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

whispers, leaning over to Cora

they’re not

protests, his eyes still on the

making us laugh. “If I’m

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

looks over at me from her chair next to

shrug. “Maybe we can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises her eyebrows,

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 that lurk behind the conversation. We all

is just about laughter, and fun, and

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

laughs, “you’re going to get

open my eyes as I take another

well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for

I finish my s’more and look around at my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit

Cora says, wrapping her arms around herself and smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like

dark

about pantele Roger murs to sing a hand

murmurs

she says, looking up at the stars and then turning her head

him.

as I watch them. And then, as they stare at

that that’s

from my little camping chair and

at me, curious and I nod my head first towards the RV and then

quietly. My mate follows my gaze and then nods

his father and puts a hand on his back, leaning down

as we can – which is not

with a noisy platform – the three of us and the baby

and Roger alone by the fire to have a

say to Sinclair as he climbs last into the

shut behind him, the baby still curled in his arms. I’m sitting in the little

at Roger and Cora through the tinted

he says, coming to sit with me

give us our own moment, rolls his way

television, though we both know he

looking up at my mate and reaching for my baby, who Sinclair

I always want to

laughs. “Do you know,” he murmurs, slipping his arms

I warmly against hin, resting his chin on my shoulder so that he too can

details of my brother’s love life until

at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had

girlfriend drama -”

asks, his body going stiff behind me, just

turning to him,