Page 48 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Finn looked up, and his eyes widened. “Elin. You should be—”

Elin strode forward and threw her arms around him. She pressed her face into his collar and breathed in his rich, manly scent. “Never do that again.”

“Do what?” Finn lifted her onto the bed next to him, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Don’t go on missions like that without telling me. I wasn’t prepared, Finn. And then when you didn’t come back… I wasn’t prepared.” Tears flowed down her cheeks. “So never do that again. I know you’re the tough guy who wants to keep things bottled up, but you can’t leave me alone.”

Finn pressed his lips to his temple. “I’m sorry. I thought it would be best not to worry you.”

“Failed.”

He chuckled but grew serious quickly. “Elin… I think… Dukiel cornered me. He talked to me.” In a low voice, he shared everything the archdemon had said. Goosebumps broke out over Elin’s arms as a chill went over her.

“Why do you think he’s so obsessed with taking you as his host instead of just getting a new one if his current one is failing?” Elin asked once he was done.

“That’s what you’re taking from this?” Frustration burned in Finn’s eyes. “Elin—”

“If we can figure out why he’s determined about this, we can figure out how far he’s willing to go,” Elin interrupted quickly.

Finn closed his eyes but nodded. “I’m the perfect host because we’re blood-related. He helped form me. Since I’m half-demon and half-shifter, I have not only the extra power and strength of wolves, but the demon part of me will stop this body from deteriorating. A win-win.”

“So, the demonic influence you saw around me was Dukiel listening in,” Elin said, her brow furrowed. “Using the genetic connection to push his influence onto the baby… But itcan’t be as simple as he’s making it out to be. Otherwise, he’ll have seen your entire life.”

Finn tensed, a fire blazing suddenly in his eyes. “How can we be certain he hasn’t? Maybe it’s not the baby he’s listening through. Maybe it’s me.”

A chill swept through her. Elin cupped his face in her hand. “We can’t let him win.”

“No,” Finn murmured. “But maybe it’ll be best if someone else steps up. Maybe they’ll be better suited for this.”

“Or maybe he’s trying to lace you with doubt,” Elin argued.

Finn frowned.

“He could have gone after you for decades, Finn. If he’s connected, he knew you were at the orphanage. Why would he let you grow up there as you if he could just possess you?”

“He can’t. That’s the point, he needs my permission,” Finn argued.

Elin nodded. “And is it easier to manipulate a child into agreeing to allow himself to be possessed or an adult with full knowledge of demons?”

Finn’s eyes widened. “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“He’s making you doubt yourself. It’s part of his game.” Elin grasped his hands in hers. “Listen. Christine has an idea. I’m at about twenty weeks right now. She’s not an obstetrician, but she believes that if we can wait until I’m at the equivalent of twenty-six weeks, we can get someone here to do a C-section. It will take right around a week for me to get there if the pregnancy continues to accelerate the way it has been. We can use that time to get the proper equipment and an incubator. He’ll be apreemie, but Christine thinks taking him out early is worth the risk.”

She spoke quickly, wanting to make sure Finn understood the plan before she grew doubtful again. Christine had explained it was risky. Majorly. Infant mortality from being born so early was high. But at twenty-six weeks, there was up to seventy-five percent chance that her son would survive—an awfully low number in Elin’s estimates.

But it might be necessary.

A normal pregnancy had nine months for the mother’s body to grow and change. The rapid growth Elin was undergoing was putting even more pressure on her lungs and heart than she’d realized. Christine was worried about her health and the long-term damages that might come afterward.

That, and Christine had talked more with Rosemary. Finn had been born fully developed, equivalent to nine months. But it’d been difficult on his body, too. He’d been born covered in bruises, and in the first month that she had him here, Rosemary had been certain he wasn’t going to make it.

There wasn’t enoughroom. And the last ultrasound showed that her son’s heartbeat was stressed. Scheduling an early C-section gave them both the highest chance of survival, in Christine’s medical opinion. The added benefit to this plan would be to bring in another doctor, a surgeon trained in C-sections. And then they’d have a second opinion.

To Elin’s surprise, Finn’s expression closed off when she finished.

“We should take it out now.”

Elin drew back, shocked. She thought they’d moved past this! “You can’t be serious. We talked about this, and you agreed it was my choice!”

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