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.

around the strap of his bullet-proof vest

I stare up at him, my my beautiful, tender, ferocious mate. I’m coming back to

him. “Or I am going to be very mean to

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

she says. “The big push. After

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

she holds

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

us file into the little kitchen and sink down around

are still too ill to join the assault team, or those members whose skills lie more in research

the world right now, so united are we in our misery. Or, well, four people, if we’re including Rafe. But I sigh as I look down at

think,” Henry says, dipping a hand into the pocket of his wheelchair and coming out with a deck of cards. “That this is

poker,” she quips. I smile at her, knowing that Cora loves cards. She’s clever and precise enough with them to be a bit of a card sharp. That’s how

boys are gone, let’s gamble away all their money,” I say, perking up myself at the idea.” Show them what

playing at his lips. “What shall the buy

not both?” I

has put us both to shame and earned not

hand the sleeping

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

still-flat tummy. She cocks her head to the