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.”

someone on the ship?” I

– honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair

I hear this, but I

it started to grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that I was

squeeze his hands a little, begging him to focus, and he

looking down at

ask, a little breathless, but some part of me

up at me now, his eyes wide and still a little startled by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I didn’t know she

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 introduction that Ella insisted on giving us. And at the time it had made sense – Ella was her daughter,

mother too? And that she only spoke to Ella in

Why does she want to

cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,”

what did she do?” I ask, pushing past

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

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

and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time, considering that we were in a war – and

nothing else but his words.

because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world, I had to focus on family.

-on finding my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to be leaders

blinking with surprise. And then I lean forward, finally getting it.

have kids, Cora…” he whispers, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do

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anything to me I didn’t even care about kids – didn’t even

–

was dying to be a dad, not

I say again, my eyes going

apologetic, “I’m fucking it all up, Cora – I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I

he tells me, pausing to ensure that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to build a family with you.”

–

get it. Honestly, I’m kind of in the same boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really understood that this was our child – mind and

wanted in the

me,” I whisper, “because

–

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