Page 35 of The Alpha’s Forced Rejected Mate (Silverlight Valley Alphas #1)
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?"
"As many as needed." With a challenge in her dark blue eyes, she raised her chin a little.
A howl from a pack scout stationed outside their perimeter cut through the atmosphere before he could react. Suddenly, the wail stopped, and there was an unnatural silence that made Dominic's arms stand on end.
“They're here," he said.
Luna nodded firmly, though her eyes widened a little. "Where do you want me?"
Every instinct shouted at him to send her to the bunkers, to keep her as far from danger as possible. He was aware of her power, though. And she was right—they needed her magic.
"Stay with me," he decided. "We'll coordinate from the central position."
Relief flashed across her face before she composed herself. "I'll get my grimoire."
Dominic turned his attention back to the perimeter as she walked away, his wolf surging close to the surface. He could smell them now—the acrid stench of the demons.
"All units in position," Marcus confirmed through the communication device clipped to Dominic's ear.
He acknowledged with a short tap to the transmitter, then strode to the elevated platform they'd constructed between two ancient pines.
From here, he had clear sight lines to all defensive positions.
Luna joined him moments later, her breathing slightly elevated from her quick trip to the pack house.
"I reinforced the barriers around the bunkers," she said, taking her place beside him. "No matter what happens out here, the children will be safe."
The certainty in her voice steadied him; the pack's future was protected.
He noticed movement near the forest's edge. From among the woods came figures, dozens at first, then more, dispersing in a well-organized assault formation. At their center walked a familiar silhouette that made Dominic's blood run cold.
Xavier moved with inhuman grace, his midnight-black hair gleaming in the morning light. He wore the organization’s black tactical pants and a fitted jacket that couldn't quite disguise the unnatural power contained within his form.
But it was his eyes that betrayed him most—once merely dark, they now appeared as bottomless pits, devoid of white or iris.
Those eyes never seemed human, even when I thought he was.
Flanking Xavier were hunters Dominic recognized—men and women he'd trained with, fought beside. Their movements were stiff, their expressions blank, puppets dancing on demonic strings. The sight twisted in his gut like a knife.
"Hold positions," Dominic ordered. "No one engages without my command."
Xavier stepped forward, separating himself from his forces. His voice, when it came, carried unnaturally across the distance between them.
He yelled, "Dominic Blackwood," the well-known voice a hideous caricature emanating from what Dominic now realized was a demonic force. "I've come for what's mine."
Dominic moved to the platform's edge, where he could be seen. Luna moved to follow, but he subtly motioned her to stay back. No need to give Xavier a clear target.
"Nothing here belongs to you, Xavier," he responded, his voice carrying the full weight of his alpha authority. "Or should I call you by your true name?"
Demon.
A smile stretched across Xavier's face—too wide, too sharp. "You always were my favorite, Dominic. Such potential. Such darkness waiting to be nurtured."
The line of tainted hunters behind him stood motionless, their glassy eyes staring straight ahead.
Dominic recognized faces among them: Thomas, who had a wife and infant boy waiting for him someplace; Sarah, whose tracking abilities were on par with Kieran's; and Elijah, who had once saved his life during a mission gone awry.
Dominic said, "You've been feeding us lies for years," loud enough for everyone to hear. "The Hunter Organization was founded to protect humanity, not to serve demons."
The sound of Xavier's laughter reverberated like shattered glass around the area. "The idea of protection is so arbitrary. Humanity needs protection from itself more than anything."
His bottomless eyes fixed on Dominic. "But I don’t need to explain humanity to you. You've seen how they fear what they don't understand. How they persecute those with power."
"And your solution is possession?" he challenged. "Corruption? Taking witches' powers for your own use?"
"Evolution," Xavier corrected smoothly. "The strong consuming the weak. Isn't that the law of nature your kind claims to revere?"
Movement rippled through the pack members positioned along the barricades. They'd heard every word, their enhanced hearing picking up the conversation easily. Dominic sensed their anger, their determination. Whatever doubts Xavier hoped to plant found no fertile ground here.
"You're not here to debate philosophy," Dominic said coldly. "State your terms or leave."
Xavier's false smile vanished, replaced by something ancient and terrible that ill-fit his human face. "Return the witch to me, and I'll allow your pack to live. Continue this pointless resistance, and I'll slaughter every last one of them while you watch."
Luna came forward before Dominic could stop her, her voice firm and fierce. "My name is Luna Mitchell, and I belong to none."
Stubborn, brave woman.
Xavier's gaze locked onto her, hunger evident in those bottomless eyes. "The little witch. How interesting you've become." His head tilted slightly. "There's more to you now, isn't there? Something…new."
Dominic moved instinctively, positioning himself between Luna and Xavier's gaze. "You have your answer. She stays with me. My pack stands united."
Xavier's expression hardened. "Such certainty." His eyes swept across the defenses, assessing. "Let's test that, shall we?"
He raised one hand, and the front line of hunters moved forward in perfect, unnatural unison. Dominic pressed the transmitter at his ear.
"Prepare to engage," he ordered. "Remember—the hunters are victims. If at all possible, avoid killing, but don't be afraid to defend yourself.”
Luna's body was warm against his as she pressed close to his side. "I can try to break his hold on them," she murmured desperately. "The spell might work, like it did for you."
Dominic shook his head. "Not yet. Save your strength." He nodded toward the darker shapes moving behind the hunters—twisted forms that no longer bothered with human pretense. "The demons are the greater threat."
The first wave hit the barricades with military precision, corrupted hunters using tactics Dominic himself had taught them. His pack fought back with coordinated resistance, years of training evident in their disciplined defense.
"Marcus," Dominic called into the transmitter. "Status on the western approach?"
"Clear so far," came the tense reply from where he was now disguised among the enemy hunters. "They're concentrating on the eastern front."
Too obvious. Xavier's smarter than that.
"Send a team to reinforce the northern perimeter," he ordered. "It's too quiet there."
As if summoned by his suspicion, howls of alarm sounded from the north. Dominic cursed under his breath.
"They're trying to flank us," he told Luna. "Stay here. Coordinate with Roman. I need to—"
"Go," she urged, already opening her grimoire. "I’ve got this."
He paused for a heartbeat before launching from the platform, his body changing mid-air. Bones cracked as they shifted, fur burst from his skin, and his wolf form emerged—a massive black wolf with silver streaks that stood out against the darkness. He was the largest wolf in the pack.
When he hit the ground, he sped across. His powerful legs propelled him forward, tearing through the forest toward the northern edge faster than any human could ever dream.
He spotted them.
Three demons had broken through the barriers. Their real shapes were monstrous, long limbs ending in claws sharp enough to slice through anything, faces stretched and warped, and their eyes burned with a cruel, unnatural fire. Two pack members lay nearby injured and bleeding on the forest floor.
Dominic lunged at the closest demon, sinking his massive jaws into what counted as its throat. The taste of ash and sulfur filled his mouth, stinging as his teeth ripped through the flesh. The demon let out a piercing shriek that rattled in his skull like shattering glass.
Pain tore into his side before he could go after another target. Sharp claws cut deep into his flesh as he spun around with a snarl to face the second demon.
This one moved faster, anticipating his attacks with unnerving accuracy.