Page 19 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

Bed rest. Elin understood why Christine insisted on it. After all, in the last week, her pregnancy progressed by the equivalent of four weeks, putting her at approximately twenty weeks into the pregnancy. Far enough along that Christine was able to do a gender scan. Elin smiled down at her stomach, rubbing gently over her bump.

She was having a boy. Her own little boy, just like in the increasingly vivid dreams she’d been having. Ever since Christine told her, she’d been trying to think of names. Now, she lingered somewhere between Hendrik, her father’s name, Sven after her grandfather, or some variation of Finlay. However, she doubted Finn would appreciate the latter and tried to put it from her mind.

She’d meant what she said when she promised he wouldn’t need to be a part of their lives.

Her phone rang. Tess. Elin let out a sigh of relief as she answered.

“Thank god! I’m going crazy,” Elin complained. “I don’t feel bad enough to be tucked away in bed, but Christine insists.”

Tess laughed on the other side. “I sympathize. I’m getting ready to be done being pregnant, too. How’s it going, by the way? Mica told me that you figure it’s five weeks total?”

“That’s what the math tells us,” Elin said. She adjusted her position so her spine wasn’t quite so compressed. “It’s a relief, honestly, to know that he was conceived before Moon Lake. Finn was worried it was because of… er…”

“User error?” Tess supplied.

“Something like that.” Elin blushed, even thinking about telling Tess what had happened. “But it was about five weeks ago that one of the condoms broke before we used it. It must have been a defective box or something.”

Tess hummed a crafty note in her voice. “Right. And this was before you went to Moon Lake.”

“Yeah?”

“Soooooooooo, did you and Finn have a secret mating ceremony?” Tess asked bluntly.

Leave it to her to figure out what was going on… and then not be coy about it. Elin blushed and cleared her throat. “Um… no. We didn’t. I suppose it was… um… it was just… a casual thing.”

“And you were so judgy when you realized Ryder and I slept together,” Tess teased.

“I wasn’t judgy! Or maybe I was, but mostly, it was just awkward. We were locked in that cabin together, and all I could smell was—”

Tess coughed loudly. “Okay, okay! You made your point. But seriously, are you okay? I know you were saving yourself for your mate…”

Elin sighed heavily. “I wasn’t, actually. But I understand why you thought I was. I did a lot of… well, I know I’ve been a hypocrite in my attempts to be accepted by the pack. And I’m sorry about that, Tess. I’m sorry for what I said about you and the way I treated you.”

“Oh. Well. I didn’t actually expect you to apologize,” Tess admitted. “But I appreciate it.”

A knock came on the door, and Finn stepped inside. He’d been doing that a lot, knocking. He didn’t sleep in this room with her anymore. Christine said he was bunking with Derek. Elin’s heart ached to see the deep circles beneath his eyes.

“Finn just came in,” she told Tess. “I’ll have to call you back.”

“Of course.”

Elin hung up the phone and gave Finn her brightest smile. “Hey.”

Finn nodded, his expression remaining serious. “We’ve pinpointed the location of Dukiel’s palace, and we’re prepping an assault on it.”

Elin’s heart jumped to her throat. Already? She thought it would take longer. Or that he’d call in the military to help rather than going after Dukiel himself when they already knew the archdemon wanted him as his new host. She tightened her hands into her blankets.

“When?” she asked.

Finn opened his mouth, then froze. His eyes grew huge as they swept over him. All color drained from his face, and his breathing grew more rapid. She’d never seen him look so terrified before, and her heartbeat sped up.

“What’s happening?” she demanded. “Finn! Tell me what you see!”

Finn stepped forward as though he were moving through mud. He reached out a trembling hand toward her. When he touched her stomach with his fingertips, he shuddered and withdrew.

“There’s a demonic presence around you. It’s concentrated in your belly. I think… I think it’s the—”

“Don’t,” Elin gasped, her voice hoarse. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. This couldn’t be! He hadn’t seen any demonic presence near her. If there was one concentrated around her belly… She wrapped her arms around herself as though she could protect her son from something she couldn’t even see. “Finn, don’t. He’s not a demon. He’s not. He’s my baby!”

“It’s gone,” Finn murmured, but there was no relief in his words.

Elin closed her eyes. She pressed her lips together as she tried to come to terms with what had just happened. One thing was abundantly, terrifyingly clear. If there was a demonic influence around her, it meant that she wasn’t as protected in the town as she thought. Despite the salt barriers and talismans, she had to keep herself safe…

“Are you okay?” Finn asked, sitting on the bed next to her.

“Not really,” she choked out, blinking at the waves of tears that threatened to fall. “I’ve been having dreams. Nightmares, really. I’ve been telling myself it's just anxiety, but now… Finn, I think that something is happening.”

Finn’s blue eyes sharpened. “Tell me.”

She hesitated a moment, not sure how to describe what she was feeling. But then, Finn always seemed to understand her better than anyone else. “Lately, I’ve been dreaming about Zealuv possessing Hayden. It’s always right at the forefront of my vision but always just a little hazy. In my dreams, I’m holding my son. Singing to him. I sense Zealuv’s approach, but I can’t do anything to stop it. Something always felt… off.”

“Off how?”

Elin shook her head slowly. “You know how you sometimes dream about a person, but it doesn’t look like them? You know the person, but their face isn’t who they actually are?”

Finn nodded.

“It’s like that,” she said, still shaking her head as though the motion would rattle her thoughts into order. “It was Zealuv possessing Hayden, but it wasn’t Zealuv… I think I know why. I think I’m actually dreaming about Dukiel. Just like Beth did.”

Finn stiffened. “Because you’re afraid of him coming after me?” His voice was wary, careful. As though he understood what she was getting at but hadn’t quite put it all together yet.

“Because you’ve gotten the talisman now,” Elin whispered. “You’re immune to possession. But the baby isn’t. And if he can’t have you as the host, Dukiel will take him.”

Dukiel slept with Beth to produce Finn and create a perfect host for himself. His current host was failing. So, of course, he was looking for a new one. If the perfect host were no longer suitable, then Finn’s son would be the next best thing. He was still part demon. He’d have the same capability that Finn would have.

Elin bit back a shudder as she watched Finn’s face, hoping he’d reassure her and tell her it was impossible. His expression was stricken. The more he thought, the more horrified he became.

“Maybe I’m wrong,” Elin offered bleakly.

Finn shook his head. He stood as he began to pace. It struck Elin suddenly at how even more handsome he’d become over this last week. Part of her thought it was just the pregnancy hormones, but that wasn’t it. At least, not solely. Her wolf craved his company at every turn, but it wasn’t just because of his looks. Being the Alpha, leading Moon Lake pack, had caused a surge of confidence. He held himself straighter somehow, and though his physicality hadn’t changed, he seemed to be stronger.

“It makes sense,” Finn said. “He hasn’t shown up again since that first time. I thought he was going to try to sew seeds of dissent in Moon Lake. But now I think he must have sensed somehow that you were pregnant. He must have decided it was better to wait rather than try to fight for access to me.”

Elin pulled her blankets tighter, suddenly cold.

“The baby must be protected right now by the talismans in your body. But if he can reach through the barriers we have in place and influence you even with the talismans…” He came to a stop and turned to her with haunted eyes. “Are you sure this is worth the risk?”

Elin carefully got out of bed. She cupped his face in her hands, studying him, wanting to commit every feature to memory.

“Yes,” she told him, her voice low. “It is. I love this baby. He’s half me and half you. We’re still healthy, him and me. I’m not going to give up because of a demon.”

Finn opened his mouth, then shut it with a snap.

“I know you’re struggling.” Elin combed her fingers through his hair. “But I know we can do this. We defeated Zealuv. We can defeat Dukiel. He won’t hurt me or my baby. And when my son is born, he’ll have the same good heart that his father does.”

Finn swallowed roughly. “Do you really believe that?”

“I do. My baby—”

“No. I mean… that I’m a good person?” Finn’s voice was low, barely more than a whisper.

Elin’s hands tightened. She hated that he thought so little of himself! “I do,” she said firmly. “Of course I do.”

Finn let out a shuddering sigh and kissed her. Elin closed her eyes, letting the sensations sweep through her. His hands moved to her hips, and Elin leaned into him, craving him more than she craved her next breath.

Well, well, well, a dark voice purred in her mind . What do we have here?