Page 52 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

“Christine,” he yelled, reaching for Elin.

A fresh wave of pain heaved over her, and she screamed, pushing him away. The baby! Something was wrong with the baby!

Christine burst into the room, stumbling on a pair of pants she yanked up over herself. She wore a cotton shirt so thin it was no better than wearing nothing. Elin would have been embarrassed if she weren’t in so much pain. Derek entered the room behind Christine.

“Get to the clinic,” she yelled over her shoulder. “She needs morphine.”

Elin shook her head, fear gripping her. “The baby!”

“By the Goddess,” Christine breathed. Her eyes went huge as she stared at Elin’s stomach.

Elin looked down. Her skin was red and taunt, being stretched out. The distinctive imprint of a foot appeared on her skin. And then the pain came back, so intense it left her blind. Everything seemed to be coming from far away, and all that was left was the pain until that, too, disappeared.

***

A steady beeping sounded in her ears. Elin cracked her eyes open, wishing she was in a nightmare. Her head felt fuzzy, but even though the pain was still there. Christine stood near the bed, doing something with one of those water bag things. It was attached to a long tube that seemed to go into Elin’s arm.

“Baby,” she said.

Christine jumped. “Fuck!”

Elin lifted a finger to wag at her. “Not in front of the baby.”

“The baby can’t hear us yet,” Christine said. She ran a hand through her hair. “You shouldn’t be up. I’ve given you enough morphine to put down a woman twice your size.”

“I’m a drug sponge,” Elin said wisely. She giggled, but it didn’t last. “Is my baby okay?”

“He went through a growth spurt. You seem to have progressed almost three weeks overnight,” Christine said, her eyebrows pulled together in concern. “For a while there, I thought we were going to lose you. The strain on your body… You seem to have stabilized for now.”

Elin closed her eyes. It was difficult to think clearly. “Okay. But what happens now? Do we still have time for the equipment to come here?”

“No. Finn’s arranging for us to take you to the city hospital. We need a better setup and someone to do emergency surgery if necessary.” Christine sighed. “The baby is healthy. His heartbeat is still strong. So you just focus on yourself, okay? He’s only as safe as you are.”

Elin nodded, her eyes drifting shut again.

***

Finn carried her to the van. They didn’t have much choice but to drive to the city, though Finn was clearly nervous about the prospect. He gave her a confident grin as he buckled her in. “You’ll notice that this is full of salt.” He gestured to the glittering white grains on the van floor. “And we painted protective symbols on the outside of the van.”

“And on me again,” Elin added, lifting her arm. It was covered in Sharpie ink.

“Can’t be too careful,” Finn quipped.

Elin smiled at her. Christine had eased her off the morphine at Elin’s insistence. Now, she fiddled with the IV bag still attached to Elin. Deep creases lined her face, making her look older than she was. It was clear that this wasn’t the situation she wanted. Elin had heard her and Derek arguing outside her door about an airlift into town. Apparently, Christine was under the impression Derek could call in favors to get them a hospital but was refusing.

“Fucking dammit, Christine!” Derek had finally roared. “Do you really think I’d hold back on this just to spite you? I’ve done everything I can. I’d cut off my own dick if it meant getting a chopper. I can’t do it.”

As far as Elin knew, they hadn’t spoken since. Derek slid into the driver’s seat, his shoulders tense. What had happened between them? How could such a tight trio that grew up as one unit become a fractured group? They still loved Finn as much as ever but seemed to hate each other. Why?

Elin shook her head, instead focusing on Finn. The team moved quickly and smoothly under his command. The aura of an Alpha pulsed out from him. She watched him with a smile, admiring the way he organized them. Even though he was sick with worry, he took care of the situation with a calm efficiency.

Her wolf preened, exhausted as they both were. She was proud to be able to call such a strong, handsome man her mate.

Finally, Finn sank into the seat next to Elin. It was a convoy of several vehicles around the van, filled with warriors ready in case something went wrong. The tension stretched, heavy and oppressive. Elin leaned into Finn’s side. She could feel her body uncomfortable and stretched out. Though the morphine had cut out the worst of the pain, there lingered a deep ache Elin knew wasn’t going to go away any time soon.

“Do you see the demon influence on me?” she asked as she tucked herself into Finn’s arms.

He didn’t answer.

---