Page 4 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

Finn grabbed the files with his name on them. The printer had finished, so he gathered those papers and shoved them into one of the folders. “We’re leaving.”

Elin nodded. Her eyes were wide, and the scent of her arousal lingered in the air. Finn’s wolf huffed, annoyed that they had to stop. He shoved those feelings aside to focus on the situation. They headed for the infirmary, where Christine and Derek looked through separate filing cabinets with a heavy spark in the air.

“We have to go now,” Finn said. “The rogues have beast demons.”

Derek’s head whipped in his direction.

Christine didn’t stop her search. “There weren’t any signs of destruction in the town. If they had beast demons, would everything really be this pristine?”

“No arguing,” Finn said firmly.

Christine finally lifted her head. “Your file is incomplete. It looks like someone took something out, and I think—”

“We don’t have time.” Finn shook his head. “I have enough to start with. Elin and I found a secret passage under the orphanage and a note stating they were headed to Moon Lake. We need to get there ASAP to make sure that the children arrived safely. Our mission has changed.”

Christine shut the filing cabinet. “Put the files in my satchel. If the village emptied because of rogues, they might be watching. If they are, it’s best to keep them from figuring out what we’re doing here.”

Finn nodded his agreement. Once the papers were safely tucked away, Christine pulled the wide strap over her head so the satchel sat cross-body on her. Derek walked a bit too closely to her as they headed for the entrance. There was a dark look in his eyes that Finn understood all too well. Was this a trap? Had the rogues fixed the damage done by the beast demons to avoid tipping off visitors?

“Mrs. Summer still works here,” Christine murmured just as they got to the entrance. “She’s getting old by now. Do you think—”

“Worrying isn’t going to help them,” Derek interrupted.

Finn turned, ready to nip this in the bud before it got started. But even as he did so, Elin let out a soft gasp. She grabbed his arm, drawing his attention back to the door. It swung open, and a handful of people crossed over the salt-filled pipe to block their way. Finn tensed, a growl building in his throat.

From the smell of them, they were shifters. All had a demonic influence on them, strings of red that floated through the air. He watched the patterns; none of them was strong enough to indicate possession, not even the starting phases. They must be working with the demons. He shifted his stance, using one hand to push Elin behind him. He drew himself up.

“Hello,” he greeted, keeping his tone cool. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”

The woman who stood at the front of the group crossed her arms. She was tall, with broad shoulders and a brilliantly red streak in her otherwise auburn hair. She seemed to be caught off-guard by his greeting and frowned as though deciding how to proceed.

Her silence allowed Finn more time to study the group. Their clothes looked new but were ill-fitting. They all wore loose, baggy shirts, and rather than pants, they wore boxers or briefs. Nudity wasn’t a big deal among most wolves and even less so in rogues. They usually ran around in wolf form, not bothering with clothes. Were these the same ones that drove the workers to take the children through a secret passage to run to Moon Lake?

“Hello,” the woman finally said. “Let’s not waste time. Bluebell Valley sends you to arrange an alliance with Moon Lake against my pack and our patron. This would be unwise.”

Derek snorted, but Finn held a hand to him, quietening him. If the rogues were interested in bloodshed, they would have just attacked. They were outnumbered two to one. Christine was trained in combat, but she wasn’t a shifter. Elin was a non-combatant. Which skewed the numbers even more in the rogues’ favor.

“Your pack,” Finn said, watching the rogue woman closely. “Are you their alpha?”

“Rogues don’t have alphas. It’s why we’re rogues,” the woman replied.

Finn fought the urge to roll his eyes. Following a leader was instinctual to wolves. They had an alpha, even if they didn’t use that term. “And your patron? A demon, I presume?”

“The archdemon Dukiel,” the woman replied readily.

Shock rippled through Finn. Was she just admitting it? That wasn’t like the demons they’d dealt with before. They always preferred to work in the shadows, to manipulate from behind the scenes. For this woman to declare so boldly that they were working with a demon… and an archdemon on top of it. Finn’s wolf snarled blackly, and his claws started to form.

“That name means something to you, I see,” the woman purred.

“Any demon means something,” Finn replied. “And since you knew we were coming, no doubt there’s a reason why you’re telling us this. Get to the point.”

The woman lowered her arms to her sides. It seemed difficult for her to do, as though she felt vulnerable standing so openly. “We have come with a warning. The Moon Lake pack isn’t to be trusted by outsiders. No doubt you’ve heard that rogues continue to attack them. It’s not the full truth. We were just passing through. They were the ones that attacked us first. You all know how rogues were dealt with before the accord. Moon Lake still puts all unfamiliar wolves to death.”

“And you haven’t reported them?” Christine demanded.

“You’ll find that most humans don’t care about wolves killing each other,” the woman answered. “The few times when there were investigations, Moon Lake has simply covered up the deaths. Nobody cares about rogues. Why else would we be forced to align ourselves with a demon just for the chance to have our basics met?”

The bitterness with which she spoke was undeniable. Christine let out a soft noise but didn’t engage further. Finn adjusted his position again, keeping all three of his companions behind him. The rogues seemed twitchy, but if he were reading them right, they’d be more likely to run than attack. They were certainly unhealthy-looking. Not thin, but rather that certain dullness that came from malnutrition.

“What do you want?” he asked directly, tired of the back and forth.

“Dukiel wants an alliance with Bluebell Valley and, as an extension, the military,” the woman answered. “He knows that you suffer from a lack of knowledge about demons. He’s willing to answer all your questions for him in this alliance.”

Finn laughed out loud. “He must not be a real archdemon. No demon stupid enough to think that would work could be strong enough to get to that position.”

The woman looked unimpressed. “So, we should return and tell him you refuse?”

“No, you should stop being na?ve and go to Bluebell Valley to tell Alpha Hayden everything you know before the demon has a chance to kill you,” Finn answered.

The woman shrugged. “Very well. We’ll be leaving now.”

She hesitated, then turned her back on the group. The other rogues followed her out, leaving the four of them. Finn rolled to the balls of his feet, expecting a sudden attack. But after the door shut behind them, the rogues stripped off their clothes to take wolf form. Then they left. Just… left . Derek stepped up to a window, but Christine grabbed his wrist.

“They might have snipers,” she hissed.

“They can’t just have left,” Derek replied. Normally, he would have shaken Christine off, but this time, he turned his hand, pressing his palm to hers as though trying to comfort her.

Finn’s gaze lingered a little too long on their contact. He tore himself away and shook off the swells of emotion running through him. Now wasn’t the time for jealousy! And what did he even have to be jealous about? No. There wasn’t time for this. He jerked his chin back the way they came.

“It smells like a trap,” he growled. “We leave through the tunnel.”

“But the van,” Elin protested, gesturing outside.

Finn shook his head. “They could have rigged it to crash.”

“My things,” she said, looking past him. “I can’t even afford a new bra right now.”

An image of the lacy red one she’d recently shown off flashed through his mind. She hadn’t brought it along, had she? “I’ll buy you a new one,” he said without thinking.

Christine and Derek both gave him shocked looks. Elin didn’t seem to notice. She pressed her hands to her temples as she turned and headed back to the office. Finn wanted to reach out and comfort her. They hadn’t expected this—no doubt her protests were less about what she was leaving out there and more of a self-defense mechanism.

They opened the secret tunnel again, and Finn sniffed the air. There was no brimstone scent of demons nor any sign that shifters had taken the tunnel.

“Derek, take wolf form and run ahead to check it out,” he ordered. They couldn’t be too careful.

Derek nodded and stripped, handing his clothes to Elin. Christine grunted in annoyance and took them, shoving them into her satchel. Once Derek had started down the tunnel, Finn turned to Christine.

“You and Elin get going. I’ll catch up,” he said.

“Be careful,” Christine answered.

She headed down the tunnel. Finn started to turn. With them heading to safety, he had the time to go back and do one last search of his medical records. Maybe something in there would help him figure out where he’d come from. With an archdemon in the area, they needed more information—

Elin grabbed his wrist.

Finn stopped, turning toward her with a startled expression. “Go with Christine.”

Her hand tightened.

“If there are dangers, she needs a wolf shifter with her,” Finn tried. Wolves generally had protective instincts. Elin was no different, even if she doubted herself.

“I won’t do much good in that case,” Elin answered, her gaze never leaving his. “You can’t turn back. If it’s a trap… I need you.”

Finn’s heart swooped. That was the last thing he wanted. And yet…

“We,” Elin said, shaking her head. “I mean, they. They need you. Derek and Christine. And I need you, too, but only because I can’t fight. If there is danger, Derek needs you to help him defend us. It’s not me as in me. It’s me as in us.” She let out a huff and pulled his hand a little harder. “We have to leave, Finn. Come on.”

Finn allowed her to tug him along. His wolf preened like a damn peacock, all proud of himself. Yeah, he needed to get the fuck ahold of himself. Elin was right about one thing. He shouldn’t have even thought about turning back. It was a moment of fear, but they had enough of his records. Besides, it wasn’t as though the missing pieces of his medical records were going to hold the key to defeating demons once and for all.

He'd undergone extensive physical exams before. Nothing in his physiology gave any answers.

The tunnel was long and curved. When they emerged, Finn found they were in the old school parking lot. A dozen school buses still sat in the lot. A quick glance showed at least three were missing from their normal places. Derek jogged out of the school, waving a set of keys.

“Let’s find out which baby these belong to,” he said under his breath.

Finn nodded. They found the bus quickly. As they pulled out of the parking lot, Finn turned back. His heart dropped as he saw the orphanage. Smoke rose into the air, and a huge beast-demon stood atop the roof.