Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Chapter 306 – Old Friends

Ella

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

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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 –

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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.

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

around her again, “how are you? How are James, and Sadie?”

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

ask Isabel quickly, taking her hand and squeezing it. “You can stay as long as you

both want to get home. We have…a lot of

I ask, anxious, tugging her hand and urging her to tell me. She nods to a little love seat in the corner and I follow her there,

everyone and as private as we can

“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

say, staring at her and tightening my hold on her hand, “please just tell me –“My stomach is roiling with guilt to think that I’ve neglected something when I could have

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the boat. It’s nothing that he’s done wrong – Sinclair has made so many strides – but we have more children

war – just, had no idea where he was, if he was cared for – my heart wrenches to think of it. Isabel notes my paling face,

is standing. “I’m sorry maybe I shouldn’t have told

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“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

…well, Ella, if you’re still healing, you need to focus on yourself first. You can be so selfless you always put others

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and I take a deep breath, still worried but touched by my friend’s concern. She knows me so well. “Thank you, love,” I say, giving her a little smile. “I’ll take care

she says, lowering her voice and

but giving her the space to work through

this war. That Damon would have worked to disenfranchise the humans completely, to enslave them if he could. Sinclair, we

understanding her, remembering the councils during the war when