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Page 10 of The Alpha’s Forced Rejected Mate (Silverlight Valley Alphas #1)

Luna’s laugh was bitter. “You really believe that, don’t you?” She shook her head, something like pity entering her gaze. “Oh, Dominic. What have they done to you?”

The question hit too close to home. Dominic stepped back, needing distance from her penetrating stare.

“Clean up this mess,” he ordered, gesturing to the broken lamp and overturned furniture. “Food will be brought in an hour. I suggest you use the time to think about how you want to present yourself to the Council.”

He turned to leave, but Luna’s voice stopped him at the door.

“Whom am I being bound to?” she asked quietly. “Which hunter gets the privilege of stealing my power?”

Dominic paused, his hand on the doorknob. “That hasn’t been decided yet.”

“But it will be someone from your hunting squad, won’t it?”

He looked back at her, struck again by how little she’d changed beneath the surface. Six years, and her eyes now held same defiance.

“Yes,” he confirmed. “It’s usually someone from the capturing squad.”

Luna’s gaze never wavered. “Will it be you?”

The question hung in the air between them, charged with implications neither was ready to address.

“No,” he said finally. “I don’t participate in the bindings.”

He left then, locking the door firmly behind him, but failing to shut the turmoil of her questions out.

The truth was, he’d never participated in binding ceremonies because something about them had always felt wrong to him. He told himself it was because alphas had more important duties, that the rituals were beneath his station.

But in the darkest corners of his mind, he knew it was more than that.

He moved to his communications console, keying in the secure code to connect directly to Xavier’s private line. The call connected almost immediately.

“Progress?” Xavier’s face filled the screen, sharp features accentuated by the harsh lighting of his office.

“The witch is secured. Minimal resistance.” Dominic kept his report clinical, detached. “She’s been fitted with suppression cuffs as per protocol.”

Xavier nodded. “Has she shown any signs of demonic influence? Black veins? Unusual strength?”

“No,” Dominic replied. “Nothing unusual apart from her magical signature. It’s…stronger than most witches I’ve encountered.”

That much was true. Even with the suppression cuffs, Dominic could sense Luna’s power humming beneath the surface, barely contained.

“That’s to be expected,” Xavier said, making a note on something off-screen. “We’ve been tracking this one for a while now. Her power growth has been exponential, especially in the last twelve months.”

“You knew this could happen?” Dominic kept his tone neutral despite the surprise he felt. “Why wasn’t I informed of the special nature during the briefing?”

Xavier’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Need-to-know basis, Alpha Blackwood. Your task was acquisition.”

Translation, not his business.

The rebuke was mild but clear. Dominic inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Of course. I apologize for overstepping.”

“Understood.”

Dominic hesitated, then asked, “Has the Council selected a hunter for the binding?”

Something flickered across Xavier’s face—calculation, perhaps. “We’re still considering options. This witch’s power level requires a compatible match. Someone with exceptional control and resistance to magical influence.”

Dominic wasn’t sure he liked the sound of those words. “I see.”

“Keep her isolated until my arrival,” Xavier continued. “No contact with other hunters. No visitors.” His gaze sharpened.

The screen went black.

Alone with his thoughts, Dominic rubbed a hand over his face, the events of the past twenty-four hours catching up to him.

It all felt like a vivid dream he couldn’t wake from.

Or a nightmare that was only beginning.

His wolf paced restlessly inside him, agitated by Luna’s proximity, yet unable to reach her. Even now, it was urging him to return to the holding room, to be near her.

Dominic resisted the impulse. Yet as the day wore on, Dominic found himself standing guard outside her door more often than necessary. The lie he told himself was that it was protocol, that he was simply monitoring a high-value asset as ordered.

As evening fell, he positioned himself in the living room, within earshot of Luna’s door. She had been quiet since their confrontation, accepting the meal he’d brought without comment.

He paced the length of the cabin, hyperaware of Luna’s presence beyond the holding room door.

Hours passed this way, the silence broken only by the occasional sound of movement from Luna’s room. Finally, Dominic gave up the pretense of work and moved to stand outside her door, listening to her steady breathing. She was asleep, or at least resting.

Dominic rested his palm against the door, allowing himself a moment of weakness no one would witness.

After a while, he turned away, resuming his post in the living room. Tomorrow, Xavier would arrive. Tomorrow, the countdown to the binding would truly begin.

And Dominic would do what he had always done.

Protect humanity. At all costs.

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