Page 19 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Bracing her hands on either side of his head, she began to move. It was slow, setting a soft rhythm as they adjusted to one another. Finn’s hands explored her body greedily, his gaze never leaving hers. Fuck, but she loved the way he looked at her.It made her feel ethereal, as though she was the most goddamn beautiful creation on the entire planet.

And she wished he’d let her tell him how much it meant to her that he was here. That he wasn’t just thrusting into her with his mind elsewhere. He watched her move with lusty eyes, and when she liked something he did, he saw it in the way she reacted and so would do it again. She wanted so badly to tell him it was okay that they didn’t know what they were or what the future was.

Instead, she let her head fall back and quickened her pace, grinding and thrusting as her breathing grew more rapid. Finn’s hands grew tighter on her hips, and Elin found herself hoping they’d bruise and that he’d leave a mark on her as proof of their connection.

All too soon, though, his hands moved up. He pulled her down over him, his touch light once more. Their mouths met in a clash, and Finn let out a guttural groan. He was close. She could feel his muscles tensing beneath her. She tangled her hands into his red hair and brought him up to her, teasing his mouth open.

Finn rolled them again, pinning her beneath him. Their bodies broke apart, and Elin let out a cry of frustration. He laughed as he kissed her neck and moved to trace over the tops of her breasts. His hand moved to her, his fingers sliding in. They were a far cry from what he could give her, but his mouth was on her, his thumb roving over her clit and his fingers working her from the inside. Her breathing came in gasps and cries as he pushed her over the edge, making her back arch, and a single cry burst from her throat as all her muscles came undone.

Elin gasped for breath and reached to help him finish. But his hand had already done the work. He convulsed as he came, his muscles bunching.

He collapsed onto the bed next to her and closed his eyes. “I’ll clean that up in a minute.”

Elin reached to splay her hand on his chest. “You’re allowed to live in the moment, you know. Just enjoy this right now.”

Even though she’d felt so good moments ago, a strange hollowness filled her. Even the sex was different than it had been before…

We just have to find each other again,she assured herself.We’ll get back. I know we will.

Finn wouldn’t be so worried about it as soon as they had protection again. That’s what made it so different this time. He’d been too mindful. He’d had to maintain far more self-control than usual. And after the intensity of the challenge fight… things were bound to be slightly off.

Finn pillowed his head with one arm as he stared at the ceiling. His blue eyes darkened, and Elin knew he was thinking about Seth again.

“What was the orphanage like?” she asked quickly.

“Hmm?” Finn’s distracted gaze turned toward her.

Elin rolled to rest her chin on his chest. “Tell me about the orphanage. Growing up. You know my mother died when I was in my teens and the pack… well, that I stayed with Bluebell Valley and lived off what my parents left me.” Until Monroe pulled out some BS law that gave him control of all her assets. “And I know you, Christine, and Derek grew up together. But what about the caretakers? The other kids?”

She expected him to say it didn’t matter. To roll over and start cleaning up, as though he wanted to erase the fact that they’d just been together.

“I suppose I always knew I didn’t quite belong in this world. I started seeing demons when I was very young.” He closed his eyes. “They didn’t know how to react when I told them that a faceless red light was following around the man in town who’d later go on to kill his family. I thought I was cursed. That I somehow caused them to appear. I didn’t understand what demons were until I joined the military. That’s when I learned I was half-demon.”

“How did the military even figure that out?” Elin asked. It was something she’d wondered for a while. “Is there a DNA test or something?”

“In a way. There are certain markers in my genetic code that indicate one of my parents was possessed at the time of my conception.”

Elin hesitated. “But then… it might not be something you pass on.”

Finn’s eyes opened. “There’s only one way to find out. And it’s too great of a risk. I could never put a child through the same thing I went through. You can’t understand seeing the monster under your bed and knowing it’s real. Not to mention everything else. I can see them, and that puts an extra target on my back. They tried to kill me when they realized I could see them as a child. I was five the first time someone tried to drown me. It wasn’t the last time.”

Elin bit back a gasp. She hadn’t known that anyone tried to kill him as a child!

“Even if that weren’t enough, we have no idea what sort of toll the pregnancy would take on the mother. All I know is howbeast demons are created. The way the first eggs are implanted in a living being and… it’s a violent process that ends in a very painful, very gruesome death.”

“You’re not a beast, Finn.”

He pulled away from her and rolled to a sitting position. “It’s not something I can risk.”

Elin covered herself with one arm. Somehow, her nudity seemed like too much vulnerability now. “I want to have children, Finn. I want to be a mother.”

“I know.” He didn’t look at her as he started to strip the blankets off the bed. “And I can never give them to you.”

Chapter 9 - Finn

Everyone was looking at him.

Finn’s wolf growled, bristling under the attention. Having strangers stare like this usually meant something terrible had happened. And the hostility in their glances proved that many wanted to do terrible things to him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he stepped onto the small stage at the front of the Moon Lake town hall.

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