Page 28 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

Dukiel hung back behind the possessed rogues as they clashed with the pack. Finn ducked under the swipe of claws and snapped his jaws around the throat of one of the rogues. He shook himself hard, tearing fur, and tossed the body aside. His mind was focused. There was no time to think of who these rogues once were, only that it was kill or be killed in this moment.

Derek wound through the rogues at his side. Two of the rogues came up from behind them; Derek and Finn spun together. They smashed into the left rogue, sending it flying into the one on the right. Howls and cries of pain filled the air.

Several of the rogues turned tail and sped away into the forest. Dukiel roared, staggering after them. He whipped back around and snarled, his gaze locking on Finn. Finn snarled back, his fur standing on end. It was time to finish this. As he made his way through the rogues toward Dukiel, the archdemon shifted, taking wolf form.

The world was suddenly swathed in red. A red mist seeped from the earth, lingering all about them. Finn froze briefly, shocked by the sheer number of aura demons. They hovered above the violence, and a steady, electrical crackle filled the air as though they were charging it.

Dukiel dug his claws into the ground, his head swinging as he also took in the demons. Was he… afraid ?

The demons hovered over the scene, waiting. They didn’t intervene, didn’t join the fight. Only waited. A chill stole down Finn’s spine. Waiting for what, exactly? These weren’t his allies. What were they here for? Dukiel growled, shaking his dark fur.

Finn didn’t spare more time thinking about it. His team was protected with talismans and tattoos. They couldn’t touch his people. He leaped over the last few rogues standing between him and Dukiel. His tail swished as they faced off with each other. Dukiel’s wolf form was bigger than he thought it would be. He loomed over Finn, the size of a bear. His lips pulled back, and a terrifying snarl reverberated through the air.

Dukiel lunged. Finn jumped aside, evading those huge paws. He twisted and landed on Dukiel’s back. The scent of rot filled his nostrils as he tore into the demon’s stolen body. Dukiel shook himself, throwing Finn off. He hit the pavement and rolled back to his feet. Dukiel’s back was to the van now.

Derek broke away from the fighting and skidded over the van. Christine threw something at him. The clang of a bell toned; Finn barely heard it over the sounds of battle. He nearly laughed. So Elin hadn’t just brought a gun but also the supplies they needed to exorcise Dukiel.

A surge of triumph ripped through him, but Dukiel came at him again, and he had to dodge the attack, narrowly missing those jaws. Finn bobbed and weaved, keeping the archdemon focused on him as Derek disappeared among the throng again. With the battle between him and the van, he couldn’t see what was happening. Finn gritted his teeth and ducked between Dukiel’s legs. He flipped to his back and kicked out with all four feet. His claws ripped through his skin like tissue paper, but the demon showed no sign of pain.

Of course. A dead body couldn’t feel pain.

Finn tripped Dukiel and spun out from beneath him. He went for Dukiel’s neck. Break the spinal cord. He’d be paralyzed.

But even as he went for it, Dukiel turned suddenly. He smashed into Finn’s side, sending him flying. Finn tumbled over his back and finally came to a stop at the side of the road. He scrambled back to his feet as Dukiel slowly stalked toward him, his tail swishing back and forth.

Do you really think that this is enough? Dukiel’s mocking voice came from inside his head. Do you think that killing me will kill the demon inside of you, boy? You’ll always be a ticking time bomb. Even if you win today, how long before that bloodlust inside of you becomes too much and you tear out your little mate’s throat?

A soft growl erupted from Finn’s throat. His tail remained rigid, his ears plastered to his head as he circled, trying to find an opening.

Finn ground his teeth and darted forward only to receive a powerful blow across the face. Dukiel’s claws tore into his cheek, sending him backward again. Away from the right. Finn panted, his gaze skimming over the clash. The aura demons still hovered over the scene. Every now and then, they darted down, and a strange screeching noise filled the air. When one of Finn’s men ripped out a rogue’s throat, he saw why. The demon possessing the wolf started to emerge from the body, and the hovering demons descended and ripped it to pieces.

That’s what they were doing. They were waiting for Dukiel.

This meant Finn couldn’t kill him unless he wanted to risk other demons becoming as powerful as Dukiel. They needed to exorcise him, trap him. Dukiel twitched, and Finn shut down his thoughts, not wanting to give anything else away.

You’ve already given everything away, boy. I know you better than you know yourself. And I know the darkness that lurks in your heart.

Finn shook himself. Dukiel was only trying to get what he wanted. He couldn’t let him get in his head.

I’m already here. You are a black heart, boy. A demon deep down. You enjoy the fighting, the bloodshed. You’ll be nothing but a demon, no matter what mortal face you wear, Dukiel laughed.

No. It wasn’t true. Finn threw himself forward, tearing into Dukiel, weakening him. These words might have worked once when Finn could only see himself through his own eyes. But now, he’d seen how Elin looked at him. And she wouldn’t look at him that way if he was evil. The love in her eyes, the trust, the surety that he was strong, that he was good. It was unlike the way anyone had looked at him before.

And he knew it was true because she saw him for who he was. She could see him, all of him, and she loved him. Through her, he could see himself differently.

He didn’t deserve to be treated like he was something to be feared. He wasn’t a demon. He wasn’t a time bomb. He cared for this world and would fight to protect it. Fuck, he’d already fought for it. Demons only fought for themselves. They cared nothing about anyone else.

That was the only proof he needed. A demon was incapable of love, but Finn loved her. Therefore, he couldn’t be a demon.

Fur and blood spurted through the air as they fought. Each tore at the other, trying to find purchase and subdue them. Finn’s muscles ached with injury and exertion, but Dukiel showed no signs of fatigue. He continued to come after Finn like some sort of fucking robot.

Finn didn’t back down. He refused to let the bastard win!

Dukiel feinted to the right, then snarled. Do you really think that the human bitch cutting open little Elin is going to save her? They cut open your mother, too. She bled out. Now, we get to see history repeat itself. How delightful.

Finn hesitated in his next attack. His gaze shifted to peer over Dukiel’s shoulder. Dukiel even shifted ever so slightly, giving him a better view. The archdemon had maneuvered them into a position where Finn could see back behind them into the van. Elin was limp on the seat as Christine worked on her. Both were slick with blood.

Christine wouldn’t attempt a c-section here, would she? They had no equipment, not even a sterile environment! All the air seemed to leave Finn’s lungs as the certainty crashed down on him.

His greatest fear was that he’d cause his mate’s death.

Was he about to see that fear play out before his very eyes?

Let your father show you mercy, Dukiel mocked in his mind. I’ll kill you before you have to see her die.

Dukiel lunged, his jaws coming toward Finn’s neck. It was too late to dodge. Finn started to twist, but he already knew it wouldn’t be enough. He’d let himself become distracted, but now he was going to pay the price. He braced himself, determined to fight to his final heartbeat.

As Dukiel’s jaws came crashing together and his claws slashed the air, a blur of motion blinded Finn. Something hit him, driving him backward. He stumbled, nearly losing his feet. He barely had time to register what was happening before Derek whipped around, his back end knocking into him again. Dukiel’s massive jaws snapped down, meeting flesh—but not Finn’s.

Derek howled in pain as the archdemon tore a chunk from his shoulder. He went for the kill, claws slicing through Derek’s side. Finn sprang forward, shoving Derek out of the way. His best friend tumbled into the ditch and lay still, his eyes unfocused.

Fury swept through Finn’s body. Something inside of him seemed to snap, to crack open. But the anger was as gone as quickly as it’d come. Something else filled him: the instincts of an alpha standing in defense of his pack. He understood suddenly why it took Seth so much effort to stand down during their challenge.

A bay erupted out of him. It was long and deep, making the rogues stumble. Even demon-possessed as they were, they had the instinct to drop, to submit to the baying of an alpha.

Dukiel froze. Blood dripped from his muzzle, and his eyes widened. It was a look that said one thing— I fucked up.

Power surged through him. Finn drove forward, his jaws snapping and his claws tearing. The aura demons divebombed Dukiel as Finn attacked. The red haze around the archdemon was growing stronger, wisps escaping him like the light of a candle bursting through the holes in a basket. Dukiel panted, the massive wolf dragging as the demon plucked wispy strands around him and devoured them.

No! They couldn’t have his power. It was to be locked away, trapped. No demon was allowed to have this!

Finn slammed his body into Dukiel’s, driving the demon back the last few steps. His feet skittered over a circle drawn in chalk. A handful of the pack wolves shifted from wolf form and lunged for the circle. They linked hands and rang a bell.

Finn shifted to human form, already chanting the words to the exorcism ritual. Dukiel snarled and circled, but a small wolf dodged among the others, spilling a circle of salt around the archdemon.

“Alpha,” a pained voice said at Finn’s elbow. “The diamond.”

Something pressed into Finn’s hand. He held up the tiny gem. It sparkled in the light as Finn continued the ritual. Whips of red haze erupted from Dukiel’s form, streaming into the diamond. A howl like a tornado whipped through the air. Cackling laughter rang from the aura demons watching the scene.

And then it was over. Dukiel’s dead host dropped to the ground, still and silent. Finn gripped the diamond, pressing it into his palm.

Dukiel was trapped. It was over.

Blood gushed from his wounds as he stumbled forward. One of the pack offered him a container and he dropped the diamond into it with a shaking hand.

“Derek,” he ordered, his voice breaking over his friend’s name.

And then everything else faded away. Finn stumbled to the van. The stench of blood hung in the air as he clawed his way to the van, fighting the pain, the darkness that threatened to overcome him. He came to the edge of the van, clinging to the open door to hold himself upright.

A sound broke through the silence, muffling against his ears—the thin, reedy wail of a baby’s cry.