Page 57 of True North

"No," Dominic responds, still the picture of calm.

"What do you mean no?" I shove my index finger angrily at his chest. "I'm rejecting you. I will never,neverbe your mate. So accept the rejection so we can all put this bad dream behind us."

Dominic moves much faster than I can react. He grabs my wrist of the hand I'm poking him with and twirls me so he can pull me back against his chest. His other arm wraps around my midsection to hold me firmly in place. He looks the picture of calm, but his heartbeat betrays him. His heart feels like it's trying to beat its way out of his chest.

"Calm down," he commands in my ear.

I shake my head no, but I can feel my body respond. It shouldn't—he's not my Alpha, after all—but all of the fighting energy drains out of me.

In its place is only grief. I collapse completely in Dominic's arms, vaguely aware of the Luna Sovereign appearing in the doorway before I black out completely.

Chapter Twenty

Dominic

"Good heavens, lay her down in the bedroom," the Luna says, pointing across the hall as I gather Tess into my arms.

I'm completely baffled by what the hell just happened. I made an excuse to check on her because I assumed she was trying to run. Instead, I walked in on a fucking train wreck. I've been on my best behavior here, and it was all for nothing.

I don't even care about the Luna's opinion now, I'm worried about what the hell just happened to Tess. It was like she was possessed. I've never seen that kind of anger from her, despite how often I’ve pissed her off.

She rejected us,my wolf whimpers.

We'll fix it, I snap back.

I don't have time right now for the mourning that comes with a rejection. I have no intention of accepting Tess's rejection anyway. So long as I don't accept it, and she hasn't been marked by anyone else, I can still fix this mess.

I carry Tess into the room the Luna indicated. There's a bed made up in the center of it, and I lay her down carefully, sliding onto the bed beside her. I sit as close as I can, hovering over her and watching with rapt attention to make sure she keeps breathing.

I've never seen a woman faint before, but I assume that's what just happened because her breathing is shallow but keeps coming, growing stronger by the second.

"What the hell was that about?" I demand when I hear the Luna join us in the doorway.

I glance over my shoulder at her when she doesn't answer right away, and she looks troubled. She doesn’t look directly at us, but rather at the air above Tess.

"What?" Her silence is killing me.

"There are spirits here, but they're not here for me." She drops her gaze to study Tess. "The fates are fond of her; they've chosen to protect her at any cost."

"What does that even mean?" She's talking in riddles as far as I can tell.

"The spirits brought Tess a message—about her family, I believe. I've only ever seen something of the sort one time before, but I can feel it in the air. It overwhelmed her though. She could sleep for days without waking up." The Luna Sovereign comes further into the room, clucking her tongue in concern.

"I should take her to a hospital." An unfamiliar panic rises in me. Tess might not be part of my pack officially, but she's currently under my care.

How could I have let her end up in some sort of danger? Hell, how could I have not known there could be danger here in the first place? I considered this a safe place. A neutral zone. But whatever the fates or spirits or whatever just did, a new wedge has been driven between us.

"You can't take her to a hospital, Dominic. You should take her home and let your pack doctor keep watch over her. So long as her vitals remain strong, she'll come back to you." The Luna sounds far more certain than I feel.

"Luna." I glare at her, not giving a damn about respect or protocol in this moment. "I want to know what the hell happened in that room."

She shakes her head and says softly, "So do I."

* * *

“You have to stop hovering,” Al warns as I accidentally trip one of the wires currently attached to Tess. He shuts off the incessant beeping it caused on the machine by her bedside and glares at me where I’m shoved next to her in the hospital bed.

“I’m not leaving her here alone,” I argue even though he’s already heard it.

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