Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

Chapter 269 – The Waiting Game

3rd Person

The hours pass slowly for Dominic Sinclair as he sits at his mate’s side in the post–surgical suite, willing her to live.

Her hand is held tight within his and his eyes are trained on her face, watching her eyelashes flutter every minute or two. Her chest raises and lowers slowly, shallow breaths coming less frequently than they should. She had survived the night. But just barely.

Sinclair wipes a hand down his face, willing himself to stay awake. The surgery took hours and he had stood stoically at her side for every moment of it. It had been agony, watching them cut her to ribbons, listening to them mumble words he couldn’t understand, trying to fix her like some kind of broken car

As if she wasn’t the most important thing on earth. As if she wasn’t the daughter of the Goddess, the future Queen, the mother of his child and – most important of all –

His fucking mate.

–

—

It had taken everything in him to stand there and not wrench the tools from the doctor’s hand, to do something, anything, to fix her out of the sheer will of his desire for her to live.

But in the end, after hours of work, the doctor had just nodded to Sinclair, wiping a bloody hand across his forehead. “We’ve done everything we can,” he had murmured, looking down at Ella. “It’s in her hands now.”

Then, they’d wheeled her into this room, hooked her up to what looked like a thousand ridiculous machines, and just left. Left Sinclair here, holding her hand, waiting to see if she lived or died. But damnit, he wasn’t going to let her die. No fucking way.

Nurses come and go periodically, of course, checking on her, checking on him, letting him know that there have been no turns for the worse, asking if he wanted any food, any water, anything at all. He’d ignored them all, focused only on her. His Luna. The light of his world.

A few hours later, a knock comes at the door. Sinclar glances towards it, expecting another nurse, and blinks and surprise when he sees Cora and Roger standing there.

“Dominic,” Roger, his face full of sorrow, his eyes not going to Ella and instead focusing on Sinclair. Roger opens his mouth to say something else, but Cora interrupts.

“Is she alright?” Cora breathes, hurrying to her sister’s side, glancing between Ella and her mate.

“She survived the surgery…but the doctor says it could go either way.

with his hand,

asks, desperate. “The

my son anymore, can’t feel the bond, but

but he doesn’t know

over her sister’s forehead, brushing some hair behind her ear.

the hand from his face when he feels Roger grip his shoulder. Sinclair looks up at his brother, shaking his head. Roger says nothing, looking at

at the television, which has been playing lightly in the corner for

the television

did it,” Sinclair responds, shrugging noncommittally. “I asked them to turn it off, but,” he lifts a hand lightly before dropping it, not understanding. “They said something about… unconscious patients. The sound of human voices. It’s better,

nods, but then looks back at the

blinks and then looks towards the television. The news is on, but he glares at his brother.” No, Roger, I’m not sitting here watching the news while Ella slips away from me.

”

Roger throws back, frustrated. “I wouldn’t draw your attention away if it

image of Cora. Sinclair blinks, paying more

erupts from her, turning the screen white as her brilliance overloads the

out onto the square. Sinclair squints, leaning closer, and he can

murmurs, leaning back in his chair. “I

into his pockets, his eyes still on the screen.

wrapped around Ella’s in the bed. It doesn’t really matter to him what Cora did, not really. Because whatever it was, Ella had tried to do it first, and it may have

for peace. “I know that you’re focusing on Ella, brother,

eyes from his mate. “Tell me, and be done

the Goddess’s gift. To everyone. Didn’t you feel

grumbles, frankly not interested. But, if he thinks back… he had been distracted, of course, frantic at the feeling of Ella’s weak body in his arms. But