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.

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

me!” I cry out, wrapping my arms around her

she smiles at her mate across the room lets me know that her words are an understatement. James raises a hand

upstairs in one of the guest rooms?” I ask Isabel quickly, taking her hand and squeezing it. “You can

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

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, Rafe’s little pram in tow,

everyone and as private

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

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

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she says, “about how bad the refugee problem is now, after the last days of the war when you were away on the boat. 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 out there who are simply missing

ever separated from him by war – just, had no idea where he was, if he was cared for – my heart wrenches

where Sinclair is standing. “I’m sorry maybe

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this sort of work. If Sinclair intends to lead these people, I don’t intend to stay home and be a happy little house

feel that way. That’s why I told you – not because …well, Ella, if you’re still healing, you need to focus on yourself first. You can be so selfless you always put others ahead of yourself.”

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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 of myself, and

lowering her voice and looking around the room.

at her, not understanding, but giving her the space to work through

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

remembering the councils during the war when even