Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

We’re an almost ridiculously cheerful group about an hour later when Roger and Cora come to join me and Sinclair in his little clinic room.

Roger is first through the door, his face stark with worry as he storms into the room after getting word – probably from Hank – that Sinclair is awake.

“Dominic -” he says, all anxiety as Cora follows him in, closing the door quietly behind them. But Roger stops in his tracks when he sees Dominic sitting up happily in bed, smiling down at Rafe who has just woken up from his nap and finished eating. I’m sitting happily on Sinclair’s side, so I have a front-row seat.

“Hey, Rog,” Sinclair says, looking up and giving his brother a warm smile.

“Seriously?” Roger asks, staring a little dumbfounded at his brother. “You – you sleep for three days after being miraculously healed and all I get is ‘Hey Rog’?”

“What else do you want?” Sinclair asks, frowning confusedly at his brother.

“I don’t know,” Roger says, throwing out an exasperated hand. “Something more significant I guess – maybe some kind of address to the fact that you had us worried sick when you wouldn’t wake up

“Ignore him,” Cora says happily, crossing the room to Sinclair’s side and dropping a happy little kiss on his cheek. “He’s just had a hard couple of days groveling to Hank after punching him in the face and handing Rafe back to his kidnapper.”

Roger scowls, sinking his hands into his pockets and glaring around at the three of us. “Seriously? Three days later, and I can’t get a break about that?”

“We’ve forgiven you,” I say, raising my eyebrows and gesturing between me and Cora – and, I admit, enjoying his awkwardness a little bit. “But Dominic,” I say, pointing at my mate now, “hasn’t even had a chance to be mad. Not to mention Rafe, when we tell him in ten years. He’s gonna be pissed.”

Roger clenches his hands into fists and glares around at all of us, starting to get pissed again, and Sinclair – to my glee – feeds into it.

“You’re demoted,” he says with a deep Alpha’s command, glaring back at his brother. “No longer my Beta, Roger. I’ll see what I can do about getting you some menial command, see if you can earn my trust back-

gasps, his face falling, but the slow smile that spreads across Sinclair’s face has me and Cora cackling.

steps forward to smack his brother

Sinclair gasps, pretending to be hurt and flinching his leg

again into laughter he just crosses his arms and glares at us. “I reject all of you,” he murmurs, staring at each of us in turn. “I break the bonds of mate, of family, of…sister-in-law,” he continues, though I can see him fighting his smile. “Because I refuse to spend my life bonded to jerks who

looking down at Rafe now, who coos and smiles, apparently picking up on the good mood in the room. “It’s fine. No one blames you for

groans a little, sitting down on the edge of the bed as Cora comes to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I almost wish it was Hank

Cora murmurs, frowning insincerely down at him. “You’ll just have to get over it. And, of course, admit

her

around at us. I bite my lip a little as I watch my mate with his baby boy, pleased

healed me,” she gives a little

his eyebrows. “Rafe needs

raising her eyebrows a little sarcastically, “As long as

I sigh, leaning against

asks, leaning

rest of the men took a hard beating at the bunker. They ultimately came out victorious, but…. not everyone made

aside, of course – have spent a lot of time trying to convince Henry that

his head at his

bond, that he’s hoping to hell he never puts Rafe in a similar situation, or that he never, ever feels like he’s failed Rafe in the same

to

I look that way too, but instead of Roger, I find my eyes falling on Cora who looks at me

I realize, quite suddenly, that it’s jealousy. Because while she and Roger are incredibly close, and growing closer every day…she doesn’t have the wolf’s bond with Roger that I have with Sinclair. And I know, in my heart, that she wants it. Maybe even feels a little bit guilty that she can’t

falls when I realize this and I call her name softly as Roger and Sinclair chat about more details of the raid on the bunker, but she looks sharply at me and shakes her head. I slowly close my mouth, glancing at Roger and realizing that she doesn’t want