Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 291 – Contractions

Ella

Slowly, I breathe through my contractions, taking deep breaths in through my nose and huffing them out of my mouth. The pain is…well, I suppose I can’t say like anything I’ve felt before, can I? Not after all I’ve been through in the past five months. But it’s incredible, the way it radiates through my body, making me grit my teeth against it.

I can feel my body moving, changing along with the contractions. The pain in my pelvis, particularly, is insane, as the bones shift to make room for the baby to pass through. My eyes flash open during one particularly difficult contraction and I hear myself cry out against the pain. God, I would have thought that being a wolf made this easier – wolves seem to have a whole litter of pups without much trouble, by themselves out in the woods.

Passingly, I consider shifting into my wolf form to ease this

–

But then, suddenly, Sinclair bursts into my room, dashing for me.

“What,” he gasps, almost skidding to the side, looking me all over for what is wrong. “What is it, Ella – I heard you scream –”

“No,” I say, gasping a little as the contraction starts to come to its end. “No, it’s just the contraction – god, Dominic, these suck – ”

He shakes his head, still panicked, trying to put it all together as he kneels by the side of the bed and takes my hand. “Cora is coming, she’s close,” he murmurs. “She’ll be allowed in.”

“And Hank?” I ask, looking at my mate. “And Roger?”

“Roger?” Sinclair asks, confused.

“Yes, Dominic! Roger! I want him here as well!”

are wide

him. “He’s the child’s uncle! And his godfather! He should be here! I can’t believe you didn’t

for the cell phone in his back pocket as I lean back on into the pillows,

I have to give birth in a war zone with no epidural,

on his phone and then he shifts. I watch him stand, leaning over me. Frowning, he leans

thing and boil water that’s just in the movies. I’m sure Cora will bring something else to sterilize any

that,” he murmurs, leaning down and wiping the sweat from my brow with the little square of pillowcase folded in his hand. “How are you, love? How

much as I can against the pillows, the next contraction not starting yet. “I feel… determined,” I say,

my chin between the fingers of his big hand

–

at him, willing myself to believe it too – that I’m strong even though I’m scared and in pain. I am strong. For him, and for Rafe,

–

hands moving low on my

knees by my side again, steady and tense. Then, as I start to breathe in that special way Cora made me practice, he

together. I’m moving through this birth process fast, and I don’t have any control over it. If I could wait,

and my body have other

here. He brings me two cool cups

can see on his face the worry and guilt that he’s done something horrible in not getting me to the hospital. I hold his gaze steadily whenever I can, letting him know, silently, that we’re all going to

room, panting, a medical bag slung over her shoulder. I almost spill the glass of tap water Sinclair

her singular focus to be at my side, to look me over and assess

he puts out a hand to balance himself so that

enture

over me. “Tell me what’s