Alpha Dom and His Human Surrogate by Caroline Above Story

#Chapter 306 – 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?”

me!” I cry out, wrapping my arms around her again, “how

but the way she smiles at her mate across the room lets me know that her words are an understatement. James

ask Isabel quickly, taking her hand

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 twist to

a little love seat in the

everyone and as private as we

with that you’ve had such a hard pregnancy, and I know that the birth wasn’t easy on you

at her and tightening my hold on her hand, “please just tell me –“My stomach is roiling with guilt

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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

at the idea and I flick my glance towards my sleeping baby. If I were ever separated from him by war – just, had no idea where he was, if he was cared for – my heart wrenches to

Ella,” she says softly, anxiously looking to where Sinclair is standing. “I’m sorry maybe I shouldn’t

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say, shaking my head and looking at her with a new determination on my face. “I need to know, Isabel -I’m getting strong, I need to do this sort of work. If Sinclair intends to lead these people, I don’t intend to stay home and be a

told you – not because …well, Ella, if you’re still healing,

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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

she says, lowering her voice and looking

her, not understanding, but giving her

to enslave them if he could. Sinclair, we know, wants equal rights and peace – but there are people even on Sinclair’s side who still have…complicated ideas about hierarchies between

nod, understanding her, remembering the councils

at the humans, at Cora, my own sister. I frown to think of it, to see some of those men in this room now.

that I know Sinclair is working on but…old prejudices, they die hard.