Page 2 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Finn’s jaw worked. His Adam’s apples bobbed before he roughly pushed out, “I would have done the same for anyone. I’m sorry that you feel this way. I didn’t mean to lead you on.”

Her chest started to feel hot now. Elin strode to her dresser and yanked out a pair of underwear. She deliberately grabbed her least sexy pair. She wasn’t going to give him a show for free after all this time!

“If I knew you were going to reject me, I wouldn’t have let you fuck me,” she spat.

“Elin—”

“Don’t try to backtrack now,” she flung over her shoulder. “I’m smart enough to know when I’ve been tricked. Congrats on getting some pussy.”

“That isn’t what this was about, and you know it.” Finn’s tone was infuriatingly calm. “I’m sorry that I hurt you—”

“Are you?” she whirled on him. “Or are you getting off on it, too? I don’t know enough about half-demons to—”

Even if his face hadn’t suddenly hardened, Elin would have cut herself off. Her eyes widened as she realized what she’d said. She froze, a ringing in her ears. What the fuck was wrong with her? That wasn’t… he wasn’t… She’d gone too far.

She couldn’t stand to stay here. There wasn’t anything she could do about it. No apology that would make up for her flinging that into his face. So, she did the only thing that was left to her. She turned on her heel and raced away. Her palms smashed into the doorway, sending it flying open. Not that she cared. The hard, grainy sidewalk bit into her bare feet, and she relished the pinpricks of pain.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!

What was wrong with her?

This is why you don’t have a mate. Why you’ll never have one. What did he do to deserve that? Be honest with yourself.Elin’s vision blurred as tears pooled.He even had the decency of rejecting me in the privacy of my home. I put too much expectation on him. He didn’t deserve to have that thrown into his face. He’s a wolf shifter, not a demon.

He can’t help that one of his parents was.

Her heart pounded wildly, and she had to slow down to catch her breath. The pain was gone, replaced by a dull, empty feeling. Elin put a hand on her chest, her mind veering wildly. What was she going to do now? She couldn’t show her face around Finn again. There was only one choice—leave the pack.

Dramatic, sure. But it was the only thing Elin could actually believe would do anything.

When Elin arrived at the Alpha's house, Mica and Tess were with their mates. They sat outside on the porch, enjoying the summer evening. Mica was snuggled in Hayden’s arms onthe swing, their baby Denzel sleeping on her chest. Tess and Ryder were in a nearby lounge. Both had hands pressed to her large baby bump. From the soft coos and smiles, Elin knew the baby was kicking.

A pang of jealousy stabbed her in the pit of her stomach.

Elin took a deep breath and forced it aside. She’d nearly ruined her relationship with Mica once already. She wasn’t going to allow envy to ruin it for good. She might want what Mica and Tess both had, but she’d survive. She’d move on. Being rejected wasn’t as painful as watching both her parents die.

“Mica,” Elin said as she strode forward. She wiped her face, trying to stop looking so pathetic.

“Oh, Elin.” Mica frowned at her. “What’s wrong?”

Elin cleared her throat, searching for a lie. “I was just reading a sad book. But I came here because I want to be added to the ambassadorial mission to the Moon Lake pack.”

Mica’s eyes widened. “Elin—”

“Please,” Elin interrupted. She pulled in a deep breath and steeled herself. “I want to do something useful.”

And this would take her far, far away from Finn and his rejection.

Chapter 1 - Finn

Finn shifted from wolf form to human as he entered the Alpha’s house through the back door. Being half-demon, his clothes shifted with him from one form to the next. That, and being able to see the aura-demons that others didn’t, were the only benefits to his heritage. The downside… well, was being half-demon.

It was hard to see the utter evil demons wrecked on the world and not feel like some part of you was inherently evil.

He shook off that thought. He didn’t feel evil; from what he’d observed, demons didn’t care about any harm they did to others. Finn always had a protective streak and the desire to help others. It was the one thing he held onto to prove he wasn’t a demon waiting for the chance to go on a killing spree.

Finn sniffed the air, checking for any lingering trace of Elin’s scent. It had been a few weeks since they’d last fucked. Since she admitted that she thought they were mates. His wolf growled as he caught her scent. He wanted to find her and get back to fucking. But it was an older scent. Despite being Mica’s friend, Elin hadn’t come to the Alpha’s house for a day or two.

The alpha of Bluebell Valley, Hayden, and Beta Ryder waited for him in the council room. Finn nodded respectfully at them both.

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