Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 307 – Old Friends

Ella

Two hours later, Sinclair and I welcome our friends back to our house for a casual breakfast and coffee

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or mimosas, according to preference to celebrate Rafe’s moonlight baptism. I can tell our guests are dragging – they’ve been up all night, after all – but spirits are high.

“Wow,” I say, leaning back against Sinclair’s chest with a croissant in one hand, a cup of coffee in the other. Rafe, thankfully, is asleep in his little recline stroller. Usually I’d put him to bed in his crib, but I want people to be able to say goodbye if they have to leave. “I can’t believe everyone I still up,” I say, peering around at our friends and family. “I mean, I know we’re on baby time so normal hours mean nothing anymore, but everyone else…”

“It’s a special occasion,” Sinclair murmurs; lowering his face to my hair and taking a long sniff of my scent. “We’re used to it. In wolf culture shifter children are rarer than we’d like, so we take the time to celebrate them when they’re born.”

“That’s so nice…” I say, sniffing a little, my eyes filling with tears.

“What?” Sinclair asks, pulling away from me a little, shocked. “Are you – why are you crying –

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I swat at him, laughing a little. “What! Hormones! I’m tired! Leave me be.” Then I brush the tears off my cheeks, smiling despite them. I’m just overwhelmed and grateful, honestly, for all the love that our family has shown our baby. “It really is a beautiful tradition,” I murmur, and Sinclair kisses my cheek before moving away to talk to some of the Alphas who have come to see their new prince.

As Sinclair moves away, Isabel quickly moves to my side to take his place. “Hi, mama,” she says, giving me a warm smile as she wraps an arm around my waist. “How are you doing?”

I cry out, wrapping my arms around her again, “how are you? How are James,

the room lets me know that her words are an understatement. James raises a hand to me, little Sadie slumped against his shoulder, deeply

upstairs in one of the guest rooms?” I ask Isabel quickly, taking her hand and squeezing it. “You can stay as long as you

she says, giving me a smile. “I’m so glad we could be here and meet the baby – but we both want to get home. We have…a lot of work to do there.” Her face changes, then, and I feel my stomach

and urging her to tell me. She nods to a little love seat in the corner and I follow her there, Rafe’s little pram

everyone and as private as we

a hard pregnancy, and I know that the birth wasn’t easy

at her and tightening my hold on her hand, “please just tell me –“My stomach is roiling with guilt to think that I’ve neglected something when

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think that Sinclair has told you absolutely everything,” she says, “about how bad the refugee problem is now, after the last days of the war when you were away on the boat. It’s nothing that he’s done wrong – Sinclair has made so many strides – but we have more children than ever in our centers,

had no idea where he was, if he was cared for – my heart wrenches to think of it. Isabel notes my paling face,

where Sinclair is standing. “I’m sorry maybe I shouldn’t have told you

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know, Isabel -I’m getting strong, I need to do this sort

you’d feel that way. That’s why I told you – not because …well, Ella, if you’re still healing, you need to focus on yourself first. You can be so selfless you always put others

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deep breath, still worried but touched by my friend’s concern. She knows me so well. “Thank you, love,” I say, giving her a little smile. “I’ll take care of myself, and my family. But I’m going to help too. Can you tell me? Who is the

lowering her voice and looking

but giving her the space to work through

them if he could. Sinclair, we know, wants equal rights and peace – but there are people even on Sinclair’s side who still

the councils during the war when even some of

own sister. I frown to think of it, to see some of