Page 13 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Right?

“Is Seth possessed, like Monroe was?” Elin asked.

“No.”

Hayden and the rest of the special ops wouldn’t go for this, challenging Seth the moment they stepped foot into Moon Lake territory. Elin shook her head slowly. If anyone could make him see the reason, it would be Hayden. In person. Talking over the phone wasn’t going to cut it, and he was too deep in his emotions for her to reach right now.

Or was there? Maybe she did have something she could do to make him understand what exactly he was doing. Her wolf whimpered with the need to comfort him as she turned around. His stance was so tense it looked like he might suddenly shatter.

Elin swallowed hard. The bond she felt toward him was too strong for her to deny. He might deny her, but if he insisted on playing mates just so he could challenge Seth… well, she could challenge him, too.

“Ask me,” she said.

Finn’s red eyebrows furrowed together. “What?”

“Ask me to be your mate.” Elin met his eye, forcing down the instinctual need to shy back. She was just asking to be rejected again. Under the circumstances, though, she’d risk it. “I won’t be forced into faking a mating bond with someone who previously rejected me. You can’t tell me to do this. You have to ask.”

Finn’s face turned away. “We don’t have time for this.”

“Make time,” Elin snapped, feeling highly unlike herself. Her heart hammered like a hummingbird’s wings. She resisted the urge to press a palm to her chest in an attempt to slow it. “We’re either going to have the mating ceremony, or I tell the truth. So, I guess the choice is now yours. Ask me or take back your challenge.”

His eyes flickered back to her. His expression was still hard as stone. “Fine. But this will be the usual type of arranged mating. It’s not a true bond.”

“You haven’t asked,” Elin pointed out.

Finn’s jaw worked for a moment. “Elin. Will you take me as your mate?”

The words were hollow and flat. Elin’s wolf cricked her tail in disappointment. It wasn’t the sudden revelation that she had hoped for. But he was right. In their current situation, they didn’t have much of a choice. If Finn were to rescind the challenge, it wouldn’t help them build an alliance at all.

That, and it was still possible that Seth would have them all executed.

Finn started to tap his toes, watching her.

It was a very unsatisfying proposal. He could at least show some softening… but Elin supposed she couldn’t expect more, not when she was forcing him into it. Kind of like how he was forcing her into the mating in the first place… fuck, but this was a mess!

“Fine,” she said, a sigh whistling from her lungs. “I’ll be your mate, Finn. But once the immediate situation is dealt with, we’re going to have to talk.”

She thought he was going to go all macho and say there was nothing to talk about. But some of the tension left his shoulders as he nodded. His expression softened, and he looked more like himself again. Maybe this was the best way. Maybe it would allow her to be here for him. The mating might be a sham, but perhaps it was the only way for him to open himself up for the true mating she knew they were capable of.

“We need to have the ceremony,” she said. “We’re both orphans, so parental permission isn’t necessary. So… water and a ribbon. Let’s cut out everything that’s not strictly necessary.”

Finn opened his mouth but closed it again. What thought had he swallowed back? Elin glanced around the room and spied a tie around the curtain. She retrieved it to serve as the ribbon and headed downstairs. Finn followed. He retrieved a cup of water from the kitchen and stalked into the living room. Derek and Christine were having a rare moment of calm; they both looked up warily as Elin and Finn entered.

“We’re having a mating ceremony,” Elin said. “You two will be our witnesses.”

“Are you sure?” Derek asked, but he wasn’t looking at her. His narrowed eyes focused on Finn.

Finn nodded once, hard as stone again.

Elin could barely remember the vows that were traditional to the mating ceremony. She and Finn stood facing each other. The ribbon lay heavy in her hand while he held the cup. He dipped his fingers into the water and dripped water into her mouth.

“I vow to provide for you,” he said.

Elin sighed as she dipped her fingers in the water and repeated his actions. “I vow to call you on your bullshit.”

Finn’s eyes widened, and Christine snorted. Elin shrugged. “Sorry. We just need to make the vows, right?”

Finn put the cup aside and tied one end of the ribbon around her wrist. “I vow to be your… your… arranged mate,” he finished, muttering.

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