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.”

on the ship?” I ask,

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

hear this,

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

to focus, and he looks at

his voice faltering a little, looking down at

a little breathless, but some part of me knowing

and still a little startled by the

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

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 for a little chat?

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

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

did she do?” I ask, pushing past my jealousy and truly wanting

says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was just…a vision of sorts, more like the baptism but…not quite.” He shakes his

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

was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating

understanding, concentrating on nothing else but

then she said,” he twists his mouth a little, concentrating. “It’s hard to know how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world, I had to focus

and having children, and being a dad, and raising my

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

he whispers, clutching my hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you

при

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

–

Dominic who was dying to be a dad,

again, my eyes going

Cora – 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 language for a moment and steadies himself, choosing his next words carefully to

want this child, Cora” he tells me, pausing to ensure that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to build a

–

in the same boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I

I wanted in

you stopped calling me,” I whisper, “because

–

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