Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Ella

“What?” Cora asks, laughing a little as if it’s a ridiculous notion. “What on earth could I have to

pick and choose from?”

“Let’s back up a little,” Roger says, tugging her into the room and gesturing towards one of the chairs around the table. As she settles herself into a seat Sinclair pulls over the little armchair that I’ve been using when I feed Rafe, and I murmur my thanks to him as I settle down in it. As Roger begins, Sinclair swiftly hands me all of the things I need to feed Rafe a burp cloth, a little

–

blanket to throw over my shoulder, etc. – and I smile to myself at his consideration in anticipating my needs without me having to ask.

My Alpha is a warrior, but he’s also a sweetheart. And I’m grateful for him every day.

Everyone waits for me to get settled, but then once Rafe is happily eating Henry begins.

“We discovered,” Henry begins, his eyes moving between me and Cora, “that Xander has fled east to Adalaxia.”

“Shit,” Cora sighs, slumping down in her chair. My emotions match hers. We knew that Xander was on the run that we’d largely decimated any of his martial forces in taking out his priests. But our great fear was that in the time it took us to regroup, that he’d leave the country and find allies who might help him.

And it looks, now, like he did precisely that.

“Is Adalaxia…a good place for him to go?” I don’t know a lot about the neighboring kingdom, especially as I was raised as a human and hadn’t known that overlying the map of the human world there was a hidden world of wolf kingdoms with its own wars and politics. Of course, ever since Damon broke the secret of the of the wolves to the human world those have

maps

increasingly combined to become one, but still – what I don’t know about wolf politics could probably fill its own book.

Which, considering that I’ll likely soon be Queen, is…unfortunate.

But I force myself to pay attention to Henry’s answer

“Adalaxia is a notoriously ruthless wolf nation,” he sighs “They stick even more strictly to what they perceive as the traditions of wolf kind even more than we do In comparison to them we are. nidiculously liberal”

“What does that nean?” Cora asks, crossing her arms over her chest, her face worried and confused

has likely found allies with a group who would not be on board with our own nation’s current policy, which is that wolves and humans are equal and deserve to be treated with the same respect. They would also,” he continues, hesitating now and looking between me and Cora, “really not like the

For Adalaxians,

best,” Sinclair finishes for him. “And

going wide. “Seriously? Are they also a nation that’s been

bad way to think of it,” Roger says, tilting his head

to read or write, they have almost a completely separate culture and

displaying her disgust. “Though,

how he tried to use Ella as

says, nodding along with her.

to respect Rafe’s

as my son. And, as such, would see

legitimate.”

I look down at my baby,

so

Sinclair says, reaching out to place a comforting hand on

was able to get there so fast. This would

here without having to go through a foreign

do it.”

ask. “Can’t we just…demand that they give him

looking seriously down at me. “If I was King. Which, currently,

not.”

a second, confused, and then put all of the pieces together.

claims to the throne within our country have. been disposed

done it yet Which means, technically, that he doesn’t yet have

allow him to make any of

you do it?” Cora says, sitting up straight and looking easily at Sinclair Can we do like some kind of quick and duty coronation? Slap a crown on

by morning?

laugh a little at the idea of this, but there’s no real cheer in it, because I think we all

Sinclair says, running a hand through his hair. First, I have

of bureaucratic nonsense that the Atalaxians

have been king the moment I killed