Page 13 of The Alpha’s Forced Rejected Mate (Silverlight Valley Alphas #1)

The ritual concluded with a searing kiss, one that Dominic vaguely registered Luna had initiated. Her soft lips pressed against his with unexpected urgency, but his mind was too fractured by shock to fully process the sensation.

The golden light still pulsed between them, connecting their bodies through the rings on their fingers as his world tilted on its axis.

Where Xavier—his mentor, his leader for years—had stood moments before, a grotesque creature now loomed. Leathery gray skin stretched over inhuman features, crimson eyes glowing with malevolence in a face warped beyond recognition.

He’s a demon. A fucking demon.

Luna’s whispered warning still echoed in his ear. Be smart, don’t give yourself away.

When she pulled back from the kiss, her eyes locked with his, silently pleading. The priest—no, the second demon—announced in a raspy voice that didn’t quite match its monstrous form, “The binding is complete. You may take your bride, Alpha.”

Dominic forced his face into an expressionless mask. Years of training as a hunter had taught him how to conceal his emotions, though never had he needed that skill more desperately than now.

“Thank you,” he managed, his voice remarkably steady despite the chaos raging inside him. With a firm grip on Luna’s arm, he guided her from the stone chamber.

The compound was quiet as they walked back toward the remote cabin area. Despite the warmth of the evening, a chill had settled deep in Dominic’s bones.

Luna remained silent beside him, her eyes darting nervously as they passed other hunters. None of them transformed before his eyes—did that mean they weren’t demons?

Who can I trust? Has everyone been compromised?

As soon as the cabin door closed behind them, he released her arm and stepped back, putting distance between them.

“What the hell just happened?” he demanded.

Luna rubbed her arm where he’d been gripping it and squared her shoulders. Even in the simple white dress, with her brown hair falling in waves around her face, there was something regal about her stance.

“You saw what happened,” she replied quietly. “Your precious Council leader is a demon. So is your priest.”

“That’s impossible.” The denial came automatically, even as his mind replayed the horrifying transformation he’d witnessed. “Xavier has been hunting demons for decades. He’s dedicated his life to destroying them.”

Luna laughed, the sound brittle and humorless. “Then a demon must have taken over after you met him.”

“We saved witches,” he insisted, but the words sounded hollow even to his own ears. “Protected them from demonic influence.”

“By binding them to men who were already under demonic influence themselves?” Luna shook her head, disbelief etched on her features. “You’ve been played, Dominic. Your entire organization has been infiltrated. They’ve been using you to round up witches for their own purposes.”

“And what purpose would that be?” he challenged, turning back to face her. “If what you’re saying is true—”

“It is true! You saw them with your own eyes!”

“—then why would demons want to suppress witch magic?” he finished, ignoring her interruption.

Luna ran a hand through her hair, frustration evident in every line of her body. “They’re not suppressing it. They’re harvesting it.”

The silence that followed her statement hung heavy between them. Dominic’s mind raced, struggling to reconcile everything he’d believed with what he’d just witnessed.

“That’s ridiculous,” he finally said, but doubt had crept into his voice. “I’ve seen the rituals work. I’ve seen witches lose their powers after the binding.”

“Have you?” Luna questioned softly. “Or have you just been told that’s what happens? When was the last time you actually saw a witch after her binding ceremony? What happens to them, Dominic?”

Shit, shit.

His brow furrowed as he tried to recall. The witches were always taken away by senior members of the organization after their ceremonies—for “integration and training,” Xavier had said.

But now that Luna mentioned it, he couldn’t remember ever seeing them again.

“They’re taken to the Council,” he said slowly.

“And what does the Council do with them?”

I don’t know.

The realization slapped him in the face. He’d been so focused on the hunt, on doing his duty, he’d never questioned what came after.

His wolf surged forward in his consciousness with a growl of agreement.

“What’s happening to me?” he whispered.

Luna’s expression softened slightly. “Your wolf is fighting back against the influence they’ve had over you. The ritual we just completed—it wasn’t what they intended. Our mate bond channeled my magic through both of us, clearing away some of the darkness they’ve been feeding you.”

“Mate bond?” The words felt foreign on his tongue. “That’s impossible. I rejected you.”

“You did. But our fate doesn’t care about your rejection. We’re still connected, whether you want it or not.”

Dominic’s head pounded as conflicting realities battled within him.

For years, he’d served with loyalty, believing he was protecting humanity from supernatural threats. The thought that he might have been working for the very evil he’d sworn to destroy would be hard to return from.

What have I done?

“I need proof,” he said finally. “Not just what I saw in a moment of…whatever that was.”

“Magic,” Luna supplied. “What you saw was the truth, revealed by magic.”

“If what you’re saying is true, we’re in danger here. They’ll expect us to be…” he trailed off, unable to complete the thought.

“Consummating our union?” Luna finished for him, a slight flush rising to her cheeks. “Yes, I imagine they will.”

An awkward silence fell between them.

“We need to convince them nothing is wrong,” he said after a while. “While I figure out the truth.”

Luna crossed her arms. “And how do you propose to do that? Xavier will be expecting results. He’ll want to see my magic bound—or rather, he’ll want to harvest it through you.”

“I don’t know yet.” His frustration boiled over and he slammed his fist against the wall. “Damn it, Luna! Do you understand what you’re asking me to believe? That everything I’ve dedicated my life to for the past six years has been a lie?”

“Yes,” she said simply. “That’s exactly what I’m asking you to believe, because it’s the truth.”

Could she not take a hint?

A knock at the door interrupted them. Dominic tensed, signaling for Luna to be quiet as he moved silently to answer it. Adrian stood on the other side, his ice-blue eyes scanning Dominic’s face with an unreadable expression.

“Xavier wants a report,” he said without preamble. “He’s asking how the witch is adjusting to her new…circumstances.”

Dominic forced a smirk onto his face. “Tell him she’s adjusting just fine. Quite spirited, actually.”

Adrian’s gaze flicked past him to where Luna stood. Something flickered in his eyes—concern? Suspicion? Dominic couldn’t tell.

“He’s requested your presence at a debrief tomorrow morning. Zero eight hundred.”

“I’ll be there.”

Adrian hesitated, then lowered his voice. “Congratulations on your marriage, Commander.”

The words were formal, but something in Adrian’s tone made Dominic wonder if his fellow alpha suspected something wasn’t right. Before he could analyze it further, Adrian nodded once and departed.

Dominic closed the door and turned back to Luna. “We have until morning to figure this out.”

“And what exactly are we figuring out?” she challenged. “Whether you’ve been hunting innocent women for years to feed some demonic ritual?”

Her words stung, provoking a surge of anger that felt like fire in his veins. “Watch your tongue, witch,” he snarled.

Luna didn’t back down. “Or what? You’ll force me into submission like a good little soldier? Or throw me away like you did once before?” Her voice cracked on the last words, betraying the hurt that still lingered beneath her defiance.

The memory of that night hit him with fresh pain and something inside him recoiled at her words.

“I…” he began, but words failed him as another wave of clarity washed over him, stripping away layers of darkness that had clouded his mind for years.

Had he really been so blind?

He had felt a dulling of his emotions after joining the organization; his wolf had grown quieter, his dedication to the hunt had become all-consuming. He’d attributed it to growth, to becoming a better leader and warrior.

But what if it had been something else entirely?

Luna’s expression softened. “It’s not entirely your fault,” she said quietly. “The demonic influence seems powerful. It could have made you believe their manipulations were your own decisions.”

Dominic sank onto the edge of the bed, suddenly exhausted. “If what you’re saying is true…”

“It is.”

“Then I’ve been hunting innocents. I’ve been delivering women like you into the hands of demons.”

The weight of that possibility crashed down on him, making it difficult to breathe. His hands trembled slightly, and he clenched them into fists to hide the weakness.

Luna approached cautiously, like he was a wounded animal. “You were deceived. You all were. The entire organization was built on lies.”

“We’re not safe here,” he said finally, rising to his feet. Decision crystallized in his mind—he needed time, space to think without Xavier’s watchful eyes on him.

“No, we’re not,” Luna agreed.

Dominic crossed to a small cabinet beside the bed and withdrew a set of special cuffs—silver, inscribed with runes designed to suppress magical energy. Luna eyed them warily.

“What are you doing?”

“Making it look like I don’t trust you,” he replied. “If anyone checks, they need to believe I’ve taken precautions.”

Understanding dawned in her eyes, but she still pulled back when he approached with the cuffs. “Those hurt,” she said quietly.

Regret flashed through him. “I know. But they’re necessary for now. I need to go out, clear my head, maybe see what I can discover about the others.”