Page 49 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

“That was before. Don’t you see?” He glared at her stomach with such hatred Elin shied back from him. “It’s not a baby. There is no child here, Elin. It’s Dukiel.”

Elin stood and backed away from him. “No. He’s not Dukiel, Finn. You can’t think like that. We have to give him a chance to live!” Nausea swept over her. “Or do you plan on killing our son as soon as he’s born?”

Finn flinched. He dragged a hand through his hair, his eyes wild. “I’m saying that I don’t think we have a son, Elin. I think… I think Dukiel is just trying to make me think… I think he’s already taken the body. He’s just waiting to transfer the rest of his essence. But he’s already killed our baby.”

This couldn’t be happening.

She stared at him in horror.

Finn winced again and drew away from her. “Please don’t look at me like that. Please. I hate this, too. I’m sorry, Elin. I just… I think that’s… he killed our baby already.”

“No. He didn’t. Our baby is alive, Finn. Look at me. Do you see any influence on me?” Elin spread her arms wide.

Finn let out a shaky breath, his gaze sweeping over her. “No.”

Elin stepped forward again and took his hand in hers. She pressed it to her stomach. On cue, the baby kicked. Finn’s eyes widened. She’d only started feeling the movement recently. Now, she pressed his hand to her belly, making him feel the life inside.

“The only reason you’re afraid is because of what Dukiel said. He’s getting into your head. He wants to tear the pack apart. He wants to make you doubt yourself.” Elin cupped his face carefully. “He’s playing on your fears, Finn. He knows you’re afraid this will kill me, and he’s bringing those fears to the forefront. But there’s no demon around me. This baby is alive. You can feel his life. It’s not Dukiel.”

Finn swallowed hard.

“There’s a reason he kept you in that place as long as he did. We should have Christine check you for trace amounts of drugs. Maybe he put something in the air.” Elin pulled her mate into her embrace and held him tightly. “He’s trying to drive a wedge between us. Because he thinks he can use me to force you to give up.”

“Elin…”

“He lied to you. It’s what demons do.” Elin gazed into his eyes. “But he underestimated you, my love. He won’t win. He won’t beat you.”

Chapter 23 - Finn

When Elin said it, it sounded so obvious. He was glad she was already holding him; otherwise, the shame that swept through him wouldn’t allow him to reach out to her.

“I’m sorry,” he breathed, his voice hitching. “I’m so sorry. I don’t want… I want…”

His words failed him. His wolf, hackle raised from his suggestion, growled loosely in his chest. He held Elin close, his heart beating rapidly. It had only been a moment’s slip when he became convinced that the baby was already possessed. But a moment was all it took.

“This is why,” he said bleakly.

“This is why what? That you can’t be a father?” Elin asked.

Finn nodded, not looking at her. “I don’t deserve it. If I can think about… doing that… then I don’t—”

“Stop. We aren’t going to go down that rabbit hole. There’s nothing on the other end worth examining. Not right now, at least.” Elin sighed as she stepped back from him. “This isn’t about deserve or want. It’s about what needs to happen and who you need to be. For the pack, for me, for our son.”

“I thought you were leaving me,” Finn said. He felt strangely vulnerable as he said it.

Elin bit her lip, uncertainty warring in her eyes. “Do you want me to?”

“No.” The word came simply and without hesitation. “The thing I fear most is that I’ll cause you pain. That I’ll say the wrong thing or do the wrong thing. That I won’t be good enough for you.”

“You know what’s funny about that?” Fresh tears leaked from Elin’s eyes, but she still laughed softly. “That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, too.”

Finn manages a brief smile. “We’re quite the pair, aren’t we?”

“Two orphans lacking the guidance we needed to navigate our situations.” Elin shrugged. “Not much we can do about it except learn how to better ourselves now.”

“I’m sorry for what I said about the baby. Our baby.” It was the first time he’d let himself say it out loud. A warm rush of love swept through him as he put his hand back on Elin’s stomach. The baby wasn’t kicking anymore. “I want to be part of his life, Elin. I don’t know if I can be his father, but I want to help him and you.”

Elin nodded. “Once Dukiel is trapped, we’ll be able to figure out exactly what we all need.”

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