Page 60 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

It had been a rough week.

The door opened, and Finn, dressed in the sterile gown, stepped into the room. He smiled at Elin as he stood next to her chair. Dark circles smudged under his eyes.

“How did the meeting go?” she asked him.

“It went well. The rogues have agreed to serve the pack as compensation for their actions under Dukiel’s command. I’ve arranged for their housing. Next, we just have to find places for them to do their community service.” Finn sank into the chair next to her. “The pack has agreed with the plan. A few of them think we should be laying down harsher punishments, but Seth convinced them that action was better than punishment.”

Elin smiled at her mate. They’d been worried about what to do with the rogues. Yes, they’d served Dukiel and had caused harm to the Moon Lake pack. But Moon Lake had also harmed them. A set amount of hours doing community service was a good compromise for those who wanted to stay in Moon Lake.

“How’s Hendrik?” Finn asked, turning his gaze to their son.

“He’s getting stronger. He put on weight since yesterday, and Christine said that was a good sign,” Elin answered. Every day seemed to be good news that he was stronger than he was the day before. He still needed the medical attention, though.

All things told, he was the equivalent of thirty weeks when Christine had helped Elin give birth. An event Elin had no memory of; the pain had kept her unconscious the entire time. Thirty weeks was still too early. Ten weeks too early. It left him medically fragile. He had a tough spirit, though, like his father. And so this room in the NICU had gone from a place of fear to a place of hope.

Finn reached into the incubator and stroked Hendrik’s hair. The dark circles seemed to be even more pronounced. Between Elin’s recovery and driving between the pack and the city where the hospital was, he had a lot on his plate. Elin leaned into his side.

“It’s not a great way to start, huh?” she asked quietly. “I’m glad you have Seth, Rosemary, and Derek.”

Finn nodded, suppressing a yawn. “Wish Derek and Christine would get along, though. Even now, they keep sniping at each other.”

He grimaced, no doubt thinking of Derek lying in the ditch with glazed eyes after Dukiel’s attack. He’d been in the hospital for nearly a week, having sustained bruised ribs and a severe concussion from the fight. Elin reflected that it’d been a miracle that they had only lost one person in the fight. A handful of warriors were still in the hospital, healing, but they were all expected to pull through.

“But if Derek’s near-death experience doesn’t change that, nothing will,” Finn said sadly.”

Elin shook her head. “Nah. They just need to fuck.”

Finn nearly choked. “What?”

“It’s obvious,” Elin said, arching one eyebrow at him. Did he really not see it? “They’re madly attracted to each other and don’t want to admit it.”

“I think I’m going to be sick.” Finn fake gagged. “You do realize that’s practically my sister and brother you’re talking about?”

Elin gave him a meaningful glance. “And if you’d ask them, they never felt any sort of sibling sentiment to one another.”

Finn looked fairly green at the prospect but didn’t comment. Instead, he slid an arm around Elin’s waist and pulled her tenderly into his chest. “Is he going to need to eat soon?”

Elin shook her head. Her breasts were sore from pumping and feeding, but it was worth it. She was producing a lot of milk—more than enough for Hendrik—and it was a relief she didn’t know how to express. It wasn’t until she started producing milk that she realized she’d been afraid she wouldn’t. Wolf shifter breastmilk was highly prized by hospitals. It was absolutely chockfull of nutrients and antibodies, even more potent than human breastmilk.

“He just ate and fell asleep. What time is it?”

“Almost nine. The nurse told me that they were closing to visitors soon,” Finn said. His arms tightened briefly around her.

“I hate that we can’t just stay with him,” Elin murmured. But that was one reason why she was glad she could pump. She and Finn couldn’t stay with their baby overnight—hospitalpolicy—but at least she was leaving the nurses a good supply for him.

Finn kissed her temple. “And you should be in bed, too. Christine might not have done the c-section as you two planned, but the birth was still traumatic to your body.”

“I feel fine,” Elin protested. “And with you having to be so busy with the pack, I feel better being here.”

He kissed her again, but at that moment, the night nurse came to gently remind them that visiting hours were over. Elin hated leaving Hendrik but reluctantly got to her feet. She and Finn left the hospital. Only after they were gone did Elin realize how heavy and worn out she was. There wasn’t a lot to do in the NICU, but somehow, it still managed to drain her.

They picked up some food on the way to the hotel, and once they were back, Finn tucked her into bed and set the tray of food next to her.

“So. Is there anything else happening with the pack I need to know about?” she asked, trying to keep her tone bright.

“I filled you in,” Finn said with a shrug.

“Only the general terms.” Elin took a bite of her chicken sandwich. “Come on. Is there any movement from Dukiel? The other aura demons?”’

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