Accidental Surrogate

Sinclair

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask, studying Ella.

Her golden eyes sparkle up at me. “Yes Dominic, for the thousandth time.” She sasses, “I’m sure.”

I chuckle, dropping a kiss to her hair. “Imp.”

We’re in the back of a limousine as it rolls slowly down the street, lined on all sides by clambering pack members eager to catch a glimpse of the shifter elite on their way to the King’s palace. Ella is tucked safely against my side, wearing an off the shoulder gown of deepest green.

Layer upon layer of sheer fabric winds around her body in graceful tendrils, leaving small flashes of her fair skin bared and outlining her feminine figure in the most tantalizing design, before cascading to the ground in a waterfall of chiffon. Amber gemstones glitter in her skirts, perfectly matching the delicate jewels of her necklace and earrings. Her hair has been piled up on top of her head, save for a few wisps left free, and her small feet are confined in a pair of sky high heels. Her mask is resting in her lap, waiting for the moment we’ll exit the car and don the intricate disguises required for the ball. Every time I look at her my lungs stop pumping, and I have to remind myself to breathe, struggling to remember how it’s done.

“I know you don’t like being told how beautiful you are, but sometimes it’s hard for me to keep it to myself.” I sigh, leaning down to nuzzle her neck and bask in her sweet scent.

Ella tilts her head to the side, giving me more room to work as I brush my nose and lips over her skin. “It’s not that I mind compliments,” Her breath hitches when I pause to nibble the place where her neck meets her shoulder. “I just don’t like being made to feel like that’s all I am.”

“Well you don’t have to worry there, because as lovely as you are, your beauty is my least favorite thing about you.” I remark, completely serious.

“Sure it is.” She giggles, the sound filling my body with pure sunshine.

“I mean it.” I reply honestly, “Of course, it’s not like that means much because I like all of you. Talking about my least favorite part is like talking about my least favorite dessert – at the end of the day it’s still dessert.”

She doesn’t answer, and when I finally stop exploring the silky curve of her throat, I find a guarded expression on her face, as if she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“Would you like to know my favorite thing about you?” I prompt, offering what she’s either too afraid or too shy to ask.

shrugs, not looking

enjoying the way her tightly wound little body immediately melts against mine. “It’s

snorts, finally raising her luminous gaze to mine. “No one has ever mistaken me for a warrior before.” She admonishes. “I think you’re just trying to

sternly, not liking her self-deprecating tone. “I know warriors, and I know you. You

see how deeply I can make her flush. She peeks up at me from beneath her lashes. “Do you want to

looks or personality– as long as she has a favorite thing,

the right thing to do – but because

her, “I know that might feel impossible right now, with everything you’ve been through, but I’m

me that Ella and I will be family. Whether we become

replies, alight with mischief and desire in equal measure. “You’ll let me walk all over you

even as I fight the urge to tell the driver to turn the car around so I can take Ella home and finish what

masks, I glance at the media clamoring outside and feel Ella do the same. She recoils in surprise, and a rush or protectiveness slams into me. My wolf immediately rises to the surface, and I have to fight the urge to

My wolf demands. I’ll kill them before they lay

shaking with the effort of holding him

He insists. This was

I’d like nothing more than to attack every reporter in sight. Deep down, I also know that I wouldn’t be so on edge if we’d found an outlet for our sexual tension earlier. It goes against my every instinct not to reward my mate after she submitted so beautifully, and I feel as though my job is

My wolf chants. I

She’s not a wolf, it

nibble? He begs,

manage to get Ella out of the car and through the crowd, but no sooner have we stepped into the ballroom that Ella turns toward me with an exasperated look on her face. “Dominic, you’re

some of my Alpha authority seep into my voice. “Am