Page 67 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
The fierce declaration hung in the air. Luna stared up at him, shocked at how he could just summon the words that not only convinced the pack, but her, too. All of a sudden, she wasn’t sure this was still part of the protection he'd promised. It felt real.
How can he fake this?
Harrison studied them both for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Finally, he stepped forward and addressed the pack.
"My son has returned with grave news and with his mate," he said, his voice carrying the weight of alpha authority. "We will hear them out fully in council. Until then, they are under my protection."
He turned to Dominic and Luna. "This is always home to both of you."
With those words, the pack members began to disperse, but Luna could still feel their wary gazes. Harrison stepped closer to both of them when it was just three of them left.
"It appears there is a lot to discuss," he said. "Come inside." He nodded to Luna, a gesture not quite warm, but not hostile either. "Both of you."
Luna let out the breath she was holding as Harrison turned back to the main hose. She looked up at Dominic with a small smile forming on her lips. "Thank you."
"I owed you that much," Dominic whispered.
Of course. Owed me.
Those five simple words killed the fragile hope that had begun to bloom in her chest. This wasn't about her; there was no future.
To him, this was about the debt he felt he owed her and his guilt.
Luna pulled her hand from his. "Right," she said, her voice carefully neutral.
A the two of them walked into the Alpha house, she told herself it didn't matter. That she didn't care if his protection came from obligation rather than affection. That she wouldn't let herself hope for more.
She told herself her focus should be on stopping Xavier and his demons. About protecting other innocent witches that were being hunted.
But still Luna felt the ache in her chest.
Chapter 17 - Dominic
Here we go.
"Son, you expect us to believe there are now demons in the Hunter Organization?" Elder Reeves leaned forward in his wooden chair, his weathered face twisted in disbelief. "You refer to the same organization that have been the heroes of supernatural beings for centuries?"
I joined them. I know that.
Dominic was standing at the center of the pack's council chamber. Seven Elders sat in a semicircle before him, their faces all displaying outright skepticism and guarded concern. The stone walls of the chamber raised the sound of every whisper and shuffle of feet.
"High council, I wouldn’t expect belief without evidence," Dominic answered, meeting each Elder’s eye, one after the other. "But I've witnessed this corruption. The Council leader, Xavier Storm, revealed his true form during a ritual meant to bind Luna Mitchell's powers."
Elder Marissa shook her head. "So this ritual you witnessed revealed demons wearing human skin instead of suppressing the witch’s powers? Convenient, isn't it? One might say the witch did that to save her skin."
Control your temper.
"There was nothing convenient about it." Dominic's voice hardened. "The ritual revealed the truth because Luna and I share a true mate bond. Yes, it should have suppressed her magic, but the ceremony channeled our bond, and washed away the disguise."
Once he mentionedtrue mate, the chamber hummed with murmurs. The existence of a true mate existed only in myths; they were rare and powerful enough to override even the strongest curses.
His father's oldest friend, Elder Thorne, leaned forward. "You're certain about this mate bond?"
"Yes." No hesitation.
"Can you prove to us that you’re not bewitched by her powers?" Elder Carson asked, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in suspicion. "She could be manipulating you, using this supposed bond to infiltrate our pack."
At the accusation, Dominic’s wolf bristled, and he barely contained his anger and the urge to growl at the Elder.
