Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 471- War

Ella

The next day, Cora and Roger come over early. Roger and Sinclair head out, their faces solemn, to speak with their aids and their advisors regarding how to respond to the news we know is inevitably coming. Our reconnaissance teams told us that the Atalaxian delegation did indeed return home last night and were apparently in council until dawn.

Which suggests that at any moment now, they’ll declare war.

Sinclair, I know, is spending a great deal of time deciding how to publicly respond. I think that he and Roger right now are recording a message that will go out to the nation as soon as the war is declared. But Cora and I?

Well.

We’re just…being moms.

“Ella,” she says, sighing and holding Rafe out towards me in my closet, wrinkling her nose. “I think you precious future King needs to be changed.”

I sigh, my sweater only half over my head. “So? Go change him.”

When I pull my sweater down and settle it neatly over my stomach, I see her grinning at me, my baby still outstretched in her arms. “Nope,” she says, shaking her head. “Your baby, your diaper.”

“You’re going to regret that policy,” I say, taking Rafe from her with raised brows, “in juuuuust about three and a half months, Cora.”

“And for three and a half months, I will be diaper free!” she calls after me with a laugh as I carry my smelly baby over to his changing table in the bedroom.

Rafe grins at me, looking honestly a little proud of himself, and I can’t help but laugh as I lay him down and quickly change him. “Little Rafe,” I coo, smiling down into his perfect face and tickling his belly, “getting so big! Do you want to try an apple today? Or some avocado?”

As I finish changing Rafe, Cora comes out of the closet, changed into a comfortable set of my clothes. She came to the palace today in more formal clothing, but as soon as Sinclair let her know that she probably wouldn’t be required to appear or speak she immediately expressed her intention to change.

at her, picking up the baby, my eyes going to where

and laughing as she comes over to me. ” I’m

the next door and settle onto the couch. “Trust me, you’ll know you’re huge when you

going to either side of her belly. “It just goes so fast, these wolf pregnancies,” she says, shaking her head. “Human moms get nine months to adjust; it’s kind of crazy that wolf mothers only get two-thirds of that

my eyebrows. “I didn’t even make it

mine will be,” she murmurs, still studying her belly, smiling down at her little baby-to-be.” No way of knowing, with this

my baby close to my chest, turning him a little so he can look at his auntie. Rafe giggles a little, the sweetest sound

Cora murmurs, and I laugh at her displeased tone.

murmur, resting my head against my baby’s. ” And with children – and this family?” I shake my head a little. “Maybe it’s better to just

now. “With war on the horizon? And Roger looking like he’s going to be in the

the door opens and Roger and Sinclair come through, their hands shockingly empty of tablets, phones, paperwork – any of the usual accoutrements of running

as he comes to stand behind me. ”

more we can do,” he murmurs. “Budge over

for him to sit down behind me. Cora wordlessly makes more room, going to sit on Roger’s lap and draping her legs over the side of the armchair on which he

at Sinclair, finding his

he replies with a little sigh. Then he reaches for the remote and presses a few buttons, turning on the television that hangs on

WAR DECARED

more tightly around me. I

tried so hard to avoid it,” I

head, feel his disappointment down the bond. “It’s a gamble –

hard to take it,” Roger sighs. “It’s going to be…a long

long?” I murmur, looking down at the top of Rafe’s head, so glad that

enough,” Sinclair says quietly behind me, “that it’s unlikely he’ll grow up knowing

that Sincliar is as worried as I am. Knowing that he needs me to be strong for him, as he is for me. I work to put a smile on my face, to make myself feel the hope that I know lives within me, even though my heart