chased me, not even when I tried to tell myself it was nothing but the mate bond. I love you. And I need you to fight. Fight to save us."
His hand shook as the knife quivered between his fingers.
"There is no 'us,'" Xavier growled, stepping closer, his glowing red eyes filled with hatred. "He belongs to the darkness. He always has."
"No." Luna's voice rose firm as she stared hard at Dominic, her eyes locking onto his. "He stays with me." She stepped forward, inching closer despite the blade in his hand. "We’re meant to be together. And there’s more you need to know, Dominic."
She moved again. The knife tip hovered near her throat now, just a breath away.
"We’re having a baby. Our baby. You have to fight this—for me, for us, for the baby."
For a split second, a glimmer of gray broke through the darkness in his eyes. It vanished almost as it appeared, swallowed by shadows.
Luna didn’t stop. She extended her hand, each movement deliberate. Her fingers shook as they slipped past the blade resting over his heart.
"Let me help you," she begged. "Please, let me in."
Her hand pressed against him, and she poured all her magic into his body. It wasn’t an attack or a defense. It was pure light, bright and untainted. Golden energy streamed from her hand straight into his chest. It lit him up from the inside, making the shadow of his ribs visible under his skin.
Dominic’s body jolted as the magic surged through him. His grip failed, and the knife slipped from his hand, stabbing into the ground below. His mouth hung open in a scream that made no sound, as the clash of light and dark raged within him.
Xavier shouted out, "No!" and threw himself forward.
