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 !

leaning over to Cora

Otherwise, they’re

true!” Sinclair protests, his eyes still on

in, making us laugh. “If I’m making

gonna eat a lot of hotdogs,”

at me from her chair next

shrug. “Maybe we can make them hire us chefs,” I consider. She raises her eyebrows, pleased at the idea,

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 all know that they’re there, after all – and we all simultaneously decide to leave

about laughter, and fun,

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

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

murmur, shaking my head and refusing to open my eyes as I take another bite – He won’t

Roger, and Henry laugh as well as Sinclair walks Rafe away from me, apologizing in a loud murmur for how messy and

quietly Henry watches Sinclair and his grandchild while Cora and Roger

Cora says, wrapping her arms around herself and smiling around at our dark Camp 7 didn’t think I’d like sitting outside in the

dark

pantele Roger murs to sing a hand to

murmurs

at the stars and then turning her head to look at

him.

as I watch them. And then, as they stare at

I decide that

stand up from my little

nod my head first towards the RV and

and Cora, who begin talking quietly. My mate follows

hand

one by one, as stealthily as we can –

into the RV with a noisy platform – the three of us and the baby make our way

Cora and Roger alone by

say to Sinclair as he climbs last into the

in

Roger and Cora

business, little spy?” he says, coming to sit

wanting to give us our own moment, rolls

television, though we

my mate and reaching

I

murmurs, slipping his arms low around me and

I warmly against hin, resting his chin on my shoulder so that he too can look

much about the details of my brother’s love life until you came

them. “Roger’s hot. He probably has had lots

girlfriend drama -”

his body going stiff behind

turning to him,