Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate

Ella

The trip improves by leaps and bounds the moment we stop at the campground for the night.

“Finally,” I sigh, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as I climb down the steps of the RV, my

baby curled in my arm and looking around him with bright and interested eyes. “It’s good to be on

steady ground again.”

“Remind me never to take you on a boat,” Sinclair murmurs, coming down the stairs behind me.

If you didn’t like this…you won’t respond well to that.”

“Yes sir,” I say passively, smiling down at the baby, who frees one of his arms and reaches out

into the cool evening air, clasping his fingers at a firefly who passes close by. I don’t mention that

I liked the sea voyage to the desert much more than I liked this, even though the accommodations

weren’t as nice.

“What about this?” Sinclair murmurs as he steps down the final step and comes to stand behind

me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I smile as I lean back against his chest. “Is the forest

an improvement?”

I look around our isolated campsite, lit with grey and blue tones in the dying light of the day. I

smile at what I see, appreciating the cool air and the blinking light of the fireflies that float lazily

through the space.

“Yes,” I say with a decisive nod. “This will do quite well.”

“Good,” Sinclair replies, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing me and moving to a luggage compartment low on the RV. I watch as he opens it and begins pulling out camping gear – chairs, a cooler, some bags with extra snacks and bug spray.

“Oh!” I say, surprised by it all as my mate begins to set it all up around a burned-out ring where a

fire goes. “Oh, we’re very prepared.”

“Of course we are,” Roger says, climbing out of the RV with Cora behind him. When he reaches. the ground, Roger flicks the switch that prepares Henry’s little elevator. “We’re always ready to go

glamping in this family.”

I laugh at the term, settling into a chair that Sinclair waves me towards, smiling down at the baby “What do you think, Rafe?” I whisper to him “Do you like glamping?” He gives a happy little coo in response and I laugh, grinning up at his father. “I think that’s a yes

“Kid has taste,” Sinclair says, winking at me as he continues his work

a ! much faster than I thought was

Cora and I and giving us a smile, “when

Otherwise, they’re

Sinclair protests, his eyes still on the

making us laugh. “If I’m making

your baby is gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,” I

at me from her

consider. She raises

continues like this long into the night – the family gathered happily around the fire, talking about nothing and everything, chatting lightly about what we’ll be doing in our mutual future but not touching on any of the big, scary subjects

tonight is just about laughter,

smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my god,” I murmur, closing my eyes as I chew. “This is so good, I can barely stand

“you’re going to get marshmallow all

open my eyes as I take another bite – He won’t mind

my arms I let him, wanting to be alone. with my s’more anyway Cora, Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for how messy and inconsiderate his mother is I wave a hand at

my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit close to each

Camp 7 didn’t think

dark

to sing a

murmurs

says, looking up at the stars and then

him.

from crossing my face as I watch them. And then, as they

decide that that’s

little camping chair and send a pulse down my bond

up at me, curious and I nod my

talking quietly. My mate follows my gaze

puts a hand on his back, leaning down

one by one, as stealthily as we can – which is not very stealthy, considering Henry has

into the RV with a noisy platform – the three

mobile house, leaving Cora and Roger alone by the fire to have a moment to

say to Sinclair as he climbs last into

him, the baby still curled in his arms. I’m

out the window at Roger and

that their business, little spy?” he says, coming to sit with me

our own moment, rolls his way back to the bedroom,

television, though we both know he doesn’t watch

reaching for my baby, who Sinclair passes into

I always

he murmurs, slipping his

his chin on my shoulder so that he too can look

never cared as much about the details of my brother’s love life until you came

say, still peering out at them. “Roger’s hot.

girlfriend drama -”

body going stiff behind

ask, turning