Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

Sinclair

I’m resolved to buy Ella a ring tomorrow, but we still have to get through tonight first.

She was distant on the ride home, sitting across from me in the back of the limo rather than tucked up against my side the way I prefer. Moreover she didn’t say a word until we got back to the house, and then her only message was that she wanted to sleep in her own rooms this evening.

“Are you angry with me?” I ask, furrowing my brow in confusion.

“No, I just think a little space would be good for us.”

She answers, hugging herself in a clear defensive move.

Maybe she’s right, I think, though it’s not easy to hear my thoughts with my wolf snarling in protest. I still haven’t gotten to the bottom of her reluctance to indulge our shared desires, and I don’t want to press her if she really isn’t interested. Even if she is, I think it would be a mistake to push her too hard or fast and risk spooking her. “Okay.” I agree eventually. “I’ll notify the guards.

My wolf is whining like a pup as I stride away from her, and I can’t believe how attached I’ve become to the sweet human in so short a time. I don’t like letting her out of my sight when I know she’s under threat, but this is so much more than that. I’ve gotten so used to sleeping with her warm little body snuggled in my arms or sprawled out on top of me, that I’m not sure I’ll be able to rest without her.

As I prepare for bed, I try to make my wolf settle, but it’s nearly impossible. In the end, I realize I didn’t scent mark Ella tonight, and if anything will calm my wolf, I imagine that will. I pull on a t-shirt over my pajama bottoms and set off towards her rooms, knowing precisely how ridiculous I’m being and not giving à damn.

However when I arrive outside Ella’s rooms I immediately pick up on a strange tension among the guards. I look around at them curiously, but their stiff postures are only compounded by their refusal to look me in the eye. A moment later a soft whimper emanates through Ella’s door, and I understand. It’s not a sound of worry, sadness or fear, but one absolutely dripping with s3x.

door and I hear more sounds: the slight rustle of the bed sheets; the gentle glide of deft fingers sliding over wet flesh; uneven and excited breathing; and pounding pulse. It’s obvious what Ella is up to in my absence,

hear this either, though she probably wouldn’t mind if she realized just how open shifters are about s3x. Even my men weren’t embarrassed, simply nervous over my reaction to them being near Ella at an int!mate moment. She might not be my mate, but she is carrying my pup, and that’s a claim every bit as powerful and sacred to our kind. They

objectionable audience to Ella, considering the int!macies we’ve already shared. Still, I have to keep telling myself this reminder as time passes. Every time I begin to wonder if I’m using her protection as an excuse to eavesdrop, I put myself

torture to listen to Ella finding her pleasure this way, because every small pant and m0an fills my head

can imagine exactly what she’s doing, and the tiny sounds she emits every now

in and put a stop to this immediately. I should

right now, give her lush bottom a few swats for not making her needs known to me, then bury my face between her legs and feast

mine. I remind myself furiously, trying not to get so carried away by the fantasy

because of the k!ss, my wolf reasons, she’s probably thinking

Her current need might be related or it might be the pregnancy, her h0rmones, or simply the fact that she’s a living breathing woman with a healthy lib!do. Either way, we have no

on my slacks, and as soon as Ella’s need for privacy is over, I’ll let the guards return and trust her safety to them once more. Afterwards I’m going to have a nice cold shower and relieve me

harder about her reluctance to start something romantic between us. This is only going to get harder as her pregnancy progresses, and my wolf is quickly running out of patience. I can’t understand his behavior. I’ve had s3x with plenty of she-wolves over the years, and he’s only ever pushed me to claim Lydia, no matter how much I cared about

to accept that I couldn’t mark Ella even if I wanted to. And I

could mark her somewhere else,He suggests wistfully, completely ignoring my logic. And don’t even

idea is. Mating marks are so intimate because they require allowing another wolf to wrap their jaws around your most vulnerable spot. It

think about how amazing it would feel. My