Page 87 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
Luna stepped toward the clearing's edge gazing down at the waterfall-formed pool. "Can we get down there?"
Dominic confirmed, "Yes, there's a trail just past those trees. It's steep, but doable."
She faced him, the sun's final beams lighting her features. "Can you guide me?"
Her question caught him off guard, but he agreed. The path snaked down the hillside in turns that demanded careful steps. Dominic carried her on his back as he went down, the waterfall's thunder growing in volume.
At last, they came out into a little grotto. Before them the pool opened out, crystalline water mirroring the darkening heavens. The waterfall thundered down the rockface, producing a fine mist.
Luna stood at the brink of the pool, closing her eyes and inhaling. She said, "It's old and powerful here. I sense the magic in the ground."
Dominic fixed his eyes on her. Her eyes closed and her demeanor calm, she looked like a forest spirit with her glowing fingers, ancient and otherworldly.
"This area has always had a particular energy," he said. "It's also part of why I returned often."
Luna opened her eyes and turned to face him. "Thanks for showing me. And for telling me the truth."
She blinked rapidly, turning away from his gaze for a second.
"For years, I hated you," she confessed, her voice quiet against the waterfall's roar. "I spent so long telling myself our time together meant nothing to you. That I was nothing to you."
"You were everything," Dominic stated.
He longed to embrace her, to show through actions what words failed to convey. Yet he remained still, allowing her time to express all that burdened her.
She dipped her fingers into the waterfall's spray, watching as the water split around her hand in small streams.
"What if it all turned out differently?" she pondered aloud. "If Xavier never existed, if the Hunter Organization wasn't chasing witches…what might have happened?"
Dominic moved nearer drawn to her like a magnet. "I would have claimed you as my mate that night. Brought you home as my equal. Never let you doubt for a moment that you belonged."
Luna's breath caught, her eyes darkening. "And now?"
The question docked between them, laden with implication. Dominic's wolf erupted forward, demanding what had for far too long been denied to both of them.
"Now, I just want a fresh start."
"And how are we supposed to make that happen?" she murmured, her voice more than a whisper.
"We’ll take it one step at a time," Dominic answered as he released her hand and then laced his fingers through hers. The faint connection sent a comforting warmth coursing through him. "We start now."
Luna looked down at their intertwined hands again, and the corners of her mouth lifted in a small shy smile.
"I'd like that a lot."
The heavy tension hanging between them shifted into something gentler brimming with hope. Dominic brought their linked hands to his lips and brushed a soft kiss over her knuckles.
"Will you stay with me up here?" he asked. "I think the stars look amazing from this spot."
Luna nodded with a big smile. "I think so, too."
Dominic scooped her up again and walked toward the clearing. He sat on a large rock pulling Luna down to sit beside him.
Luna nestled her head on his shoulder and let out the tiniest sigh. That soft sound, and the quiet trust it carried, seemed to untangle something tight in Dominic's chest.
Their shoulders bumped as she leaned in close. The warmth of her body pressed against him felt right, like this was where he was meant to be.
"The pack will come around," he said, his voice steady. "They'll grow to love you. Not because of your magic, but because of who you are."
