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

around a ! much faster than I thought was possible and ! anile

over to Cora

they’re not

his eyes still

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

eat a

me from her chair next to mine.

can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises

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

tonight is just about laughter, and fun, and spending time

a smore that Sinclair hands me, the marshmallow burned to a crisp just the way I like it. “Oh my

dripping,” Sinclair laughs, “you’re going to get marshmallow

care,” I murmur, shaking my head and refusing to open my eyes as I take another bite

Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for how messy and inconsiderate his mother is I wave a

I finish my s’more and look around at my family, watching them quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger sit close to each other, not talking but clearly connected in

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

dark

about pantele Roger murs to sing a hand to play with Cora s

murmurs

the stars and then

him.

help my own smile from crossing my face as I watch them. And then, as they

I decide that that’s my

I can, I stand up from my little

I nod my head first towards the

begin talking quietly. My mate follows my gaze and then

walks to his father and puts a hand on his back, leaning down to speak

as we can – which is not very stealthy, considering Henry has

noisy platform – the three of us and the baby make

Cora and Roger alone by the fire to have a moment to

think they’re talking about,” I say to Sinclair as he climbs last into the

baby still curled in his arms. I’m sitting in the little kitchen

the window at Roger and Cora

spy?” he says, coming to sit with me on

wanting to give us our own moment, rolls his

to watch some television, though we both know he

at my mate and reaching for

you know I always want to

he murmurs, slipping his

resting his chin on my shoulder so that he too can look out

never cared as much about the details of my brother’s love

at them.

girlfriend drama -”

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

turning to