Page 5 of The Alpha's Rejected Arranged Mate

Elin’s heart constricted. Salt barriers. Did Finn think that demons had descended on the village? She grabbed her bag from the van before they headed into the building. It was a big brick thing that looked more like an apartment building than an orphanage. Play equipment was scattered around the long yard, but no child was seen.

Inside, it was just as deserted.

“Let’s check the office,” Finn said.

“No, let’s check the kitchen. We’ll know how long it’s been empty based on the food,” Elin argued.

Finn cocked his head to one side, then nodded once. The group made their way to the kitchen. It was in a state of disarray, with the fridges and freezers wide open. Not a trace of food was left, only dirty dishes scattered over the counters. Judging by the mold growing in the trash, the orphanage had been emptied for several days.

Elin shuddered. She wished she’d brought her gun with her. Most shifters looked down on human weapons, claiming the fangs and claws the Moon Goddess gave them were enough. Elin wasn’t a fighter, though, and the gun had come in handy previously. But going armed into another pack wasn’t a good look.

They put down the PCP pipes filled with salt under windows and in front of doors to prevent demons from creeping in. Though aura demons could possess people, it generally seemed they couldn’t just go through solid walls. Besides, with the talismans surgically implanted in the women and Derek’s protective tattoos, free-floating aura demons weren’t the ones they were worried about. Elin peeked at Finn from the corner of her eye. He, at least, didn’t have to worry about being possessed anyway.

“While we’re all here, we might as well search the records together,” Derek suggested.

“Shouldn’t we try to find out what happened here?” Christine asked, folding her arms over her chest.

A very sizable chest, one that made Elin both wince to think of the weight she was carrying around and turn green with envy. Her own breasts were small—relatively—and had always been a hit to her self-esteem.

Christine shook her head. “Or maybe we should continue on to Moon Lake. They might know.”

Derek gave her a hard look. “Finn’s got to look through his records. It’ll go faster while we’re here, and then we can all move on without leaving him behind.”

“I wasn’t suggesting—”

Finn lifted a hand, causing the two to fall silent. They looked at him expectantly, with the expressions of people used to this dynamic. Elin fought down an irrational surge of jealousy. Even with their bickering, it was clear that these three had a deep history between them. She was the odd one out—the loner, as she had been her entire life.

“Christine, I need you to go to the infirmary and dig out my medical records,” Finn said. “Derek, go with her to guard her. I’ll get my records from the office. I don’t want anyone else poking around in them.” His gaze landed on Elin. “You can go with Derek and Christine.”

“As much as I would love to have the buffer, it will go faster if Elin helps you,” Christine said. She dropped her arms and sighed. “Let’s just find the records, then get out of here. Can we all agree on that?”

Elin bit back the irrational desire to argue. This was the logical way to split up. She followed Finn as he headed to the office. Once there, he turned his back on her as he opened the first filing cabinet. Elin turned on the computer, relieved when it worked. She went through the desk as Finn rummaged in the files. She found nothing related to him or why the village was so abandoned.

The tension stretched tight to the point of being unbearable. What could she do to ease it?

“I’m sorry for the way… reacted,” she exclaimed. Her tone was stiff and reluctant, but at least the words came out. “When you clarified our situation. I’m sorry that I misread it in the first place. It was a bad position to put you in.”

Her wolf growled, angered that she would say it. They were mates. It was still as plain to Elin now, even after he rejected her, as it was when they lay skin-to-skin. She sucked in a deep breath through her mouth to avoid smelling him. Part of her screamed that she had to find out what was holding him back, to guide him to the truth, and not just give up on their relationship.

Somehow, the tension grew even thicker after her apology. It made the air feel heavy. Elin’s fingers slipped as she looked up Finn’s name on the computer.

“Sorry,” Finn said. He pulled a file from the cabinet and tossed it onto the desk. His name was written on top. “Sorry that you ran off as though I was attacking you?”

“Yes,” Elin said simply.

That seemed only to upset him more. “I know rejection hurts, Elin. You don’t have to apologize for having perfectly reasonable feelings.”

What was he arguing with her over this? She clicked on the digital file that came up with his name and set it to print. Her wolf growled again.

“I’m not apologizing for my feelings,” she said. “But rather my reaction. I could have handled myself better.”

“You could have. By not running off and getting yourself assigned to a potentially dangerous mission,” Finn snapped.

Elin whirled on him, her temper spiking. “If it was that dangerous, Hayden wouldn’t send a human to the Moon Lake pack. If Christine can handle herself, then so can I.”

“Christine is trained for combat.”

“I’m a wolf! And I’ve fought demons, in case you have forgotten.”

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