The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

We’re an almost ridiculously cheerful group about an hour later when Roger and Cora come to join me and Sinclair in his little clinic room.

Roger is first through the door, his face stark with worry as he storms into the room after getting word – probably from Hank – that Sinclair is awake.

“Dominic -” he says, all anxiety as Cora follows him in, closing the door quietly behind them. But Roger stops in his tracks when he sees Dominic sitting up happily in bed, smiling down at Rafe who has just woken up from his nap and finished eating. I’m sitting happily on Sinclair’s side, so I have a front-row seat.

“Hey, Rog,” Sinclair says, looking up and giving his brother a warm smile.

“Seriously?” Roger asks, staring a little dumbfounded at his brother. “You – you sleep for three days after being miraculously healed and all I get is ‘Hey Rog’?”

“What else do you want?” Sinclair asks, frowning confusedly at his brother.

“I don’t know,” Roger says, throwing out an exasperated hand. “Something more significant I guess – maybe some kind of address to the fact that you had us worried sick when you wouldn’t wake up

“Ignore him,” Cora says happily, crossing the room to Sinclair’s side and dropping a happy little kiss on his cheek. “He’s just had a hard couple of days groveling to Hank after punching him in the face and handing Rafe back to his kidnapper.”

Roger scowls, sinking his hands into his pockets and glaring around at the three of us. “Seriously? Three days later, and I can’t get a break about that?”

“We’ve forgiven you,” I say, raising my eyebrows and gesturing between me and Cora – and, I admit, enjoying his awkwardness a little bit. “But Dominic,” I say, pointing at my mate now, “hasn’t even had a chance to be mad. Not to mention Rafe, when we tell him in ten years. He’s gonna be pissed.”

Roger clenches his hands into fists and glares around at all of us, starting to get pissed again, and Sinclair – to my glee – feeds into it.

“You’re demoted,” he says with a deep Alpha’s command, glaring back at his brother. “No longer my Beta, Roger. I’ll see what I can do about getting you some menial command, see if you can earn my trust back-

Sinclair’s face has me and Cora cackling.

a few steps forward

gasps, pretending to be hurt and

crosses his arms and glares at us. “I reject all of you,” he murmurs, staring at each of us in turn. “I break the bonds of mate, of family, of…sister-in-law,” he continues, though I can see him fighting his smile. “Because I refuse to spend my life bonded to

over it, Roger,” Sinclair interrupts, laughing and looking down at Rafe now, who coos and smiles, apparently picking up on the good mood in the room. “It’s fine.

“I almost wish it was Hank who betrayed us and tried to kidnap Rafe,” he murmurs, looking up at his mate. “Then I

“You’ll just have to get over it. And,

her close

got the baby in his hands so that he can look all around

okay,” Cora says, smiling down at herself and putting a hand over her stomach. “We were worried for a little bit – I also lost a lot of blood 1 but after Ella healed me,” she gives a little shrug

says, raising his eyebrows. “Rafe needs

says, raising her eyebrows a little sarcastically, “As long

the right attitude, sis,” I

is dad?” Sinclair asks, leaning back

towards the door. “In another room. He’s okay too but he’s…tired. And I think he feels a lot of guilt.” He grimaces a little and I do as well. Henry and the rest of the men took a hard beating at the bunker. They ultimately came out victorious, but…. not everyone made it. I know that Henry feels a lot of guilt for what everyone went through –

trying to convince Henry

his head

own son. And I intuit, perhaps through our own bond, that he’s hoping to hell he never puts Rafe in a

want him to know that it’s

my eyes falling on Cora who looks at me with something a

day…she doesn’t have the wolf’s bond with Roger that I have with Sinclair. And I know, in my heart, that she wants it. Maybe even feels a little bit guilty that she can’t give that

I slowly close my mouth, glancing at Roger and realizing that she doesn’t want him to know that she feels like she …I don’t know. Has failed him in some small way? That his choice in her as his mate means he