Accidental Surrogate

Ella

“This baby is mine.” I tell him possessively. “You can’t just tell me you’re magic and expect me to take that as proof you’re the father.”

“My senses don’t lie, little human.” Sinclair declares, leaving no room for argument. “Nor do my investigators. You’re not in any position to care for this child. Your income is too low to pay off your debts in time, and no woman who claims to be responsible would ever get pregnant in such a situation.”

“My income?” I force the words out through clenched teeth, “what income? You got me fired!”

The big man… or wolf, I suppose, blinks in surprise. “You were fired?”

“Now who’s playing dumb?” I demand wryly. “You called the Graves after I asked you to help Cora, you got me fired and ruined my reputation.”

“I did no such thing.” He insists. “I didn’t even know you were no longer employed.”

“I thought your investigators were the best?” I taunt, and I can feel myself toeing the line of his temper.

“Clearly this was very recent.” He bites back. “And I don’t blame you for becoming desperate, but you have to admit the only explanation for this,” He gestures to my tummy, “is that you needed money and hoped to extort it from me in exchange for the child.”

“I wanted this child more than anything in the world!” I exclaim, surging to my feet. “I’ve been trying to get pregnant for years and when I came to Cora I didn’t know about the identity theft or that I was going to lose my job. This was my last chance and you have no idea how hard it’s been… how painful it is to think I might have to abort it because of everything that’s happened since.” I didn’t mean to tell him so much, but the words poured out of me before I could stop them. I’ve been so preoccupied with these thoughts the last few days I clearly couldn’t keep them contained.

“Abort it!?” Sinclair rises to his feet in a blur, suddenly towering over me despite the fact that I’m still standing on the exam table’s step. “So now you’re threatening me?”

said I can’t afford to have a baby

pups.” He growls. “Our children are too precious and Cora knows that. I’m

impossible! How many times do I have to tell you that if this child is yours, it was an accident! Cora didn’t switch the samples on purpose and I didn’t get pregnant because I wanted you to pay off my

eyes at me. “You’re a very

wouldn’t be surprised if you have scales when you

“Be careful Ella, I’m showing you a lot of lenience right now because you don’t know our ways, but keep

my horror, I feel my eyes burning with tears. Swiping at them angrily, I continue, “and I’ve already lost everything

don’t know what to do – I know how suspicious our situation looks. If I didn’t know better, I would think the same thing he did. It was all too suspicious, especially now that I know the truth about Cora’s lab. It couldn’t be easy to mix up samples of different species… wait a minute. The little voice in the back of my head whispers, and I turn back

it was the wrong sample. She wouldn’t have believed it would work even if we were as calculating as you seem to think. And if all I wanted was to extort your money, why haven’t I asked for it? Why haven’t

werewolf blinks, processing this information with a grimace. Silence stretches between us and eventually he sighs, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I’m not saying I believe you, but however it happened, we need to come to

warily, “what

name your price, Ella.” He mutters, pinching the bridge of his nose. “How much do you

what? The baby?” I sputter, “You want

be raised by me.” He insists. “You don’t belong in my world.

want it raised by someone who thinks of it as nothing more than a commodity!” I’m raising my voice

grumbles, “do you have any idea

not a child – not a son or daughter, but an heir – is that all it is to you? Some hypothetical legacy? I might not be able to prevent myself from losing this child now, but I’m not going to hand it over to

a life you never could, it will want for absolutely nothing! With you