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

settled around a ! much faster than I thought was possible and ! anile as I

whispers, leaning over to Cora and I and giving us a smile,

they’re not

Sinclair protests, his eyes still on the

Roger chimes in, making us laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s grilled. Otherwise. I’m getting

baby is gonna eat a

over at me from her chair next to mine. “You know I

we can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises her eyebrows, pleased at the

lightly about what we’ll be doing in our mutual future but not touching on any of

laughter,

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,

“you’re going to get marshmallow all over the

don’t care,” I murmur, shaking my head and refusing to open

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 him, dismissing

my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger

and smiling around at our dark Camp 7

dark

to sing

murmurs

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

him.

my face as I watch them. And

I decide that that’s my

little camping chair and send a

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

My mate

puts a hand

as stealthily as we can – which is not

platform – the

leaving Cora and Roger alone by

talking about,” I say to Sinclair as he climbs last

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

the window at Roger and Cora through

coming to sit with me on the

moment, rolls his way back to

wanting to watch some television, though we both know he

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

you know I

know,” he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me

my

about the details of my brother’s

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

girlfriend drama -”

his body going stiff behind me, just a little

turning to him, confused