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

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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.”

there someone on the

he replies. “I was standing at the bow looking out at the desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being

I hear this, but I

then, as I was looking at the sky, staring at the moon, it started to grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that I was just crazy or

little, begging him to focus, and he looks at me again

faltering a little, looking down at

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

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

I reply, and I try to keep my face steady but honestly…some part of me is a little jealous. We all met the goddess that night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a brief

that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and

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

reaching forward and brushing my cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want

do?” I ask, pushing past

looking off into the distance a little as he continues his story. “She didn’t come in her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it

letting him know that it’s okay. That he can tell me. So Roger turns back to me

not in war and politics, as my brother’s was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time, considering that we were in a war – and Dominic had

nothing else but his

how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that

my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to be leaders of their

surprise. And then I lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so you stopped calling me because…”

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

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and before she said anything to me I didn’t even care

–

was always Dominic who was dying to be a dad, not me

my eyes going wide.

me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his confused language

that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to

–

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

else I wanted in

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

–

Cora,” Roger murmurs, his eyes going wide as he again runs his hand through his hair. “I was totally freaked out I didn’t want to, but when a goddess tells you 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 stupid tiny