Page 28 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Ah, fuck it. He didn’t want any of them to get into a fight—Elin wasn’t trained, and both Seth and Rosemary were getting old. Seth still hadn’t healed from the challenge fight! But there wasn’t time for arguing. The longer he stood there trying to make them do what he wanted, the more the pack suffered.

“Just stay here,” he commanded, one last attempt, as he jerked the door open. He bolted out the door, ready to find the heart of the fighting and throw himself into the fray.

He found a standoff instead.

The pack was just inside the town borders. Most had shifted to wolf form already, their tails swishing with tension as she snarled and growled at the group of rogues on the other side. Derek stood at the front of the pack, one hand out to the side, stopping them from attacking. The rogues all had that strong demon influence around them, but none showed signs of possession.

Except one.

The wolf standing just behind the group of rogues. It was a medium-sized wolf with a plain grey coat. There was nothingthat stood out about it other than the thick red aura that surrounded it. Finn had only seen that strong of an aura once before when we fought Zealuv. The special ops had come against an archdemon before, but Finn had been out of commission.

“Dukiel, I presume,” he growled, narrowing his eyes at the demon. Had he assumed wrong in thinking Dukiel would have made his move already if he’d been able to?

The wolf shifted to human form. He was a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair, dark eyes, and an amused smile. He kept his clothes during the shift, something Finn hadn’t seen any demon-possessed wolf do before. Dukiel wore a dark suit that was tailored perfectly to his body.

“Ah, yes,” Dukiel said, looking Finn up and down. “The prodigal son returns. My son.”

A few gasps came from the Moon Lake pack. A few others growled. Derek shot Finn a surprised glance, but Finn stayed focused on the archdemon. It was a classic tactic: divide and conquer. Finn remained silent, his wolf snarling with the desire to shift and tear out the bastard’s throat.

“I’m not here to hurt anyone,” Dukiel said, lifting his hands in a placating gesture. “As I told your uncle, I only wanted to know what happened to you. I told him I'd leave Moon Lake alone as soon as you were returned to me. And now you’re here. I’ll give you the same offer. Come with me, my son, and this pack will be forever free of me.”

A soft growl sounded beside him. Elin. She’d followed him, even though he told her to stay behind. Finn forced himself not to react. She had a big enough target on her back just by being his mate. The last thing he needed was for Dukiel to get a sense of how much he actually cared!

“The pack will be free of you?” he repeated, keeping his tone neutral. “Is that demon speak for wiped out? Hard to be enslaved when you’re dead.”

Dukiel’s expression showed no change. “I thought you might have been taken by that cult, brainwashed into thinking all demons are the same.”

Cult? Was he calling the military a cult? Ironic, coming from a demon. Finn frowned. There was no barrier between him and the pack, nothing to stop him from attempting to possess Finn right now. Unless there was, and they just didn’t know it. There had to be a reason why Dukiel had unpossessed rogues with him rather than other aura demons.

A demon only got more power by feeding on other demons. Was that it, then? Did the state of his host weaken Dukiel to the point where he’d be vulnerable to the attacks of other demons?

Dukiel’s gaze swept over the gathered wolves. His amused smile faded as he locked eyes with Finn once more. “I understand it will take time for you to realize the truth. You’ve heard so very many lies about demons. I’ve heard of the event at Bluebell Valley. That bastard, Zealuv, isn’t representative of all of us.”

“If you think I’m so easily swayed—” Finn warned.

“No, of course not. You are too well trained and too clever for that.” Dukiel shrugged. “So, I will give you a period of grace. For you to come to understand I’m telling the truth.”

He turned and shifted into wolf form again. With a bark, he trotted toward the thin, scrub-brush forest. Finn watched him go, surprise shooting through him. It had to be a trick—but it was still the most clever move he’d seen a demon pull.Leaving without violence was the only way anyone would doubt his intentions…

The rogues turned their backs and bolted after their demonic leader. Two of the Moon Lake pack howled and started forward at the fleeing rogues.

“Stop!” Finn shouted.

The two wolves froze. Half of the rogues slowed. They looked back over their shoulders, and one seemed like it was about to turn and slink back. Then Dukiel barked again and took off into a run. The rogues followed, though that one hesitated a little longer than its companions.

Finn watched them leave, his muscles stretched and taunt. The eyes of the pack were on him, waiting. “We need to save our strength. They didn’t send their strongest warriors here. They’d send the ones they can use to reduce our numbers, even if they die to do it. We keep with the plan. Salt barriers around the town and the production of talismans to protect against demons.”

Seth stepped up beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. “You all heard my nephew. He is your Alpha now. Show him the respect that position deserves.”

Finn ground his teeth, resisting the urge to shy back from the touch. Just a few minutes ago, Seth had been telling him that he wanted to kill him the moment he was born. Now, he was calling his nephew and giving support in front of the pack. It felt so wrong. So fake.

But necessary. They had to show unity if they were going to take down Dukiel.

Slowly, the pack dispersed. Finn turned, his gaze seeking out Elin. She wasn’t as close as he expected. When he heard hergrowl, he thought she’d been right at his elbow. Instead, she was back close to a house with Christine and Rosemary. Finn was only briefly distracted by wondering how he heard her so clearly when she was so far away before Seth caught his attention again.

“You have a way to know who is possessed and who isn’t?” Seth asked intently.

“I can see them,” Finn answered shortly.

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