Surrogate For Alpha Dom

Ella

I'm gripping my sister’s hand, gritting my teeth and groaning through the first of my pushes, when the door bangs open again.I don’t open my eyes — can't look - Quite frankly, at this particular moment I don’t care who the hell it is - if it's Hank, or Roger, or insurgents coming to kill us — all I care about is the horrible, tearing pain within me as I work to bring my baby into the world.I moan, throwing my head back against the pillows as I pant, feeling the pain subside a little bit.

"How is she?"

I hear Hank ask, and I open my eyes to see him there next to me.I try to give him a little smile, failing a bit.

"Hello, Ella," he says softly, his voice warmer than I'm used to.

"You look like you're doing great." mI murmur my thanks to him as he turns his attention back to Cora, getting a full report, and I shift my gaze to Roger, who stands awkwardly across the room.

"Roger," I say, putting my hand out to him, inviting him closer.

"Hello, Ella!" he calls, awkward.

"Happy...happy birth. Or whatever."

Sinclair starts to laugh quietly.

"Come over, Roger," he demands and Roger sighs, hanging his head and deliberately choosing not to look at me as he comes to stand with his brother.

"What," Sinclair asks him as he arrives at his side.

"More of a cigars in the waiting room kind of guy?"

"Yeah," Roger agrees, giving his brother a little glare.

"I'd say that’s much more my vibe."

"I wanted you here," I say to him, giving him a tired little smile.

"I want you to meet the baby."

"Of course I want to meet the baby, Ella," Roger says, his voice kinder now as he meets my gaze.

"Just...when you've cleaned it up a bit. Gotten some of the goop off." I laugh, a little, but groan when I feel the pain start to return.

Cora climbs up onto the bed for this one, cursing a little at the lack of stirrups and the soft surface of the mattress that makes it harder for her to see what's really going on.

as he turns away, which perversely makes me want to laugh in one of the more painful and trying moments

my side, Sinclair solid a solid force

quite quickly

me as the contraction ends and I pant,

is rare, even for a wolf birth. But you should be in the final parts of it now," he

smile back at him but note, interestingly, that Cora rolls her eyes at him a little bit when he says this. I have no idea what that could mean -

a few rounds, of me huffing and pushing with all of my might during the contractions and then resting, as best I can, in the short spaces

to me and my mate is by

like an endless repetition of this

says, and the cheer in her voice is a balm to my

in my eyes and she

his head will be born, and then it’s easy

pain ravaging my body.I wait for the next contraction and, when it comes and Cora tells me to, I push - absolutely as hard as I can, giving a guttural yell while I do in that I hope

"Oh, his little head!"

nod, eager, and begin to push again. And push, and push. I gasp, laying back and panting

to sit up and moaning at the

wrong? Where's

Sinclair asks, suddenly

work. Inaction and the passing of

mate wants to

"Um,"

hesitates, "it’s okay, Ella - he’s almost

to see the child, but my sister shakes her head at me,

beg, my eyes

have to tell

sits back and I see that

progress in the past few pushes. Which is sometimes

"There is some worry,"

"that because he’s such a large baby, that

I gasp,

goes rigid next

common," Hank says

babies. It’s called shoulder dystocia — we think his shoulder is trapped up behind your

gasp, confused,

"What do we -"

says, though her worried voice belies