Page 22 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

He didn’t like lying to Elin.

But with her in her current physical condition, he couldn’t risk putting more stress on her. Not to mention the constant dashed hope that this would be over soon. So when his forces thought they had pinpointed Dukiel’s palace, he couldn’t tell her. Not when they’d been down this road before. Whether the rogue woman had lied about the original location of the palace or not, the description she’d given of the surrounding area was accurate.

“Stay close and keep a wary eye out,” Finn ordered, his eyes raking over the outside of the… well, he supposed it could be a palace. It was made of polished granite, but the building was squat and square, with a flat roof covered in dirt and plant life. It looked less like a palace and more like a hippie library.

The front door was slightly ajar, and there was no sign of any sort of security. Finn shifted to his wolf form, joining the others, and sniffed the air. Traces of wolf and brimstone curled into his nostrils, but nothing that indicated that anyone had been around here recently.

The quiet of the air sent chills down Finn’s spine. He tried to push it aside as he led the troops into the palace. He left four at the door, guarding it, and continued on.

The interior of the place smelled more strongly of brimstone. Clearly, Dukiel had beast demons within the complex. They were the only ones that gave off the scent. Aura demons had no scent at all, not when they were floating ghosts and not when they possessed a person. From his limited experience with archdemons, they didn’t have any telltale signs, either, at least not that other wolves could pick up on.

The layout was fairly simple. A few stairs went downward into the earth, but the main floor quickly opened into the library the rogue woman told them about. The scent was the weakest here. Maybe Dukiel didn’t think beast demons had an appreciation for literature.

Finn shifted to human form. “Derek, your team keeps wolf form and watches the door. The rest of you, let’s start collecting these books.”

Silently, the team shifted and grabbed the bags they’d brought. They started stuffing the books into the bags, handfuls at a time. Finn wasn’t choosy as he filled his own bag. There were thousands of books in here. They couldn’t take them all—but hopefully, they’d get enough.

***

Hayden frowned at Finn, a furrow between his eyebrows. “I just challenged Monroe, Finn. It’s not safe for any of the team to go wandering around the town by himself.”

Finn shrugged, attempting to look casual. The sheer amount of demons he saw in that town hall moments ago left his teeth on edge. “I won’t go far. Just down the road and back. I just need to move, okay?”

“Okay,” Hayden said slowly, the furrow deepening. “But no further than the end of the road.”

“Yes, Dad,” Finn said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Hayden cuffed him lightly on the back of the head but turned away with a chuckle. Finn stepped out of the big, old house and breathed in the cool air. The atmosphere that hung over the special ops team was oppressive. And that went doubly since Hayden had returned with a certain human woman tossed over his shoulder.

Finn trotted down past the property line. The long street was deserted, with only the occasional streetlight still working. There were few other houses in this area of town, and most of them seemed to be as deserted as Hayden’s home had been. No sign of demons lingered in the air, so Finn started to walk.

Coming to the hometown of half the special ops was… interesting. In the few hours they’d been here, he already saw the connection that Hayden, Ryder, and the others had with this place. Would he have the same reaction if he returned to the orphanage? It had been where he lived for most of his life, yet… he didn’t consider it home.

He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn’t notice at first the woman who had shied back into the shadows at his approach. The light glinted off her eyes; otherwise, he could only see her outline. He stopped just inside the pool of light from a streetlight.

“It’s all right,” he called. “I’m just going for a walk.”

The woman came forward uncertainly. Her shoulders were tense, her eyes wary. He couldn’t tell what color they were. The streetlight gave her a halo of gold in her otherwise dark hair. Her face was round, her lips full. The moment he locked eyes with her, an alien sensation swept through him. His wolf danced in his chest, yipping and howling with excitement.

She stared at him as though equally fascinated and terrified. Finn’s breath caught in his throat. He hated that she was afraid of him. Unthinking, he lifted a hand and stepped toward her.

The spell that was over them broke in an instant. She took her wolf form, her clothes tearing off at the seams, and she bolted. Finn stepped after her again but stopped. He didn’t want to scare her any more than he already had.

But he knew, from this moment on, his life would never be the same.

***

Finn shook the memory off as he tugged the bag around his shoulders. Around him, the others were finishing up their collections, too. A tinge of red started to seep up from the floor. And in an instant, Finn knew what was happening—aura demons trying to possess his people.

It was an ambush.

He’d led his team straight into an ambush. What the hell was he thinking that they could just waltz into Dukiel’s stronghold without any confrontation?

“Everyone out,” he roared. “Get back to town!”

Several surprised glances met his eyes. The team swung their haul onto their backs and shifted to wolf form as a howl erupted from somewhere in the depths of the palace. Finn shifted, too, taking up the back position to make sure nobody was left behind as they raced for the doorway. His heart thundered in his ears. How could he be so stupid? Hayden would never make this sort of mistake!

You don’t deserve to be Alpha.

Finn growled low as he shoved the voice aside. Several beast demons stood in their pathway. Their long, twisted horns swung back and forth as they charged. Finn howled as he sprang off, launching himself over the heads of his team.

The beast demons rounded, flinging their heads this way and that, scattering the team—no. They isolated him. Pinned him between the team and the door. One of the demons faced him, its goat-like face with lips pulled back, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The other faced off with the team, bluff-charging. Finn’s heart pounded as the red haze of demons grew stronger. More of them were coming. They’d pinned him here because it would slow down the team… keep them from escaping, and put them at risk.

No.

He howled, ordering a retreat. Derek snarled, trying to get at the beast-demon’s throat. One of its horns nearly caught him in the side. Finn bolted forward, but the demon facing him reared up, kicking its front hooves at his head. He was forced to shrink back. With a snarl, he howled the retreat again, trying to put every ounce of authority as Alpha in his voice.

Derek hesitated, but the others fled, bolting for the door. Derek jumped aside as the beast demon came at him again, then took off after the others. The demon chased after them, but its horns got stuck at the doorway, and they disappeared into the woods beyond.

Finn’s heart thundered as he snarled, seeking a way around the beast demons. They both faced him now, swinging their heads as they tried to herd him backward.

But they seemed oddly reluctant to hurt him. He took a deep breath and stood his ground. One of them nearly clipped him with its horn but fell back suddenly. A chill swept over Finn’s body, and his hair stood on end. Reluctantly, he turned to find himself facing Dukiel himself. The archdemon was in human form, wearing that same tailored suit he’d worn to Moon Lake.

“Ah, my boy,” Dukiel purred, smiling in an attempt to appear to be benevolent. “I was hoping to be able to talk with you—one on one. You see, I have so much I need to talk to you… so much that your mother wanted you to know.”

Finn narrowed his eyes. He lunged, his teeth snapping. Before they could latch around Dukiel’s jaws, one of the beast demons caught the pack and flung Finn away. He hit the wall hard, driving the air from his lungs.

“I understand your distrust of me. But I am your father, Finn,” Dukiel said, his voice soft. “You were never meant to grow up alone. Your mother wasn’t meant to die. I could have saved her if—”

Finn shifted to human form. “Save it. I’ve known too many demons to believe you.”

Dukiel’s eyes widened. For a moment, a hurt expression passed over his face. It disappeared quickly, and he straightened his cuffs. “Yes, I imagine you have. Good. It’s a sickening role to play. You’re a much more straightforward man. So, I will be straightforward with you, too. Elin is going to die.”

All the air left Finn’s lungs. His wolf growled, the sound reverberating in his chest.

“It’s not anything I did,” Dukiel said, shrugging. “Just the nature of the beast. I’m fully aware of what’s happening to her through the child you sired. Just as I’m fully aware of what you’ve gone through in your life. There’s always a connection between a demon and those it sires.”

Finn didn’t answer. His mind churned over this information. Had Dukiel been peeking into this life all this time? The thought of him having any access to the intimacies Finn shared with Elin made his stomach churn.

Dukiel continued, waving a hand blithely. “It was only through your mother’s sacrifice that I wasn’t able to take possession of your body while you were still growing inside of her. Beth was more shrewd than I gave her credit for. Somehow, she figured me out. I don’t know exactly how.”

Dukiel paused and studied Finn. Finn kept quiet. If a demon was monologuing at him, who was he to stop it? He’d found that a good way to learn information was to talk to another person. They often revealed more than they realized in the conversation.

“You don’t seem surprised. Perhaps you’ve sensed it already?” Dukiel lifted an eyebrow at Finn.

Finn inched away from the wall only for a beast demon to snarl and bluff charge. “Call your fucking animals off me. If you could possess me, you’d do it already.”

“Such a waste.” Dukiel shook his head in mock disappointment. “You could have been great. Instead, you cling to this shifter weakness of yours. You should embrace the gift I gave you. Not everyone has access to demon magic, you know. You should embrace that side of you.”

Demons grew more powerful by consuming one another. Was this some sort of ploy so Dukiel could override the protections Finn had placed on himself? So Dukiel could consume his soul? It would make the archdemon more powerful. Fuck, that was probably why he’d gone through the effort of making him in the first place.

The perfect host to increase his own power. Finn narrowed his eyes at the archdemon. “There is one thing I’m curious about.”

“Is there?” A pleased smile curled Dukiel’s lips.

“When I kill you, will you go back to hell or simply cease to exist?”

The smile disappeared. He sighed heavily as he shook his head. “Perhaps you’re not as smart as I thought. Ah, well. If you’re not going to talk, there’s no point in keeping you here. Go on, then. Back to your pack. Back to your mate.”

The beast-demons stepped aside, leaving the route to the door clear. Finn’s eyes widened in surprise. Was Dukiel really just letting him leave?

“But just know this, my son,” Dukiel said pleasantly, waving a lazy hand toward the door. “If I can’t have you as my host, I’ll take your son. And the mother will most certainly die in the process.”