Page 29 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Seth let out a heavy sigh. “We’ve been executing the rogues upon capture. We could never tell who was possessed and who wasn’t until it was too late. We lost too many people trying to show mercy.”

“You thought you had no other choice but to protect yourself and your pack. And Dukiel will have used that to make the rogues even more loyal to him.” Finn shook his head. This was far more complicated than he had anticipated. “At the moment, we can only focus on one thing at a time. Protecting the pack has to come first.”

How many of them would turn against him, thinking he was as much of a demon as his… Dukiel.

Elin joined them. Her face was pale, but her expression was set. “I want to be part of your plans. I know I can’t change your mind, and now I can better understand… we need to bring him down as soon as possible. So. I’m going to be part of the planning.”

“You?” Seth asked, his eyebrows furrowed. “A Luna’s place—”

“Is irrelevant,” Elin interrupted.

Seth’s eyes widened.

“It was because of Mica that we defeated Zealuv. And I was part of it. If I can help take down one archdemon, I can helptake down another archdemon. I’ll focus on the container we’ll bind him in. I think the diamond is a good idea to start with. Then maybe we can bury it in concrete or something,” she said, her forehead wrinkling as she thought.

A burst of pride washed through Finn. She might have her moments of doubt, but she wasn’t letting them get the best of her. When the special ops first came to Bluebell Valley, she’d seemed so small. Cowering behind her own shadow, so meek that she wouldn’t fight for herself. It seemed as though she was waiting for everyone else to save her.

Now, she carried herself like a true Luna. She was a sight to behold. Her brown hair fell down her back, and her eyes were filled with determination. Though shorter than him, she drew herself up and held herself as though she were ten feet tall. And her scent! It wafted off her with such strength that it made his wolf growl in lust.

Finn let his gaze trail down her body. She wore a flattering pink top, one with ruffles down the side. It was feminine and emphasized her curves. Her jeans were tight, hugging the curve of her ass perfectly. He wanted to kiss his way down her body and taste her pleasure.

Which was not the reaction he should have had in front of the entire pack. Not after an archdemon just threatened them.

He looked away quickly, trying to ignore the way his own pants felt too tight.

“Seth, I need you to speak with the warriors. This was a good show of unity, but we need more,” Finn said, focusing on the task at hand. There would be time—and the privacy of the bedroom—later. “The challenges that were issues. I need them to be rescinded. And that kid that I threatened… I need him and his parents to stop by the house so I can apologize for that.”

“Apologize?”

“I overreacted when he’s just a dumb kid,” Finn said shortly, annoyed Seth was making him explain.

Seth rocked back on his heels. “I’ll talk to them. Rosemary and I didn’t have children, and you…” He ground his teeth before he spat out, “You would be my natural successor if you’d been raised here. I thought that’s why you challenged me in the first place.”

Finn snorted as he shook his head. “I challenged you because you threatened to hurt E—everyone,” he amended. “And because I’d just found out you were the one who left me at the orphanage.”

“Youjustfound out?”

Finn shrugged. “They never told me anything about my family. My relatives.” He shook his head once. “Go talk with the warriors. I need to get this information to Hayden and the military. Derek will oversee the project to lay down salt.”

Seth nodded. He turned and trotted off. Rosemary looked expectantly at Elin, who murmured that she and the other women should start readying medical supplies for the fighting that was no doubt coming. Once she was off, Elin let out a heavy sigh.

“This Luna thing I going to take some time to get used to,” she said, giving him a wan smile.

Finn brought her hand to his lips. “So is this Alpha thing. But we’ll figure it out. Together.”

Chapter 14 - Elin

Elin lay on her side, watching Finn as he hunched over the computer. Over the past hour, his shoulders had slumped further and further. Normally, he held himself straight and proud, but exhaustion made him slouch. It’d been this way over the past few days. During daylight hours, he was busy rushing around the pack, making sure the town was safe from demons invading. At night, he went through records religiously, making sure he knew all the ins and outs of everything from the school curriculum to the pack budget.

“You don’t have to wait up for me,” Finn said, then glanced over his shoulder. “Am I keeping you up? I can move downstairs.”

“It’s fine,” Elin reassured him. She rested her chin on her hands as she considered their situation.

The Alpha’s house was much less grand here in Moon Lake than Monroe's in Bluebell Valley. When Hayden and Mica became Alpha and Luna, they elected to keep his family house on the outskirts of town and converted the old Alpha’s house into a medical clinic.

This house had two stories. The ground floor contained the kitchen, a sitting room, and a bathroom. The upper floor had three bedrooms, one of which Seth had used as his office. Derek and Christine lived with them, so they each got their own room, meaning Finn set up his computer in the bedroom. It was more spacious than the first house Seth had put them in, at least.

Elin had called Mica earlier that day. The weight of her situation with Finn was getting to be too heavy to bear alone, but there was nobody here in Moon Lake she could confide in.

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