Page 1 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

Elin stretched her arms over her head, her body pleasantly aching. Her brown hair was damp from the shower she’d just had, but the smell of Finn still lingered in the house. She wrapped a towel around herself before stepping back into her bedroom. Even though she had just been naked with Finn under blankets in a dim room. Now, the lights were on, and she was shy about showing him her body.

He was already dressing, his movements languid. His red hair shone beneath the fluorescent lights, and his blue eyes lightened almost to silver. It was the most fascinating thing about him, Elin thought, the way his eyes changed color depending on lighting and moods.

He sent her a half-grin as he zipped up his pants, but it faded. “Oh.”

“Oh?” Elin’s heart stuttered.

All her life, she’d been thankful for the fact that she was the ‘good’ kind of curvy. Though she shopped in the plus-sized sections at stores, she held most of her weight in her ass and thighs, but her breasts were sizable enough so she was well-proportioned. Did Finn notice that she wasn’t shaped quite right to be an hourglass? She’d been injured so often over the past year that she couldn’t keep up her exercise routine and had put on several pounds…

Finn came over to her and lightly touched her shoulder. Elin’s wolf purred like a cat at the contact and wagged her tail. Heat built until Elin’s skin, where he touched her. She moaned as heat flitted through her.

“I’m sorry,” Finn said, misreading the sound.

Elin blinked at him and glanced at her shoulder. “Oh!”

A distinctive bruise in the shape of Fin’s teeth was starting to form. Elin prodded it with her finger and laughed.

“I didn’t realize you’d bit that hard. Maybe I should start wearing shoulder pads,” she teased.

She felt giddy. The aftereffects of the pleasure Finn had given her still lingered in her body. More than anything, she wanted to go again. She took a deep breath and dropped the towel to check the rest of her. That single bruise was the only one on her skin, and to Elin’s surprise, a pang of disappointment hit her. She wanted his mark to be on her, the proof that she was his.

After sleeping with so many human men she met in the city, she was certain she’d never find her mate. She was damaged goods, according to the males here, even if they didn’t know about her activities. But Finn was different. He didn’t care about her past, only about her present. It was more than Elin ever had hoped for.

“I didn’t mean to mark you. At least it’s in a place that’s easily covered.” Finn frowned as he pulled his shirt over his head.

“Why would I cover it?” Elin asked. It was going to disappear soon enough. Maybe he’d bite her again when it was gone.

Finn narrowed his eyes. “Aren’t you going to?”

More silence.

Elin’s heart started to beat faster as confusion swirled in her mind. To buy herself time, she went to her wardrobe and pulled out a white sundress. At least Tess had moved out a while ago, meaning that there was nobody else in the house to overhear this.

“I can feel the mate connection between us,” she said to the wall, her voice lowering with every word. It was bleak as she asked, “Can’t you?”

Silence. Then, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

Elin flinched. She pulled the dress over her head, hiding herself. She wished she had something that would cover her even more. “We’re mates, aren’t we? That’s why you’ve been coming here so regularly. Because…”

Elin grabbed a sweater from the closet and turned. Finn sat on the edge of the bed, his shoulders slumped. He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head slowly. A cold feeling crept into Elin’s fingers and toes. She yanked on her sweater, her breathing coming in short gasps.

“I’m sorry that I didn’t see you thought we were mates,” Finn said slowly, as though he was striving to make every word perfect. “And I’m sorry that I have to hurt you, Elin. But we are not mates. We will never be mates. There is no future for us together.”

Fuck! Elin had never let herself do this before, never got so caught up by a handsome face and gentle hands. There was a reason she’d slept with humans rather than other wolf shifters. Casual sex among humans was all well and good. Even with their women. Among wolves, not so much. You were supposed to save yourself for your mate… at least if you were a she-wolf.

“Why?” she whispered as an ache started in her chest. “Is it because I wasn’t a virgin?”

Finn shook his head. “I’m never going to take a mate. I thought I made it clear.”

He’d said it, but she didn’t believe it—not when they had such a strong bond. That was just what men said. They pretended like they didn’t want mates when, in truth, they ached for that connection just as much as women did.

That’s what her mother told her. It’s what she’d seen again and again in the pack. Why was it true for everyone but her? Elin clenched her hands into fists at her side.

The pain grew tighter. Was this a heart attack? Was she going to drop dead just like her father?

“I thought you cared about me,” Elin said, struggling to push past the hurt and fear rushing through her. “You risked your life to save me. You fought demons to protect me. You did so much… for me.”

Finn’s jaw worked. His Adam’s apples bobbed before he roughly pushed out, “I would have done the same for anyone. I’m sorry that you feel this way. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

Her chest started to feel hot now. Elin strode to her dresser and yanked out a pair of underwear. She deliberately grabbed her least sexy pair. She wasn’t going to give him a show for free after all this time!

“If I knew you were going to reject me, I wouldn’t have let you fuck me,” she spat.

“Elin—”

“Don’t try to backtrack now,” she flung over her shoulder. “I’m smart enough to know when I’ve been tricked. Congrats on getting some pussy.”

“That isn’t what this was about, and you know it.” Finn’s tone was infuriatingly calm. “I’m sorry that I hurt you—”

“Are you?” she whirled on him. “Or are you getting off on it, too? I don’t know enough about half-demons to—”

Even if his face hadn’t suddenly hardened, Elin would have cut herself off. Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. She froze, a ringing in her ears. What the fuck was wrong with her? That wasn’t… he wasn’t… She’d gone too far.

She couldn’t stand to stay here. There wasn’t anything she could do about it. No apology that would make up for her flinging that into his face. So, she did the only thing that was left to her. She turned on her heel and raced away. Her palms smashed into the doorway, sending it flying open. Not that she cared. The hard, grainy sidewalk bit into her bare feet, and she relished the pinpricks of pain.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

What was wrong with her?

This is why you don’t have a mate. Why you’ll never have one. What did he do to deserve that? Be honest with yourself. Elin’s vision blurred as tears pooled. He even had the decency of rejecting me in the privacy of my home. I put too much expectation on him. He didn’t deserve to have that thrown into his face. He’s a wolf shifter, not a demon.

He can’t help that one of his parents was.

Her heart pounded wildly, and she had to slow down to catch her breath. The pain was gone, replaced by a dull, empty feeling. Elin put a hand on her chest, her mind veering wildly. What was she going to do now? She couldn’t show her face around Finn again. There was only one choice—leave the pack.

Dramatic, sure. But it was the only thing Elin could actually believe would do anything.

When Elin arrived at the Alpha's house, Mica and Tess were with their mates. They sat outside on the porch, enjoying the summer evening. Mica was snuggled in Hayden’s arms on the swing, their baby Denzel sleeping on her chest. Tess and Ryder were in a nearby lounge. Both had hands pressed to her large baby bump. From the soft coos and smiles, Elin knew the baby was kicking.

A pang of jealousy stabbed her in the pit of her stomach.

Elin took a deep breath and forced it aside. She’d nearly ruined her relationship with Mica once already. She wasn’t going to allow envy to ruin it for good. She might want what Mica and Tess both had, but she’d survive. She’d move on. Being rejected wasn’t as painful as watching both her parents die.

“Mica,” Elin said as she strode forward. She wiped her face, trying to stop looking so pathetic.

“Oh, Elin.” Mica frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

Elin cleared her throat, searching for a lie. “I was just reading a sad book. But I came here because I want to be added to the ambassadorial mission to the Moon Lake pack.”

Mica’s eyes widened. “Elin—”

“Please,” Elin interrupted. She pulled in a deep breath and steeled herself. “I want to do something useful.”

And this would take her far, far away from Finn and his rejection.