Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 420- Come for Dinner

Ella

When I finally come out of my bedroom, Rafe strapped to my chest, and hurry through the hallways to the front of the palace where I asked Cora to wait for me, I find her sitting with crossed arms and a frustrated look on her face.

“Oh hey, Ella,” she says, smirking at me. “What took you so long.”

I just beam innocently at my sister, flicking my hair over my shoulder. “I don’t know what you mean, Cora. I came as fast as I could.”

“Oh,” she says, raising her eyebrows at me. “I’m sure you did.”

And then I burst into laughter as I realize that Cora – well. Cora hasn’t precisely been one to make dirty jokes in the past, has she? “Looks like Roger’s rubbing off on you,” I say, putting out a hand to help her up, which she accepts.

“He’s trying,” she says, giving me a wink and leaning down to give Rafe a kiss on his forehead. “Are you ready? Finally?”

“Oh, come on, Cora,” I say, rolling my eyes as we head for the door. “It wasn’t like it was that long of a wait.”

“Forty-five minutes! Honestly, Ella – it’s not a quickie anymore if it takes the better part of an hour – ”

“Cora!” I hiss, covering Rafe’s innocent ears and looking around at all of the people milling around at the front of the palace. “They’ll hear you!”

She laughs. “Oh, come on, Ella, they all know too. Do you know how many people asked me where Sinclair has been? I’ve been making excuses for you for well over half an hour and everyone saw right through them -”

as we step out the front door and find Conner waiting for us. “We will cease speaking of

as we make our way down to the cars waiting for us. We hit the road quickly after I strap Rafe into his safety seat, heading directly for the Human Camp.

of the car, grateful that Isabel is as good as her word in trying to be better at accepting humans as part

us and smiling his greeting but – characteristically – keeping his hands in his pockets and refraining from giving us a

step forward and beat her to it. “We were getting Sarah settled this morning,” I say, smiling at both Hank and Isabel, who were updated last night on everything we

“I hope that it gave you both some clarity and that you’ll be able to help her in the way that she’s helped you.” She leans down to coo to Rafe now, greeting him. The baby gratifies her by

our routines, all of us wanting to help as many people as fast as we can, especially considering our delay in getting here this afternoon. I grimace when I think of my stolen hour, regretting it. Tomorrow I’ll try to get here earlier so

I stand up from my third patient of the afternoon,

all right?” he asks, flipping through the next patient’s

“Who?” I ask, confused.

I smile a little, watching him as

fine, Hank,” I say, purposefully keeping my voice breezy. ” She’s going to stay at the palace for awhile – for as long as she wants, really, until she

clipboard fall to his side and looking deliberately away from me, in the direction of our next patient. I can’t help that my smile grows a little bit as I wonder just how

go either way. He’s very cryptic,

is over here,” he says, stalking off. I look up at Conner, who grins down at me as we follow. I laugh a little, thinking that if Conner is picking

Well.

a little

next hospital bed, taking the charts from his hand and flipping through them even though I have no idea what they say. “You should come over for

his

I say, looking up at him with too-wide

your family means I’m either going to be watching you die slowly in bed or getting punched in the face for