Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate by Caroline Above Story

Chapter 121 – Ella’s Past

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains experiences of abuse and S**ual a*sault – nothing explicit, but please take care reading!

Sinclair

Ella’s small body is completely stiff in my arms, even though we’re in her favorite place. I’ve only bathed with her once before, but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out how much she loves a bubble bath. She takes at least four a week, and when she’s upset I’ve known her to have a bath even after showering. Until I spoke with Cora about Ella’s self-care practices, I didn’t understand the connection to her childhood experience of neglect, but now that I know I’m determined never to deprive her of the comfort – even if my water bills go through the roof and the city goes into a drought.

“Are you ready to talk this out, trouble?” I inquire, resting my hands on her round tummy and feeling a pulse of stress from the baby. A fresh spark of worry a*sails me, and I know that Rafe is channeling his mother’s fraught emotions. Ella doesn’t respond to my question, and I press on, realizing that the poor little wolf isn’t going to relax until she knows I’m not going to reject her. “Sweetheart, it never even crossed my mind to end things. I love you.”

Ella’s muscles tighten further, though I didn’t think such a thing was possible. “But…” She stammers, twisting around to look at me, “but you left!”

I know some survivors of child abuse view any confrontation as a disaster or threat, but Ella has weathered my anger in the past without any signs of a trauma response. “I was angry that you thought you don’t contribute anything to our relationship, and my wolf lost it when you suggested you couldn’t be my Luna. The idea of losing you pushed me over the edge, and I

wasn’t even sure you’d come back… I think… I think maybe I have some abandonment issues I wasn’t

don’t trust myself not to say things I don’t mean when I’m that angry. The same way I would never make a pack ruling or deliver a punishment in the height of a fury. I think taking some space in the heat of the moment can be healthy, but maybe we can find some way to take breaks in fights without too much physical distance.”

tighten around me. “Thank you,” She hiccups, “and I’m sorry I said I couldn’t be your Luna, but you have to admit

I order, sliding my finger under her chin and pulling her eyes up to mine. “First of all – you take care of me all the time. You saved my campaign. You keep me calm when I’m being an ogre. You stand up to bullies like the Prince and Lydia, and you share my burdens even when I don’t want you to. Moreover, I need to dominate my mate. It’s in an Alpha’s DNA to nurture and protect. If you didn’t let me comfort and take care of you, I

“But I didn’t

I sigh, recalling the terror that came over her beautiful face when I suggested tying her up. I’ve growled and grumbled at Ella a thousand times. I’ve put her over my knee and overpowered her countless times without any issue. In fact most of the time her wolf responds to my bossiness like a bee to honey. “I think we

as Ella gives a slight nod, and then her wide gaze returns to mine, suddenly so vulnerable that my heart aches. “Do we have to talk about

memories, but I know that wouldn’t help anything. “We’re in a S**ual relationship, Ella. I can’t avoid your triggers if I don’t know what they are.” I reason, “and

causing my mate to cry for

resolve gravely. “It’s never going to hurt any less, and the sooner you tell me, the sooner it will be

a dorm with the older girls we both panicked a bit. We’d always been together and didn’t want to be separated,

pauses, taking a deep breath. “She was always telling me how pretty I was… and that she’d had her eye on me for some time. I didn’t understand what she meant, but she always gave me a really uneasy feeling. In hindsight I think that might have been part of why I was so determined to stay