Page 91 of The Alpha's Forced Rejected Mate
"Why are you always trying to push me away? After everything we've been through—everything we’ve survived—you still don’t trust me enough to stand with you?"
Despite the tension still holding him, he lifted his hands and touched her face, his touch gentle.
As his wolf pushed forward, Dominic's eyes changed color, the gray shifting to silver. "I can't lose you. Not now.”
What if you knew I was pregnant?
She found it difficult to breathe due to the intensity of his tone. He continued before she could speak.
"I turned you away once to keep you safe, and it almost tore me apart. I hunted you because the darkness corrupted me. I made you marry me in a way that was meant to steal your power." He brushed her cheeks with his thumbs.
"Every time, I’ve tried to control what happens to you, but miraculously I’ve failed. But protecting you from Xavier—this is something I can do. It’s something I have to do."
Luna reached out and placed her hands over his. "Dominic, there’s something important I need to tell you—"
But before she could finish, noise erupted from the pack house. They looked up to see several pack members rushing toward them, their expressions serious.
"They’re here!" a man yelled, his voice echoing across the open field. "The alarms went off on the eastern side!"
Too quick. Way too quick.
Dominic lowered his hands from Luna’s face, his expression hardening. In a single moment, he went from a man spilling his heart to the alpha readying for battle.
As if sensing they were back in work mode, his infiltration specialist was again at his side, auburn hair catching the sunlight in his peripheral vision.
"Get the kids inside now," he commanded, his tone firm and unyielding. "Marcus, round up the fighters. Luna—"
She locked eyes with him, unflinching. "I’m staying."
For a second, she thought he might argue. But instead, he just gave a sharp nod. "Stay near me."
Luna pushed aside the panic threatening to overwhelm her as pack members rushed everywhere. She placed a hand on her stomach for a moment, a quiet vow to protect the life she carried.
Again, Dominic noticed the movement, and narrowed his eyes a bit before Marcus grabbed his focus. Luna watched as he shifted into full alpha mode, giving orders and setting up defenses like a leader who had faced countless battles.
Their child couldn't be addressed now; it would only distract Dominic. Xavier was approaching, and with him came a fight that could decide everything.
Chapter 23 - Dominic
The barriers wouldn't stop Xavier's forces, but it would slow them down, funnel them where Dominic wanted them.
Blood and dirt stained his hands as he shoved another into place. The massive oak tree—uprooted by four of his strongest pack members—crashed into position along the eastern perimeter, completing the makeshift barricade that stretched between two rocky outcroppings.
He saw a flash of silver—Luna, circling teams of combatants, giving each one a protective ward. Even from a distance, he could see the tension on her face, the dark circles beneath her eyes more prominent than before.
Something was wrong.
He'd noticed she wanted to tell him something before Marcus interrupted with news of Xavier's approach. Since then, they'd had no time for private conversation, thrown into frantic preparations for the coming battle.
He walked toward her with brisk steps. Up close, her exhaustion was even more apparent, but so was her determination.
"I've warded the main fighters," she said, her voice steady despite her obvious fatigue. "The protection won't last against direct demonic attacks, but it should help against the corrupted hunters."
Dominic resisted the impulse to touch her, to draw her near, and to inhale her scent. Instead, he kept his voice professional.
They were about to be in a battle.
"How many can you ward?"
