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.

lie to spare Cora’s feelings. “She survived the surgery…but the doctor says it could go either way.

covers his face with his hand,

asks,

still there. He can’t feel my son anymore, can’t feel the bond, but he hopes

but he doesn’t know what

her attention on Ella, running her hand over her sister’s forehead, brushing some hair behind her ear. “Come on, kid,” she murmurs. “You have to fight,

takes 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 Ella’s fragile

television, which has been playing lightly in the corner

television on?” Roger asks,

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, apparently. Makes them feel grounded or something.” Roger frowns at his brother, confused,

looks back at the television. “Have you

No,

”

throws back, frustrated. “I wouldn’t draw

an image of Cora. Sinclair blinks, paying more attention now to the words that scroll across the

as a great flare of light erupts from her, turning the screen white as her brilliance

light fades, Cora stands panting, looking out onto the square. Sinclair squints, leaning closer, and he can see – yes, himself, in the corner of the screen,

leaning back in his chair. “I don’t need

eyes still on the screen.

raising one hand to his forehead, his other still wrapped around Ella’s in the bed. It doesn’t really matter to him what Cora

lips pulling back in a snarl. Roger puts up a hand, calling silently for peace. “I know that you’re focusing on Ella, brother, but you’re our King now. Or if you’re not, you will be soon. And you need to

from his mate. “Tell me, and be

that moment that flash – Cora gave the Goddess’s

Sinclair 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 he had felt… something. Hadn’t he? Some kind of…of hope?