Page 9 of The Alpha’s Rejected Arranged Mate (Bluebell Valley Wolves #3)

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Seth growled. His words were difficult to understand due to the fangs growing in his mouth.

After the fierceness with which he’d gone after Finn in the arena, Elin didn’t want to see how far they could push him. Finn wasn’t acting like himself, either. Normally, he was the last person to antagonize someone else on purpose. They were all under a great deal of stress. With Christine and Derek gone, Elin was the only one on Finn’s side here.

“Don’t I?” Finn challenged.

Elin stepped between the two men. “No. We’re not doing this right now.”

Seth and Finn wore identical, startled expressions. Rosemary, on the other hand, gave Elin an approving nod.

“I won’t pretend as though we can just pretend like there isn’t history here. It’s important to discuss this, but it’ll only end up with more fighting right now. Neither of you are mentally stable.” Elin winced as the words came out of her mouth. “What I mean is, we need to take a breather. Get our emotions under control.”

“I’m not emotional,” Seth ground out.

Elin faced him. “Okay. If you’re not angry, then you can put your claws away.”

Seth glanced at his hands, then clenched them into fists to hide the claws that had started forming at his fingertips. His jaw worked, but he didn’t speak. Rosemary gently laid a hand on his arm, urging him to go with her. Finn huffed, but Elin reached back and touched his arm again.

They still glared at each other, but Seth and Rosemary left without another word. Elin locked the door behind them and slumped against it, letting out a shaky breath.

“Do you really think putting it off is going to make the end result any less violent?” Finn asked her. He glared at the door.

“I don’t know,” Elin answered honestly. “But killing the former alpha less than an hour after you spared his life in the challenge fight won’t help with being the new Alpha now.”

Finn’s lips pressed into a thin line. Then, with effort, he smiled. A softness came to his eyes as he reached out and cupped Elin’s cheek with his hand. “You really are amazing.”

Elin’s heart jumped, then thudded. Nobody had ever called her amazing before.

Very deliberately, her mate—her arranged mate—pulled her into his arms. His fingers combed through her hair, sending prickles of pleasure washing over her scalp. Elin closed her eyes, leaning into Finn with a groan. Everything had pent up so much tension in her body that she felt like she was ready to fly apart. If only he’d agree to the sort of falling apart they’d both enjoy…

To her surprise, his hands came back to her face. He tilted her toward him and pressed a kiss to her lips. It started soft but soon grew feverish, like Finn couldn’t control himself. His tongue ran along her lower lip, demanding entrance. Elin was more than happy to give in to his demands. She moaned as their tongues tangled.

“We still don’t have condoms,” she murmured, hating to bring it up—but she couldn’t enjoy the way he moved from her mouth and kissed the hollow of her throat if she didn’t know how he planned to deal with that.

“I know. I’ll worry about that.” Finn buried his nose into her skin and inhaled deeply. “You don’t smell like you’re ovulating.”

Elin’s eyes widened. “You can smell that?”

Finn smirked as he stepped back, pulling her with him. It was his usual careless smirk, the one that made her blush and giggle as though she was a schoolgirl experiencing her first crush.

“Your scent grows stronger,” he explained. “But it’s at its weakest right now, and at this time of month, you’re usually close to your period.”

He led her up the stairs and into a bedroom. Elin’s mind whirled. He kept better track of her cycle than she did. It pointed to one undeniable fact—he really, really didn’t want children. The thought sent a pang through her, but she pushed it aside.

The two of them were alone in this big, strange house. As Finn undid her jeans and slid his hand between her legs, she was more than happy to let him. He was the Alpha, and she was his Luna, at least for the time being. If they couldn’t have love and children, at least they had lust. They had sex to connect them.

And that was enough, at least for right now.

Elin tangled her fingers through Finn’s hair as he teased her, his fingers moving in a familiar pattern. There was too much between them—too many clothes. Impatiently, she yanked at the hem of the T-shirt that hid his body from her. Finn laughed as he withdrew his hand. She whined at the loss of the sensation, then took the opportunity to pull her jeans down.

Their clothes soon lay scattered over the floor. Finn’s hands roamed over her body, moving slowly, worshipfully. He traced over her ass, leaving fire in the wake of his touch. Elin savored the feeling as she explored his body. He was so very good-looking. His compact muscles were hard beneath her fingers, the heat of his skin a comfortable contrast to the coolness of the room.

“You are so beautiful,” Finn murmured, lowering her onto the bed. He pulled one of her thighs up over his hip, his fingers digging into her soft flesh.

Elin grinned back at him. She knew she had a pretty face, symmetrical with nice eyes and a pleasant mouth. But she never thought of herself as beautiful when looking in the mirror. Seeing herself through his eyes, though… it made all the difference.

“And you are a good man,” she answered, knowing he doubted that as much as she doubted her beauty. “You are . You have such a big—”

He cut her off with a kiss. It was a wild kiss that caused heat to shoot straight to her head, making her forget what she was saying. His hand returned to its place between her legs. There was no teasing this time as he found her bud of nerves. His touch was just soft enough to be savage, to make her hips jerk forward. Elin cried out into their kiss, grabbing his shoulders to stabilize herself. Her eyes flew wide.

Oh, but that felt good! How did he know exactly how to touch her? Exactly how to make her react the way he wanted?

Finn smiled at her as he pulled back, easing off enough to let her suck in a deep breath. “Fuck, but I love how responsive you are.”

“Mmmmm,” was all Elin could say back.

She rocked her hips back into his hand, wanting more touch, more friction. She panted, knowing she was a complete mess already. “Finn, I need you inside of me.”

“Elin—”

“ Please ,” she begged, desperate for him to be closer, for them to be pressed so tightly together she didn’t know where she ended, and he began. She reached down between them and grasped him in hand, pleased to find he was already hard. “I want you so badly, Finn. Please. Don’t make me wait.”

Something shifted in Finn’s eyes. Some look that she couldn’t quite understand. Was it vulnerability? Did he understand she was asking for more than just sex? That she was begging him for connection, even if it was just physical? She stroked him lightly, staring into his eyes. Or was he hesitating only because they didn’t have protection and he hadn’t meant to be inside her?

With her free hand, she cupped his face. “You make me feel so good. I don’t think you understand how much I—"

Another searing kiss cut her off. A burst of frustration went through her, but she bit it back. So, he wasn’t willing to talk about emotions right now. Didn’t matter. He was here. She was here. That’s all that mattered.

She bucked her hips, tipping him to one side. Elin rolled their bodies so she was on top. With one hand still on him, she guided him inside. She moaned at the sensations that swept through her. Finn gripped her hips, his head falling back as he let out a soft gasp.

Bracing her hands on either side of his head, she began to move. It was slow, setting a soft rhythm as they adjusted to one another. Finn’s hands explored her body greedily, his gaze never leaving hers. Fuck, but she loved the way he looked at her. It made her feel ethereal, as though she was the most goddamn beautiful creation on the entire planet.

And she wished he’d let her tell him how much it meant to her that he was here. That he wasn’t just thrusting into her with his mind elsewhere. He watched her move with lusty eyes, and when she liked something he did, he saw it in the way she reacted and so would do it again. She wanted so badly to tell him it was okay that they didn’t know what they were or what the future was.

Instead, she let her head fall back and quickened her pace, grinding and thrusting as her breathing grew more rapid. Finn’s hands grew tighter on her hips, and Elin found herself hoping they’d bruise and that he’d leave a mark on her as proof of their connection.

All too soon, though, his hands moved up. He pulled her down over him, his touch light once more. Their mouths met in a clash, and Finn let out a guttural groan. He was close. She could feel his muscles tensing beneath her. She tangled her hands into his red hair and brought him up to her, teasing his mouth open.

Finn rolled them again, pinning her beneath him. Their bodies broke apart, and Elin let out a cry of frustration. He laughed as he kissed her neck and moved to trace over the tops of her breasts. His hand moved to her, his fingers sliding in. They were a far cry from what he could give her, but his mouth was on her, his thumb roving over her clit and his fingers working her from the inside. Her breathing came in gasps and cries as he pushed her over the edge, making her back arch, and a single cry burst from her throat as all her muscles came undone.

Elin gasped for breath and reached to help him finish. But his hand had already done the work. He convulsed as he came, his muscles bunching.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her and closed his eyes. “I’ll clean that up in a minute.”

Elin reached to splay her hand on his chest. “You’re allowed to live in the moment, you know. Just enjoy this right now.”

Even though she’d felt so good moments ago, a strange hollowness filled her. Even the sex was different than it had been before…

We just have to find each other again, she assured herself. We’ll get back. I know we will.

Finn wouldn’t be so worried about it as soon as they had protection again. That’s what made it so different this time. He’d been too mindful. He’d had to maintain far more self-control than usual. And after the intensity of the challenge fight… things were bound to be slightly off.

Finn pillowed his head with one arm as he stared at the ceiling. His blue eyes darkened, and Elin knew he was thinking about Seth again.

“What was the orphanage like?” she asked quickly.

“Hmm?” Finn’s distracted gaze turned toward her.

Elin rolled to rest her chin on his chest. “Tell me about the orphanage. Growing up. You know my mother died when I was in my teens and the pack… well, that I stayed with Bluebell Valley and lived off what my parents left me.” Until Monroe pulled out some BS law that gave him control of all her assets. “And I know you, Christine, and Derek grew up together. But what about the caretakers? The other kids?”

She expected him to say it didn’t matter. To roll over and start cleaning up, as though he wanted to erase the fact that they’d just been together.

“I suppose I always knew I didn’t quite belong in this world. I started seeing demons when I was very young.” He closed his eyes. “They didn’t know how to react when I told them that a faceless red light was following around the man in town who’d later go on to kill his family. I thought I was cursed. That I somehow caused them to appear. I didn’t understand what demons were until I joined the military. That’s when I learned I was half-demon.”

“How did the military even figure that out?” Elin asked. It was something she’d wondered for a while. “Is there a DNA test or something?”

“In a way. There are certain markers in my genetic code that indicate one of my parents was possessed at the time of my conception.”

Elin hesitated. “But then… it might not be something you pass on.”

Finn’s eyes opened. “There’s only one way to find out. And it’s too great of a risk. I could never put a child through the same thing I went through. You can’t understand seeing the monster under your bed and knowing it’s real. Not to mention everything else. I can see them, and that puts an extra target on my back. They tried to kill me when they realized I could see them as a child. I was five the first time someone tried to drown me. It wasn’t the last time.”

Elin bit back a gasp. She hadn’t known that anyone tried to kill him as a child!

“Even if that weren’t enough, we have no idea what sort of toll the pregnancy would take on the mother. All I know is how beast demons are created. The way the first eggs are implanted in a living being and… it’s a violent process that ends in a very painful, very gruesome death.”

“You’re not a beast, Finn.”

He pulled away from her and rolled to a sitting position. “It’s not something I can risk.”

Elin covered herself with one arm. Somehow, her nudity seemed like too much vulnerability now. “I want to have children, Finn. I want to be a mother.”

“I know.” He didn’t look at her as he started to strip the blankets off the bed. “And I can never give them to you.”