Accidental Surrogate

Sinclair

What started as a regular dinner party quickly evolves into a marathon planning session for the war, extending late into the night. I summoned James and my top enforcers as soon as the alliance was confirmed, because even though we’ve just clinched a major victory, the truth is that the hardest work is still ahead of us. In addition to coordinating Kieran’s mission as a double agent, there are a lot of logistics to sort out in terms of mobilizing combat forces and choosing tactical strategies.

In hindsight I realize I should have familiarized the delegations with the military minutiae from the beginning, but I hadn’t wanted to risk compromising classified information without confirming their loyalties first. Now I’m paying the price of that caution, as there’s a great deal of ground to cover simply to get everyone caught up on the same page. Still, I’m elated to have the combined armies of the Vanaran packs at our disposal. In addition to the resistance forces coalescing back home, our numbers should now be more than double the soldiers employed in Damon’s imperial army – and that’s not to mention the Vanaran technologies we’ll now be able to employ.

Everything is finally coming together, and I’d be lying if I said I don’t feel entirely impatient to launch our first true attack. Ella is helping me remain patient, simply by the virtue of my wolf refusing to be separated from her any sooner than we’ve already planned. It’s a good thing too, because I know rushing home in a fiery rage is a recipe for disaster. We have to put ourselves in our opponents shoes; get inside Damon’s mind and anticipate his every move, then account for each potential complication until we have a protocol for every contingency.

Ella is barely awake by the time we finally finish discussing our next steps. I tried to convince her to go up to bed an hour ago, but she only climbed into my lap and dug her proverbial paws in. I didn’t have the heart to set her away from me, and I figured there was a better chance of her sleeping with me than without me. I’m not even sure she’s aware when we decide to call it a night.

I carry the drowsy bundle up to our suite, pangs of tenderness radiating through my chest every time she emits a sleepy murmur and snuggles closer, burying her face in the curve of my neck. I try my best to undress Ella without disturbing her slumber, but it’s no use. She blinks up at me with heavy-lidded eyes as I slide her dress down over her hips, one small hand extending towards my face. I pause so she can stroke my jaw, wondering if there’s ever been such a sweet mate before, then deciding such a thing is impossible.

“I’m so proud of you.” She utters, her speech only slightly slurred. “You were brilliant tonight, Dominic.”

“You were the brilliant one.” I reply, kissing her palm and finally pulling the gown from her delectable body. “You played Kieran like a fiddle, and you had every other wolf in that room hanging on your every word.”

“I just lured them in, you’re the one who they’ve chosen to follow.” She replies, summoning a beatific smile. “All those big tough wolves deferring to your strength, anxiously awaiting your directions and guidance, even above their own King’s? That’s not nothing, my love.” Her silken voice is low and husky, her gold eyes limpid pools. I know, even without scenting her arousal, that my little wolf found no shortage of excitement in watching me take charge of that room.

her heels from her poor, swollen feet. I begin massaging the soles, and Ella moans in relief as my knuckles knead her sore muscles. “So my little troublemaker enjoyed

“It’s why

she wants to make sure I take credit for this accomplishment – but I’m feeling much too triumphant for thoughtful reflections. My wolf wants to celebrate, and what better way could there be to mark this occasion than

didn’t turn you on?” I tease, sliding my hand up her velvety thigh and pulling aside the sodden gusset of her panties. Ella shudders as my fingers connect with her needy

this to me, Dominic.” I might think she’s simply going along with the subject change to please me, except that I can feel just how profoundly my touch addles her thoughts,

purr with barely restrained pleasure, my cock going rock hard before Ella is even finished speaking. “Very good.” I praise, pulling away the last of her undergarments. Her eyes dip to the hard member between my legs, and my wolf howls through our bond when she licks her lips as if

now, but I cease touching her when her eyes fall shut. “Are you sure you’re not too tired for this, little mate?” I ask, eyes narrowed in concern. “We just just go

answers, responding so quickly I have to

as deep as possible.

lower lip as she waits for me to continue stroking her. I don’t disappoint, and soon the only sounds in the room are Ella’s ecstatic whimpers and my rumbles of

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have even been completed. Of course, Ella also doesn’t know that

says, leaning back against my chest and trailing her hands through the sea of bubbles filling our bath. “We ought to focus some efforts on encouraging Damon’s men to turn against him. Not his top advisors or anything, but the footsoldiers in his army. They’re being ordered to commit atrocities and some of them might not have a problem following those commands, but I have to think that others are waiting for any

good thought.” I nod in approval. “We’ve had quite a few reports of imperial soldiers joining the resistance already, but if we offer amnesty to the rest then we might be

incentive to betray a leader

orders no matter what, many have no way out, and the penalty for dereliction of duty is execution. Too many of those wolves