Page 89 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
How am I supposed to tell him? When should I do it?
Luna walked toward the training fields, following the faint sound of voices carried by the breeze. She expectedDominic to be there—he spent mornings training the pack to ready them for Xavier's attack.
Thinking about seeing him made her stomach flutter. It had nothing to do with morning sickness and everything to do with him being the man who had claimed her as his mate.
She stopped at the edge of the trees, staying out of sight while she watched. In the middle of the group of pack children stood Dominic. He was teaching while they listened and learned. He had gotten better with the kids since his first training session.
"The key isn’t just having strength," he said. "It’s knowing the right moment to use it."
A young girl with auburn braids lifted her hand. "What if we can't shift? The demons are coming, and I can't even turn into a wolf."
Luna's chest tightened. The girl's fear reminded her of her own as a child—the panic of being different and the shame of not shifting when everyone thought she should.
Dominic knelt, lowering himself to the girl's height. His every move seemed smooth and calm, even with his broad, imposing frame. "Callie, do you know who one of the strongest members of this pack is?"
The girl shook her head, her eyes round and full of worry.
"Luna, my mate." His voice gentled as he said her name. "She couldn't shift since she was a child. But she found other ways to grow strong, other ways to fight."
Luna froze, her breath catching while the apple she held slipped.
"But Mistress Luna is a witch, not like us," one of the older boys said, his tone doubtful.
Dominic nodded, his sharp gray eyes steady. "No, you're not. But every one of you has something special. Some of you run faster. Some think quicker. Some of you can track better than most adults in the pack. You don’t have to be a full shifter to matter."
He rose to his full height, a striking figure even from a distance. "Now find yourselves a partner."
The kids spread out, breaking into pairs across the field. Dominic weaved between them correcting their stances and showing them how to move. He worked like he had all the time in the world.
Luna couldn’t stop staring at him. He was no longer the man who had hunted her down or the harsh alpha twisted by darkness. This was the man who had stolen her heart twice, first when she a young girl, and now again as a grown woman.
I love him. Moon help me, I love him.
That thought hit her hard, as if the truth had just dropped in her lap. She had been dodging it, pretending it wasn’t true, trying to shield herself from more pain. But seeing him now—kind and patient with the kids, but so determined to make them strong—she couldn’t keep lying to herself.
A younger boy tripped and hit the ground hard, tears filling his eyes right away. Dominic got to him before anyone else even noticed, crouching next to him with a steady hand resting on the boy's shoulder.
"Let me take a look," he said. He inspected the scraped knee. "That's the kind of wound that warriors get."
The boy wiped his nose. "It hurts."
"I believe you," Dominic said in a calm and understanding tone. "Pain reminds us that we're alive. But do you know what makes someone a real fighter?"
The boy shook his head, unsure.
"They always get back up. My own father thought me that." Dominic lifted him to his feet. "Every time, no matter how hard they fall."
This man is the father of my child.
The idea brought a comforting warmth to her chest, pushing away her worries for a brief moment.
The training session went on, and Luna forgot about the time while watching Dominic interact with the children. She didn’t realize when the apple core dropped from her hand or when the wind began to pick up, carrying her scent across the open field.
Dominic froze, his head lifting as he caught her scent in the air. His eyes locked onto hers. The strength of his stare made a chill run down her back.
He spoke briefly to an older pack member, who then took charge of the children, before heading in Luna's direction. She noticed how he moved with intent, steps firm and almost hunting, much like when he had pursued her some months ago.
Luna moved away from the trees and met him in the middle of the field. The sunlight touched his dark hair, accentuating the sharp lines of his features. Standing closer, she could make out the exhaustion carved into his expression.
