Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

Chapter 352 – Keeping it in the Family

Ella

I’m the last one to the conference room – baby stuff but when I come through the door I’m very surprised to see that it’s just family gathering today.

“Where is everyone?” I ask, holding Rafe close to my chest so that he peers over my shoulder. He’s a very curious baby – he likes to look around, even though he can’t see much yet. I move over to the table where Cora, Roger, Henry, and Sinclair sit, all clearly waiting for me, all with faces which are …drawn. Concerned. And turned on me.

“What,” I breathe, freezing before I can sit down. “What’s wrong? What is it?” “Sit, Ella,” Henry says, waving to the open chair between him and Sinclair.

“No,” I say, shaking my head, the word falling out of my mouth before I can even think. “No way this looks… this looks like bad news.’

And some part of me knows that I’m being ridiculous – that it won’t be good news miraculously if I don’t hear it but still. Fear stripes through me – I really, really can’t handle more bad news now, not after the few days we’ve had. And not if it, apparently, all focuses on me.

“Ella, please,” Sinclair says, looking at me with gentle eyes and pulling the empty chair out. “I promise it’s not as bad as you think.”

“Do you all know?” I ask, going rigid.

“Henry told us before you came in,” Cora replies, leaning forward towards me across the table, Roger’s hand on her back. “He just wanted us to be prepared, so that the focus could be on you when we told you.’

“Oh my god,” I whisper, slowly moving to the chair and sitting down.” Is it me?” I ask. “Did I did I do something?”

to frighten you. I just – it was convenient that you were last, so

members of the team who went on the mission yesterday. Some of them, I know, would be well enough to attend

briefed soon. But I wanted to talk about this together, with the main

drawing my lips together in a thin

kind of pre- arranged pattern. This, contrary to what they wanted, somehow makes me more nervous, that they’ve rehearsed how to tell

one elbow before draping his other arm warmly over my shoulders. I feel at once calmer, and start to wonder – ridiculously if Sinclair isn’t just the baby whisperer, but the Ella

to him. “Yesterday, when we were fighting

just clench my teeth and stare at him, willing him to

pinned – he only got to whatever…I don’t know, whatever magical powder allowed him to really fire bomb us, by

confused. “Like

a little at his inability to be clear. “I mean, slipped on his words. Messed up. Because he

crook of Sinclair’s arm. He’s gotten a hand free of his swaddle and is clenching it and opening it, apparently fascinated by the movement of his fingers. “Do

drawing my eyes

as I talk, I know I should just shut up and listen, but

and watching my face to make sure I’m following along. I’m grateful for it because even

parse this phrase, trying to figure it out. And we’ve done a great deal of research, so far, on this Monastic Cult of the God of Darkness. And never, in any of our materials both from centuries ago

the rest of them do, apparently, judging by the worried looks on

“That…there is someone else ordering all of this to happen. That they haven’t done this merely to serve their god, or at his orders but that, instead, there seems – to be someone else, a