Page 19 of The Alpha’s Forced Rejected Mate (Silverlight Valley Alphas #1)

Too early in the day for this.

The emergency siren blared through the compound, and red emergency lights bathed the area in an eerie glow.

Dominic sprinted from his cabin, boots pounding as he ran toward the northern perimeter fence, a silver dagger at his hip, its handle worn from years of use.

Hunters poured from their quarters, all looking to him for guidance.

Dominic scanned the chaos, immediately assessing the situation. Near the fence line, dark shapes moved with unnatural speed, not human and not shifters.

“Secure the east fence!” Dominic’s command carried across the field, his voice laced with alpha authority. “Marcus, take Ghost Team and flank them from the west. Roman, get Strike Force in position to contain any breaches.”

Marcus materialized beside him, his amber eyes gleaming with predatory focus as he checked the magazine on his specialized weapon. “How many we looking at, Dom?”

“At least a dozen. Maybe more.” Dominic’s nostrils flared as he caught the scent of sulfur and decay, the unmistakable stench of a demon.

“Never seen them get this close before.” Marcus’s voice held a note of suspicion. “Something’s off.”

“Someone let them in,” Dominic growled, his earlier conversation with Adrian fresh in his mind. “We’ll deal with that later. Right now, let’s send them back to hell.”

Roman Drake appeared on Dominic’s other side, his massive frame imposing even among shifters. His nearly black eyes were already glinting with the anticipation of battle, his hands flexing. “Strike Force is ready.”

“Adrian’s tech team is setting up a containment field,” Dominic said. “Wait for my signal. We need to drive them into the trap.”

Kieran Nash joined them, the loner blessing them with his presence due to the crisis. Mud was stuck to his boots, and the ground seemed to respond to his presence. “The demons have breached the outer wards. They’re moving fast, but I can track them.”

Dominic nodded, his mind racing. “Kieran, guide Roman’s team. Marcus, your Ghost Team takes the high ground. I want eyes everywhere.”

The alphas dispersed to their positions, their teams falling in line behind them with practiced precision. Dominic drew his weapon, a special sword crafted from blessed silver and mountain ash, designed specifically for demon hunting.

Luna was alone.

He pushed the thought aside. The best protection he could offer her right now was eliminating the threat. Quickly.

Dominic tracked the movement in front of him. The demons were indeed gathering. In the dim light of dawn and the emergency lights, their ugly forms were partially visible.

“Now!” Dominic’s command cut through the night.

From his elevated position, Marcus’s Ghost Team opened fire, forcing the demons toward the center of the compound, where Adrian’s tech team had established a containment field. Roman’s Strike Force moved in from the west, herding the creatures further into the trap.

Dominic raised his hand, signaling to Adrian, who stood by the control panel. The blonde tech specialist nodded and activated the field. Blue light erupted from the ground, forming a dome around the trapped demons.

“Hold positions!” Dominic ordered, moving closer to the containment field. The demons within screeched, their voices like metal dragging across stone.

One demon, larger than the others, fixed its gaze on Dominic.

The demon’s lipless mouth stretched into what might have been a smile. “Alpha,” it hissed, the word sounding obscene in its mouth. “She won’t save you. None of you will be saved.”

Rage flared in Dominic’s chest. In one fluid motion, he pointed his sword, hitting the creature squarely between its eyes. The demon’s head now had a thin hole, black blood spraying from the wound, but it continued to smile even as it collapsed.

“All units, fire!” Dominic commanded.

Silver-tipped bullets and arrows tore into demon flesh, their shrieks rising to a fever pitch before abruptly cutting off. Within minutes, the containment field held nothing but corpses oozing black ichor into the earth.

Adrian approached, his ice-blue eyes narrowed as he surveyed the carnage. “This is unprecedented. A coordinated attack of this magnitude—”

“This wasn’t random,” Dominic cut him off, his voice low enough that only Adrian could hear. “They were sent.”

Adrian nodded grimly. “By Xavier?”

“Or whoever’s pulling his strings.” Dominic sheathed his sword. “Get samples. Document everything before you burn the bodies.”

“What about Luna?” Adrian asked quietly.

A surge of protectiveness coursed through Dominic. “I’m heading back now. Keep me updated on any findings.”

As the cleanup began, Dominic strode back toward his cabin, his senses on high alert. The mate bond pulled at him like a physical tether, guiding him back to Luna. He needed to see her, needed to confirm with his own eyes that she was safe.

The air carried a multitude of scents, but one in particular caught his attention, stopping him in his tracks. A familiar scent, out of place in this part of the compound.

Xavier.

Through the cabin window, he caught a glimpse of movement inside. His cabin door was slightly ajar.

Luna.

Panic threatened to overtake him, but Dominic tamped it down, forcing his features into a neutral mask. He couldn’t reveal what he knew, not yet. Not when Luna was potentially at risk.

He pushed the door open, feigning surprise when he found Xavier standing in the middle of his living area. The Council leader’s impeccably tailored black suit made his pale skin appear almost luminous in contrast.

Dominic prided himself in reading minds through eyes, but Xavier’s bottomless eyes revealed nothing.

“Xavier,” Dominic kept his voice casual despite the rage building in his chest. “Unusual to see you on this side of the compound.”

Xavier’s lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “An unusual morning calls for unusual measures, wouldn’t you say, Dominic?”

Dominic moved further into the cabin, subtly positioning himself between Xavier and the door to Luna’s room. He could feel her presence through the mate bond, tense and alert.

“The attack was contained,” Dominic reported, stripping off his gloves and setting them on the table. “All demons eliminated. Zero casualties on our side.”

“Impressive as always.” Xavier paced the room, his movements unnaturally fluid. “Your team responds to your command with remarkable efficiency.”

“They’re well-trained.” Dominic remained standing, unwilling to lower his guard even slightly. “Was there something specific you needed?”

Xavier stopped pacing, turning to face Dominic directly. “I’m concerned about your witch.”

Dominic’s wolf snarled beneath his skin, but he kept his expression neutral. “Oh? Why?”

“The ritual should have suppressed her powers,” Xavier said, his gaze calculating. “Yet I have reason to believe she still has access to her magic.”

How did he know? Dominic wondered, his mind racing.

Unless someone’d been watching them.

“I haven’t noticed anything unusual,” Dominic lied smoothly. “She’s been…cooperative.”

“Has she?” Xavier’s eyebrows rose slightly. “And the consummation? Has that been completed?”

The question sent a wave of disgust through Dominic. The idea of discussing Luna like she was merely an object to be claimed made his wolf bristle with rage.

“Of course.” He forced a cruel smirk to his lips, hating himself for the words even as he spoke them. “I’m a man, Xavier. Did you expect me to wait?”

“And her reaction?” Xavier pressed, taking a step closer.

Dominic shrugged, maintaining the charade with effort. “She didn’t have much choice in the matter. Witches rarely do.”

Xavier studied him for a long moment, his dark eyes searching for any sign of deception. Finally, he nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“Good. The ritual works best when the physical bond is established quickly.” He backed away toward the door and called out, “Keep her close, Dominic. These are dangerous times, even within our walls.”

“I noticed,” Dominic replied dryly. “Demons don’t typically stroll in for a visit.”

Like you.

“Indeed.” Xavier’s expression remained unreadable. “Rest while you can. I suspect this is only the beginning.”

The door closed behind him, and Dominic counted to thirty in his head, ensuring Xavier was truly gone before he moved. He swept the cabin again for any listening devices he might have planted. Finding nothing, he finally approached Luna’s door.

“It’s clear,” he said, his voice low.

The door opened immediately. Luna stood there, her dark blue eyes wide with a mixture of fear and determination.

But it wasn’t her expression that caught Dominic’s attention—it was what she was wearing. His shirt hung loosely on her curvy frame, the hem falling to mid-thigh, revealing the black tights she had been wearing when he captured her.

Something about those tights.

Heat flooded his body, the primal part of him recognizing its mate wearing his scent.

The sight of her in his shirt, smelling of him, awakened something possessive in Dominic that he’d been fighting since the moment they reunited. He stepped into the room, closing the distance between them with deliberate slowness.

Dominic continued forward until he had her cornered against the wall. His wolf howled inside him, demanding he claim what was his by right of the mate bond.

“You were listening,” he said, planting a hand on the wall beside her head. “When Xavier was here.”

“Yes.” Luna’s breath came quicker now, her chest rising and falling beneath his shirt. “I heard everything.”

“Then you know what I said wasn’t true.” His other hand moved to the wall on her opposite side, caging her in. “About forcing you.”

Luna’s gaze didn’t waver. “I know. You were playing a part.”

Good.

“But you’re angry anyway,” he observed, catching the flash of emotion in her eyes.

“I’m not angry about what you said.” She swallowed, the movement drawing his attention to her throat.

Moon, he wanted to bite her.

She continued, oblivious to his dilemma. “I’m angry that I had to hide in a tiny room while a demon discussed me like I was property.”

Her honesty sliced through his desire, reminding him of the danger they were in. Dominic forced himself to step back.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “For all of it. For bringing you here, for putting you in danger.”

Luna stayed where she was, her back against the wall. “You didn’t know,” she said before changing the subject. “Was anyone hurt in the attack?”

Her concern for the people who were essentially her captors struck him. It was so typically Luna—caring about others even when they gave her no reason to.

“No. We contained it quickly.” Dominic moved to the window, looking out at the compound where cleanup crews were still working. “But it was deliberate. Someone let them in.”

“Xavier?” Luna suggested, coming to stand beside him.

Dominic shook his head. “Maybe. Or someone working for him.” He turned to face her. “One of the demons spoke to me. It said, ‘she won’t save you.’”

Luna’s eyes widened. “You think it meant me?”

“Who else?” Dominic’s gaze traveled over her face, lingering on her lips before he forced himself to look away. “Your magic revealed Xavier’s true form.”

“We need to get out of here,” Luna said, her voice steady despite the fear he could sense through their bond. “Tonight.”

“It’s too risky. The entire compound is on high alert after the attack.” Dominic shook his head.

“And in the meantime, Xavier will be watching us more closely than ever.” Luna pushed away from the window, pacing the small room. The movement caused his shirt to ride up slightly.

Dominic’s control slipped further. He caught her arm, stopping her mid-pace. “Luna.”

She looked up at him, challenge in her dark blue eyes. “What?”

“The shirt.” His voice was strained. “It’s…distracting.”

Understanding dawned on her face, followed by a flush that spread across her cheeks. “Oh.”

But she didn’t pull away from his grip, didn’t try to put distance between them. Instead, she stood her ground, her gaze locked with his.

“Does it bother you?” she asked, a new note in her voice that he had never heard before. “Seeing me in your clothes?”

The question hung in the air between them, charged with implication. Dominic’s grip tightened fractionally on her arm.

His other hand moved of its own accord to her waist, feeling the curve of her hip through the thin fabric. “My scent on you…”

Luna’s pupils dilated, her breathing quickening. “Your wolf likes it.”

“My wolf wants to claim what’s his,” Dominic admitted roughly. “But you’re not his. Not anymore.”

“No,” she agreed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not.”

Yet she didn’t move away; if anything, she swayed slightly toward him.

Dominic’s control hung on by a thread, and if she kept dangling herself like a piece of meat, he would devour her. Luna’s scent filled his nostrils and, in that shirt, it drove him to the edge of madness.

He dipped his head, drawn to her like a magnet to steel. Her lips parted immediately, eyes falling half-closed as she tilted her face up to meet him.

The shrill wail of the emergency siren sounded for the second time that morning, interrupting them.

What, again?

This couldn’t be a coincidence. The siren meant another attack; it was too soon after the first.

He moved towards the door. “Lock it behind me. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

Luna grabbed his arm, her expression fierce. “Be careful.”

For a heartbeat, he allowed himself to cup her face in his hand, his thumb tracing the curve of her cheek.

“I will.”

Then he was gone.

Even as he sprinted toward the sound of chaos, his wolf howled for their mate. She was his. Always had been. Always would be.

And he would tear apart anyone or anything that threatened her.