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

faster than I thought was possible and ! anile as

cook,” Henry whispers, leaning over to Cora and I

they’re

protests, his

in, making us laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s

a

me from her chair next to mine. “You know I can’t

us chefs,” I consider. She raises her eyebrows,

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 that lurk

laughter,

bite into a smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I

going to get marshmallow

I murmur, shaking my head and refusing to open my eyes

from 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

my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit close to each other, not talking but clearly connected in

and smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in

dark

pantele Roger murs to sing a hand to play with Cora s

murmurs

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

him.

own smile from crossing my face as

I decide that

can, I stand up from my little camping chair and send a pulse down my

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

who begin talking quietly. My mate follows my gaze and then

walks to his father and puts a hand on his back,

stealthily as we can –

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

Roger alone by the fire to have

think they’re talking about,” I say to Sinclair as he climbs last into the RV,

curled in his arms. I’m

Roger and

coming to

rolls

some television, though we both know he doesn’t

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

know I always want to

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

against hin, resting his chin on my shoulder so that

Roger, “I never cared as much about the details of my brother’s love life until you came along

not,” I say, still peering out at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had lots of

girlfriend drama -”

body going stiff behind me, just a little

turning to