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-

face falling, but the slow smile that spreads across Sinclair’s face has me and Cora cackling. Roger quickly figures

forward to smack his brother

to be hurt and flinching his leg away.” Roger, I’m

“I break

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 anything. Except

of the bed as Cora comes to his side, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “I almost wish it was Hank

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

growls, pulling her close and making her

his hands so that he can look all around at us. I bite my lip a little as I watch my mate with his baby boy, pleased to see

a lot of blood 1 but after Ella healed me,” she gives

his eyebrows.

raising her eyebrows a little sarcastically, “As long as Rafe gets his buddy, I’m glad my

attitude, sis,” I sigh, leaning

is dad?” Sinclair asks, leaning back

little and I do as well. Henry and the rest of the men took a hard beating at the bunker. They ultimately came out victorious, but…. not everyone made it. I know that Henry feels a lot of guilt for what everyone went through –

to convince Henry that we all agreed to the plan, we all thought it was best. But he hasn’t let it

says quietly, shaking his head at his brother.

he never puts Rafe in a similar situation, or that he never, ever feels like he’s failed Rafe in the same way his father feels he’s failed his children now. “Of course I

tighter against my mate’s side, sending a little pulse of love and reassurance down our bond. I want him to know that it’s never going to be

with my nose as he turns back his brother and I look that way too, but instead of Roger, I find my eyes falling on Cora who looks

incredibly close, and growing closer every day…she doesn’t have the wolf’s bond with Roger that I have with Sinclair.

looks sharply at me and shakes her head. I slowly close my mouth, glancing at Roger and realizing that she doesn’t want him to know that she feels like she …I don’t know. Has failed him in some small way? That his choice in her as his mate means he gives up some of the things he always thought he’d have in