The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

Ella

The trip improves by leaps and bounds the moment we stop at the campground for the night.

“Finally,” I sigh, taking a deep breath of the fresh air as I climb down the steps of the RV, my

baby curled in my arm and looking around him with bright and interested eyes. “It’s good to be on

steady ground again.”

“Remind me never to take you on a boat,” Sinclair murmurs, coming down the stairs behind me.

If you didn’t like this…you won’t respond well to that.”

“Yes sir,” I say passively, smiling down at the baby, who frees one of his arms and reaches out

into the cool evening air, clasping his fingers at a firefly who passes close by. I don’t mention that

I liked the sea voyage to the desert much more than I liked this, even though the accommodations

weren’t as nice.

“What about this?” Sinclair murmurs as he steps down the final step and comes to stand behind

me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I smile as I lean back against his chest. “Is the forest

an improvement?”

I look around our isolated campsite, lit with grey and blue tones in the dying light of the day. I

smile at what I see, appreciating the cool air and the blinking light of the fireflies that float lazily

through the space.

“Yes,” I say with a decisive nod. “This will do quite well.”

“Good,” Sinclair replies, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek before releasing me and moving to a luggage compartment low on the RV. I watch as he opens it and begins pulling out camping gear – chairs, a cooler, some bags with extra snacks and bug spray.

“Oh!” I say, surprised by it all as my mate begins to set it all up around a burned-out ring where a

fire goes. “Oh, we’re very prepared.”

“Of course we are,” Roger says, climbing out of the RV with Cora behind him. When he reaches. the ground, Roger flicks the switch that prepares Henry’s little elevator. “We’re always ready to go

glamping in this family.”

I laugh at the term, settling into a chair that Sinclair waves me towards, smiling down at the baby “What do you think, Rafe?” I whisper to him “Do you like glamping?” He gives a happy little coo in response and I laugh, grinning up at his father. “I think that’s a yes

“Kid has taste,” Sinclair says, winking at me as he continues his work

much faster than I thought

whispers, leaning over to Cora and I and giving

they’re not

his eyes

Roger chimes in, making us laugh. “If I’m making food, it’s grilled. Otherwise. I’m

your baby is gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,” I

at me from her chair next to mine.

shrug. “Maybe we can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She

like this long into the night – the family gathered happily around the fire, talking about nothing and everything, chatting lightly about what we’ll be doing in our mutual future but not touching on any of the big, scary subjects that lurk behind the conversation. We

laughter, and fun, and

a little as I bite into a smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my god,” I murmur, closing my eyes as I chew. “This is so good, I can barely

going to get marshmallow all over the

open my eyes as I take another bite –

again as he comes and lifts Rafe from my arms I let him, wanting to be alone. with my s’more anyway Cora, Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for how messy

Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger

and smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in the dink by

dark

Roger murs to sing a hand to play with Cora

murmurs

the stars and then turning her head

him.

can’t help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch them. And

decide that that’s

I can, I stand up from my little camping chair and send a pulse down my bond

I nod my head first towards the

My mate follows my

a hand on his back, leaning down to speak a whispered

stealthily as we can – which

lifted into the RV with a noisy platform – the three of us and the baby

Roger alone

think they’re talking about,” I say to Sinclair

in

window at Roger and Cora through the

says, coming to sit with me

us our own moment, rolls

about wanting to watch some television, though

at my mate and reaching for my baby,

know I always want

“Do you know,” he murmurs, slipping his arms low around me

against hin, resting his chin on my shoulder so that he

as much about the details

I say, still peering out at them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had lots of

girlfriend drama -”

Sinclair asks, his body going stiff behind me, just a little

I ask, turning to him,