Surrogate For Alpha Dom

Cora

“It’s all right,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he takes in my pale face, my scared expression and realizes that he’s freaked me out for the third or fourth time today. “It’s not – it’s not bad, I was just kind of a dick – it was a misunderstanding –”

“What?” I ask, more confused now than ever.

–

“Listen,” he says, leaning in towards me. “Just let me tell you, all right? II was going to tell you at some point, definitely not like this but…” he sighs, looking into my face and then down at my stomach, and then back up into my eyes. “I think that… if we’re going to start on this new part

–

–

of our lives – this parent thing – well,” he says, giving me a charming little half–smile and a

shrug. “We should be on the same page, right?”

I nod, agreeing, but looking at him a little askance. “Did you not think that we should…go into our mating? On the same page?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora – because it didn’t matter – I didn’t think we could have kids

་་

I frown at him – not mad or angry, but confused…

“Listen, let me just tell it,” he says, leaning forward and looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I say, quite simply, taking his hands and leaning even closer to press a kiss to his mouthr letting him know that I’m listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger says again, taking a deep breath before he begins. “Do you remember… when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I correct softly, and he laughs.

“Right,” he says, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway – you three were out on your girls trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple, or go back on to the ship all alone.”

Ismirk at him, knowing precisely which one he chose. He sees my smile and laughs a little.

“Yeah,” he says, grinning at me. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

on the ship?” I

desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair sent me to protect Ella, and there’s frankly nowhere I wanted

this,

brighter. And at first I thought that I was just

begging him to focus, and he looks

little, looking down at our joined

ask, a little breathless, but some part of me knowing already.

at me now, his eyes wide and still a little startled by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the

– Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a brief introduction that Ella insisted on giving us. And at the time it had made sense –

that I know that she’s my mother too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and then went to Roger later that night

a little through my nose, disappointed. Why does she want to talk to everyone

reaching forward and brushing my cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continues, his face all sympathy. “I knew that it

I ask, pushing past

his story. “She didn’t come in her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was

it’s okay. That he can tell me. So

brother’s was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time,

nod, understanding, concentrating on nothing else but

phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but

-on finding my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and

I lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so you stopped calling me

we could have kids, Cora…” he whispers, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you I was obsessed with

при

7

she said anything to me I didn’t even care about

–

dying to be a

my

– I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his confused

pausing to ensure that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to build

–

the same boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really understood that this

else I wanted

stopped calling me,” I whisper, “because you thought…my mom told you to.”

–

to do something you feel compelled to do it – and I thought she was telling me to run from you, when she probably was telling me to run to you to take you directly to my