Page 34 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Finn couldn’t bring himself to kill them, not when he knew they weren’t possessed. Having prisoners in townrepresented a safety hazard, though. If they got out, they could cause all sorts of problems.

So, he had the rogues taken to the human village, which had a jail in the police station. They’d be kept there until other arrangements were made.

“That went better than expected,” Derek murmured to Finn as they came roaring in an old van back to the pack. “I say this is cause for celebration, don’t you?”

Finn laughed and clapped him on the back. “You always did like partying.”

The pack was waiting for them. As they exited the van, the loved one of the warriors he’d taken rushed forward to throw their arms around them. Christine let out a relieved breath as she came over to give Finn a once-over.

“I take it nothing was knocked loose?” she asked, then turned to Derek. “All in one piece?”

“Nothing missing,” Derek answered with a smirk.

Christine almost looked like she was going to smile back, but she only turned, going to the warriors who had been injured on the mission. Derek’s smirk faded as he watched her go. Before Finn could cheer him up, Elin came dancing into Finn’s arms.

His wolf burst out in a series of happy yips. A smile blossomed over his face, and he swept her up into his arms. Their mouth crashed together hungrily as though they were starving for each other. And Finn certainly felt as though he had been longing for her for days. He closed his eyes as he swept his tongue over her lip, putting his arms around her waist to pull her nearer.

And that’s when he felt it.

Elin had curves. She always had a slightly rounded belly, and though she carried most of her weight in her hips and thighs, her breasts were sizable. Now, though, as she molded her body against his, he could feel a distinctive difference. Her stomach was more rounded, and her breasts were at least one size larger. Her shoulders, conversely, seemed a bit thinner, and her face seemed to have slimmed.

Finn pulled back. “Are you okay?” he asked, not knowing what else to ask.

He expected confusion. For her to laugh it off and tease him about how quickly he forgot the feel of her body. What he didn’t expect to gaze into her chocolate brown eyes and see them flood with guilt and fear.

His breath caught in his chest. His wolf went still.

No…

Chapter 16 - Elin

Finn’s arm was like a vice around Elin’s waist. He practically lifted her off her feet as he pulled her to the Alpha’s house. Several of the other wolves tittered. To them, it just looked like their new Alpha needed his Luna too much to resist. Elin knew better, though. The moment he’d asked her if she was all right, she knew he could tell. Whether it fully sunk in yet or not, she didn’t know.

He pulled her into the house and shut the door. His hands pressed against it, his back turned to her. His breathing was ragged.

“Elin… please tell me you aren’t pregnant,” he whispered.

Elin winced. He sounded so… afraid. She’d been expecting anger, but this fear. “I haven’t been able to take a test yet. But I think I am.”

“How long?”

“I figured it out the morning before you left for the mission. It’s why I left so early that morning. I was trying to find a test that I could take so that nobody else knew I was taking it,” she said, fumbling over her words as she tried to explain. “We were so busy. You were about to go on a mission that would put you in danger. I didn’t want to distract you. I hoped you wouldn’t notice.”

Finn turned finally. His expression was raw, his eyes guarded. “So you’ve suspected for a few days? That’s it?”

Elin frowned at him. “Why do you say it that way? I wouldn’t have had all those discussions about kids and being mates with you if I’d suspected. I was waiting for the right timebut knew it had to be soon. Just not before you leave to go hunt down demons!”’

Her wolf growled. Angry at Finn for not being happy, or angry at her for snapping at their mate? Elin couldn’t tell.

“Christine needs to give you an exam right away,” Finn muttered. “Beth was pregnant with me only for a month. You shouldn’t have physical changes this dramatic in only a few days. We have to know for sure. Only then can we… deal with it.”

Deal with it. Elin knew what that meant. And she also knew what her answer would be. But for now, she kept quiet. Best not to open that can of worms until they knew that this was a pregnancy, not just a pregnancy scare. Intuition and the changes she’d already undergone made it pretty clear, but it wouldn’t hurt to make sure.

Finn left the house to get Christine. Once they were back, Finn explained the situation in a short, clipped tone. Christine listened, her expression going from wide-eyed to perfectly professional.

“Change into this,” Christine told Elin, handing her a hospital gown. “We don’t have any tests, so I’ll have to give you an ultrasound. And if you are pregnant, I’m going to want to do a full physical exam.”

“I’ve never had one of those before,” Elin said.

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