Page 36 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Christine took her pulse and listened to her chest and lungs. “We can do an EKG if you’re worried but seem to be healthy. That said, you will need to decide if you want to terminate the pregnancy soon. We don’t know when the window for a medical abortion will close, and surgery is always risky.”

“As risky as carrying to term?” Elin asked hesitantly.

Christine shook her head. “With what we know… nothing is riskier than doing that.”

Elin winced, then squared her shoulders. “But we have you. You’re a doctor, and we know what to expect. They didn’t have any sort of experience or medical care with Beth. I don’t want to have an abortion. I want to keep my baby. Are you willing to be my doctor, knowing the risks?”

“I wouldn’t abandon you,” Christine told her, reaching for her hand. “We’ll need to monitor your condition closely. Right from the start, I’m going to put you on bed rest. You’ll need to avoid straining your system.”

“You’re not going to try to convince me to change my mind?” Elin asked doubtfully.

“No. Do you want me to keep you informed as to what options there are to end pregnancy, or is that a hard line you don’t want me to bring up again?” Christine asked.

“Don’t bring it up again,” Elin said softly.

Christine blinked a few times as though trying to keep her expression neutral. “Of course. I’ll help you as best I can. You’re strong and young.”

Elin smiled at her. “Thank you. I’d like to talk to Finn now. I need to tell him what I’ve decided.”

Christine nodded once, stood up, and patted Elin’s shoulder. “I’m here for you.”

She stepped out of the room. Elin took a deep breath, trying to sort through her emotions. There was happiness, but it was buried deep beneath fear and concern. Mostly because she didn’t know how Finn would respond. They were careful. Not careful enough, it seemed. He was so determined that he didn’t want to be a father.

Except he does,she thought, then shook her head. She’d made her choice; it was up to him to make his.

Finn stepped into the room, his eyes dark and shoulders slumped. He closed the door but didn’t speak.

Elin braced herself. “I’m keeping it.”

Finn’s jaw flexed, and he looked away.

“I know it’s not what you want to hear. But this baby won’t have the same childhood you had. We know how to protect them against demons. They won’t see any lingering around and do not know how to describe what they see. They’ll have a pack who will band around them,” she started.

“And what about you?” Finn’s voice was rough.

Elin winced. “I made this choice long ago, Finn. I heard about women dying in childbirth as a kid. I heard about human women who were forced to choose between putting off their cancer treatments or…” She sighed. “I used to have nightmares about it. That I was pregnant and being told I had to choose whether it was me or my baby that died.”

Finn looked up, his eyes haunted. “That’s fucked up.”

Elin frowned at him. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

“I… didn’t mean it that way.” Finn slumped to a chair. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose. I’m sorry. But this is real, Elin. It’s not a nightmare, as much as I wish it were. It’s real, and we have to deal with very real consequences.”

“That’s why I’m telling you this. Because I thought about it far too much.” Elin shook her head. Was it the Moon Goddess giving her visions of this possibility years ago, or was it just the anxiety that came from losing her father? “I made my choice long before it was ever a possibility.”

Finn pushed back to his feet. “But—”

“But nothing. I made my choice. So long as there is a chance that we both will survive the pregnancy, I have to take it. Right now, I have hope. We have Christine and the information we need to know about what to expect.” Elin reached for his hand, but he pulled away. “There’s a chance, Finn. So I’m going to give my baby the best shot at living.”

Chapter 17 - Finn

Finn’s heart slammed into his ribs, over and over again, as though it was trying to break his bones. He searched Elin’s face, but all he could see was that soft determination he’d come to expect from her. And pain. Not for herself but because of what she was putting him through.Forgive me, her eyes begged.

Forgive her? If anyone should be begging for forgiveness, it should be his. He should have been smarter than to think that he could just pull out. Why had he been so careless?

Finally, Finn managed to unstick his jaw. “I don’t want to be the reason you die.”

Elin winced. She took a deep breath and shook her head. “It’s not, though.”

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