Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Ella

Cora and I stand silently in the garage of the bunker, watching our mates pack their cars in preparation for their assault. Rafe is in my arms, fussing unhappily, and Henry has rolled his chair up on Cora’s other side, likewise watching tensely.

“It will be finished tonight,” Henry says, nodding confidently. “I know it. The boys will finish this.”

“I hope you are right, Henry,” I sigh. “I don’t know how much longer I can keep sending him off like this.”

Henry looks up at me, sympathy in his eyes, but I can’t return his gaze – I’m too overwhelmed. Instead, I look down at my little red baby, who is now crying unhappily in my arms.

Minutes – I know we’ve got minutes left until Roger and Sinclair leave. And I can barely take it.

“Come here, mini trouble,” Sinclair murmurs, and I jump a little as I realize that he’s close to me now, reaching out for the baby. I was too lost in my thoughts. I look up at my mate, my eyes filled with tears, and silently hand over the baby in to his waiting arms.

He doesn’t turn his attention to Rafe, though, instead putting out his other arm to wrap around me. I rest my head against his chest, looking away from him. But my eyes just fall on Cora and Roger, saying their own goodbyes next to me, and I can’t take that either.

So I turn my head in the other direction, pressing my eyes shut.

“It will be okay, Ella,” Sinclair whispers to me, the baby going quiet in his arms, as he always does, “I promise you, it will be okay.”

“I know you’ll do everything you can, Dominic,” I whisper. “I trust you – it’s just the rest of the world, and what it has in store, that I can’t trust.”

He nods, understanding, and then presses a kiss to my hair, pulling away too soon.

wrapping my hand around the strap of his bullet-proof vest and keeping

to him with a touch of his fingers beneath y chin. And I stare up at him, my my beautiful, tender, ferocious mate.

at him. “Or I am going to

passing the baby back to me. Then he presses a kiss to my mouth, tells me he loves me, and turns

says. “The big push. After this,

I’ve been hearing that a lot, Cora,” I say as I turn to look at her, my bad spirits getting

says, her lips twitching a little towards a smile as she holds the hope for both of us. “At some

and drive away. Predictably, things are simultaneously boring and tense once

file into the little kitchen and sink down around the table. The bunker isn’t totally quiet – there’s still

too ill to join the assault team, or

now, so united are we in our misery. Or, well, four people, if we’re including Rafe. But I sigh as

pocket of his wheelchair and coming out with a deck of cards. “That this is a moment that calls

loves cards. She’s clever and precise enough with

say, leaning forward a little eagerly. “Now that the boys are gone, let’s gamble away all their money,” I say, perking up myself at the idea.” Show them what

murmurs as he shuffles and we sit, a little smile playing at his lips. “What

both?” I ask,

shame and earned not only a million dollars

to hand the sleeping baby off to him. ”

hand. “I’ll let you maintain ownership for now,” he laughs, pulling the cards towards him to put them neatly back in their box. “I know you’re fond of him, after all. I’ll call for him when I am ready to put him to

her still-flat tummy. She cocks her head to the side and smirks at Henry. “Should we agree on a lay-away