Accidental Surrogate

Ella

Two hours later, Sinclair and I welcome our friends back to our house for a casual breakfast and coffee

or mimosas, according to preference to celebrate Rafe’s moonlight baptism. I can tell our guests are dragging – they’ve been up all night, after all – but spirits are high.

“Wow,” I say, leaning back against Sinclair’s chest with a croissant in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. Rafe, thankfully, is asleep in his little recline stroller. Usually I’d put him to bed in his crib, but I want people to be able to say goodbye if they have to leave. “I can’t believe everyone I still up,” I say, peering around at our friends and family. “I mean, I know we’re on baby time so normal hours mean nothing anymore, but everyone else…”

“It’s a special occasion,” Sinclair murmurs; lowering his face to my hair and taking a long sniff of my scent. “We’re used to it. In wolf culture shifter children are rarer than we’d like, so we take the time to celebrate them when they’re born.”

“That’s so nice…” I say, sniffing a little, my eyes filling with tears.

“What?” Sinclair asks, pulling away from me a little, shocked. “Are you – why are you crying –

I swat at him, laughing a little. “What! Hormones! I’m tired! Leave me be.” Then I brush the tears off my cheeks, smiling despite them. I’m just overwhelmed and grateful, honestly, for all the love that our family has shown our baby. “It really is a beautiful tradition,” I murmur, and Sinclair kisses my cheek before moving away to talk to some of the Alphas who have come to see their new prince.

As Sinclair moves away, Isabel quickly moves to my side to take his place. “Hi, mama,” she says, giving me a warm smile as she wraps an arm around my waist. “How are you doing?”

“Forget about me!” I cry out, wrapping my arms around her again, “how are you? How are James, and Sadie?”

“They’re good,” she says, but the way she smiles at her mate across the room lets me know that her words are an understatement. James raises a hand to me, little Sadie slumped against his shoulder, deeply asleep.

quickly, taking her hand and

here and meet the baby – but we both want to get home. We have…a lot of

everything okay?” I ask, anxious, tugging her hand and urging her to tell me. She nods to a little love seat in the

everyone and as private as we can be.

says, her voice soft and a little sad, “I know that you’ve been distracted – and there’s nothing wrong with that you’ve had such a hard pregnancy, and I know that the birth wasn’t easy on you either – you really shouldn’t have been paying attention to anything

“please just tell me –“My stomach is roiling with guilt to think that I’ve neglected

It’s nothing that he’s done wrong – Sinclair has made so many strides – but we have more children than ever in our centers, and there are even mothers

had no idea where he was, if he was cared for – my heart wrenches to think of

is

new determination on my face. “I need to know, Isabel -I’m getting strong, I need to do this sort of work. If Sinclair intends to lead these people, I don’t intend to stay home and be a happy

I told you – not because …well, Ella, if you’re still healing, you

“Thank you, love,” I say, giving her a little smile. “I’ll take care of myself, and my

she says, lowering her voice and looking around the

frown at her, not understanding, but giving her

humans completely, to enslave them if he could.

her, remembering the councils during the

allies looked askance at the humans, at Cora, my own sister. I frown to think of it, to see some of those men in this room now. Sighing, I

I know Sinclair is working on but…old prejudices, they