Page 17 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Luna stood beneath the gazebo’s roof, her back pressed against the railing and chest heaving with exertion.
Her cardigan must have caught on something, because it was torn at one sleeve now.
“It’s over,” Dominic said, stepping under the roof and out of the rain. Water dripped from his clothes onto the wooden floor of the gazebo. “There’s nowhere left to run.”
Luna’s eyes darted around. “Stay back,” she warned, her hands coming up defensively. “I’ll fight you if I have to.”
“You’ll lose,” Dominic stated matter-of-factly. “Your magic is strong, Luna, but you’re untrained. And I’ve spent the last six years hunting creatures far more dangerous than you.”
A bitter smile twisted her lips. “Is that what I am to you now? A creature?”
The question hit him harder than it should have. Dominic hesitated, caught off guard by the hurt in her voice.
“You’re a witch,” he said finally. “A powerful one. That makes you dangerous.”
“To whom?” Luna demanded. “The child I helped today? The patrons at my library? Whom exactly am I endangering by existing, Dominic?”
Dominic’s jaw tightened. “This is about protection.”
“Protection for whom?” Luna’s eyes flashed with anger.
“This isn’t personal,” he said, his voice hardening. “I have a job to do.”
Luna’s expression crumpled slightly, pain flashing across her features before she masked it with renewed defiance. “Of course it isn’t personal. Nothing ever was with you, was it?”
“Last chance, Luna,” he said, his voice devoid of emotion. “Come with me voluntarily, or I’ll be forced to restrain you.”
Luna’s chin lifted, that familiar stubborn tilt that had always gotten under his skin. “I choose neither.”
Luna raised both hands toward the wooden beams supporting the gazebo’s roof. A surge of power emanated from her, crackling through the air like lightning. The wood groaned, then splintered with a deafening crack.
Dominic lunged forward, reaching for Luna as the structure began to collapse around them. His fingers brushedagainst her cardigan, but she twisted away, darting through the newly created gap in the gazebo’s side as the roof caved in.
Timber crashed down, forcing Dominic to dive and roll to avoid being crushed. By the time he’d extracted himself from the wreckage, Luna had disappeared into the curtain of rain, her scent trail quickly washing away in the downpour.
Dominic stood amid the ruins of the destroyed gazebo, rain once again soaking him as he stared in the direction Luna had fled. His wolf howled in frustration, the sound echoing only inside his head.
As he prepared to resume the pursuit, a cold wave of rationality washed over him, dousing the fire of the hunt. His wolf retreated, forced back into its cage by years of discipline and training.
Luna would be hiding now, using magic to mask her trail. Following her in this storm would be inefficient. Better to regroup, approach the situation strategically rather than emotionally.
Dominic pulled out his phone, typing a quick message to Adrian back at headquarters:
Target identified. Luna Mitchell, former Silverlight Valley Pack member. Need complete background, all locations frequented, known associates.
As he pocketed the phone and began walking back toward his vehicle, Dominic forced himself to view Luna objectively—as a target, not as the woman who had once meant something to him. Not as the woman his wolf still recognized as his mate.
This mission was too important for personal feelings. Demons were infiltrating their ranks. Hunters were dying.
He would find Luna again. He would capture her. He would bring her in for the binding ritual.
Because that was his duty. That was his purpose. No matter what his wolf thought.
Luna Mitchell was a witch. A threat. Nothing more.
Chapter 4 - Luna
Oh shit. Fuck.
