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

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

over to Cora and I and giving us a smile,

Otherwise, they’re not

protests, his eyes

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

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

me from her chair next

I consider. She raises

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 know that they’re there, after all –

about laughter, and fun, and spending

a 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

“you’re going to get marshmallow all over the baby

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

alone. with my s’more anyway Cora, Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from

watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger

at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d

dark

primal about pantele Roger murs to sing a hand to play with

murmurs

stars and then turning her

him.

can’t help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch them. And

I decide that that’s

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

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

and Cora, who begin talking quietly. My mate follows

hand on his

by one, as stealthily as we can – which is not very

platform – the

Cora and Roger alone by the fire

about,” I say to Sinclair as he climbs last

the baby still curled in his arms. I’m sitting in

window at Roger and Cora

says, coming to sit with me

us our own moment, rolls his way

about wanting to watch some television, though

my mate and reaching for my baby, who Sinclair

know I always want

you know,” he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me and pulling

on my shoulder so

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

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

girlfriend drama -”

going

ask, turning to him,