Chapter 212

Accidental Surrogate for Alpha Chapter 216 Chapter 216 – Silent Treatment 3rd Person As soon as Sinclair left Roger and Cora alone, the human turned towards the door, determined to flee. They’d talked about the mating ceremony for the better part of an hour, but as soon as they finished making their plans, Cora made a break for it.

Before her hand could touch the door knob however, Roger’s voice stopped her in her tracks. “Oh so you’re back to ignoring me, are you?”

Cora stiffened, turning back to the newly-minted Beta. “You got my sympathy when your brother was dead, but now that we know Dominic is alive, I don’t see any reason to pretend.” She answered with a shrug, trying to push away the memory of having the huge wolf’s arms around her. Of course, that was much easier said than done – her mind was already carrying her back to that emotional night, and it was nearly impossible to forget the way her heart had raced when he touched her.

Roger’s tears gradually slowed as Cora held him, breathing in her delicate scent and letting her gentle touch tame his rabid wolf.

Soon his heaving breaths were low and steady, and Cora’s soothing murmurs fell quiet. It shouldn’t have been so electrifying – to hold a grieving man this way. But as the worst of the storm passed, the more intimate the embrace seemed, and suddenly Cora was so terribly aware of Roger’s powerful body flush against hers that she could scarcely breathe.

She felt as though his hands were scalding her through her clothes, and his warm breath fluttering over her neck roused butterflies in her stomach. Gooseflesh rose on her arms as he emitted a soft rumble of appreciation for her comfort, and Cora wondered why her mouth suddenly felt so dry. Even though the big wolf had been vicious and unhinged mere minutes before, Cora felt safe and content in the circle of his arms, and more alarming yet – she realized she didn’t want him to let go.

That was the last straw. As a doctor Cora was used to touching people constantly, and in the midst of the refugee crisis she’d done more than her fair-share of hand holding. But no one had ever blurred the lines of personal and professional this way, evoking deep emotions she should not be feeling – especially not for a man who infuriated her as much as Roger.

Cora extracted herself a bit too abruptly, but she attempted to cover her actions with a hasty cough.”You’d better let me take a look at your feet.” She suggested, glancing at the debris-strewn floor. The wolf’s blood mingled with the glass and splintered wood and Cora wasn’t sure how to even cross the wreckage, but Roger lifted her into his arms and carried her through the worst of it, ignoring her protests.

“What are you doing?!” She’d exclaimed, wriggling in his strong grip.

“My feet can’t get any more beat up than they already are – yours can.” He explained, hitching her closer.

“I’m wearing shoes!” Cora countered, rolling her eyes.

“Well you can’t ever be too careful.” Roger answered easily, though she thought she saw the corner of his mouth twitching. He carried her into the bathroom and reluctantly returned her feet to the ground, but he didn’t release her immediately. Instead he leaned her weight against him, as if worried she might not be steady without his support.

Cora pulled away, becoming increasingly flustered. “Have a seat.” She instructed, searching through the cabinets and extracting first aid supplies. Roger settled on the edge of the bath and patiently waited for her to finish her search. If she’d felt brave enough to look over at the wolf, Cora would have seen the hungry way he followed her with his dark eyes, or noticed the smirk which twisted his lips as he listened to her pounding heart and racing pulse.

Trying to still her shaking hands, Cora sprayed warm water over the wolf’s torn feet, wincing when she saw all the glass shards imbedded in his soles.

“How were you even standing?” She inquired.

“It helps that I’m very drunk.” Roger answered, his eyes locked on her lovely face. He was finding it very difficult to control himself with the beautiful human, especially given the way she’d stood up to him so courageously. He knew it must not have been easy for her, and though part of him was proud, her skittishness was thoroughly provoking his wolf’s prey drive.

Cora’s knees were weak, but the familiar motions of her work helped keep her on balance. She methodically extracted the glass from Roger’s feet with sharp tweezers, then cleaned and bound the wounds with careful precision. ‘There.” She said, wiping sweat from her brow, even though the temperature in the room was low. “You should stay off of those for the rest of the night.”

“But how will I get to my bed?” Roger inquired, arching a brow Cora didn’t like the sultry note in his deep voice, and she glanced in the direction of the bedroom. “I think you’ll find your bed is in pieces. I think maybe you should sleep in the tub.”

She rose to her feet, cleaning up her supplies, and Roger’s heart sank. He didn’t want her to leave, in part because he enjoyed her company far too much, but also because he simply didn’t want to be alone. Roger clamped his eyes shut, not wanting to remember the pain which drove him to wreak so much destruction. “I’m sorry for the way I behaved earlier.” He said, catching Cora’s hand before she could get away.

Cora frowned down at him. “I’ve seen worse.” She answered honestly, “But I think perhaps you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

“Is that an invitation?” Roger questioned hopefully.

“My medical opinion.” Cora corrected. “The same I would give anyone in your state.”

“Everyone I care about is in the same condition – or thereabouts.” Roger lamented, feeling very sorry for himself. ‘They shouldn’t have to deal with me on top of everything else.”

Cora studied him closely. They were in an opulent palace with dozens of servants and guards. Finding someone to stay with the wolf wouldn’t be difficult – even arranging a new room for him would take little more than the wave of a hand. So why was she so tempted to offer her own company? Why didn’t she want to leave him? Why was she so bloody tempted to feel his touch again.

“I could stay with you.” She blurted, before she could think better of it. “If you like.”

Roger blinked up at her, surprised but pleased beyond belief. “Really?”

“As long as you behave yourself and don’t get any wise ideas.” Cora answered, notching her chin up.

“I think we have plenty of proof that wise ideas aren’t my forte.” Roger replied, gesturing to the demolished suite.

“You can say that again.” Cora snorted, sweeping her gaze around. “But I’ll be damned if I’m going to spend the night in this death trap. I’ll ring downstairs to borrow a wheelchair and then you can come to my room.”

‘Thank you, Cora.” Roger squeezed her hand, but Cora pulled herself from his grip and crossed her arms over her chest. ‘You don’t know what this means to me.”

Cora’s cold expression wavered, a flash of genuine empathy bleeding into her features. Still, she didn’t let her guard down. “I mean it, Roger. No funny business.” She stalked away before he could reply, giving him a delightful view of her retreating backside.

“Ah, so that was just pity, was it?” Roger questioned, calling Cora back to the present.

‘That and my oath as a doctor,” she shrugged. “I couldn’t exactly leave you bleeding and practically suicidal.”

“U-huh, and I suppose you hold all your patients that way?” Roger pressed, closing the distance between them. He didn’t stop until he was towering over her, and the delectable scent he’d come to love spiked with adrenaline. “And let them sleep in your bed even though you insisted they stay on the couch?”

“Only the ones who are giant cry babies like you.” Cora bit, resting her hands on her hips “Come on, admit it, Cora.” Roger purred, stroking a lock of hair back from her face. ’You’re warming up to me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She insisted. “I showed you a bit of compassion in a time of need. That doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten your past crimes.”

‘You’re the only one who hasn’t.” Roger reminds her, sidling closer. “I’m not saying I deserve it, I just find it curious that you can’t move past things that your sister and my brother have forgiven. After all, they were the targets, not you.”

“All that means is that I hold a higher standard for my sister than she would for herself.” Cora argued, backing away until her shoulder blades collided with the door. She froze when she realized she was cornered, nervously licking her lips as Roger continued to prowl forward.

“I have a different theory.” Roger shared, resting his hands on either side of Cora’s head. “Would you like to hear it?”

Cora shook her head, not able to find her voice.

‘You like me.” Roger declared, enjoying the way her eyes dilated with surprise and anticipation. ‘You don’t want to, but you can’t help it. But instead of dealing with that fact, you’ve turned me into a monster.”

Anger and fear warred for dominance in Cora, even as heat pooled in her stomach. “I have news for you.” She hissed, fire blazing in her veins. “I didn’t have to turn you into anything. You helped Damon set this war into motion. You targeted my sweet, innocent, pregnant, sister because you couldn’t handle coming second to your brother. You’re trying to rewrite yourself as being deep and complicated and tortured, but all you truly are is a little boy with a fragile ego and major mommy issues.” Cora pushed at his burly shoulder, and Roger took a step back, eyeing her warily. “If I’d known you were going to twist things this way I never would have shown you the ounce of humanity I did. But let me be clear, I won’t be making that mistake again.”

Without another word Cora turned on her heel and stormed out. Roger listened to her pounding heart as she retreated down the hall, and though she didn’t know it, the sound stayed with him for the rest of the day, and well into the night.

Chapter 212 – Tattletales Ella “Four broken ribs.” The doctor assesses grimly, “and with all the exercise you’ve done since the initial brakes, they haven’t been able to set or heal. I have an injection I can give you to fuse the bones quickly, but it’s painful, and we still need to set them first.”

“What about his other injuries?” Henry inquires anxiously, seated on the other side of me.

“I’ll do a scan to assess the exact placement of his ribs, and I can extend it to the rest of his abdomen to rule out internal injuries.

I don’t see anything else of concern.” The doctor shares with much more optimism.

“He’s got a good size lump on the back of his head.” I inform the physician, still running my hands through Sinclair’s hair.

‘Then you two will match.” Philippe interjects, reminding us all of the way I headbutted his chin in my attempts to reach Sinclair.

“When you’re done with him, you ought to check her for a concussion.”

“I hardly think that’s necessary.” I complain, reaching back to see if the area is tender, then reflexively wincing when my fingers graze the swollen knot at the back of my skull.

“It is.” Five dominant voices assert, the loudest and most forceful coming from my lap. I send Roger, Henry, Philippe and Gabriel mutinous glances, much good that it does me.

“I was already planning on examining her.” The doctor relates, having the unbelievable nerve to look at Sinclair now, rather than me. “From the sounds of it she’s been much too active following her collapse.”

“What collapse?” Sinclair demands fiercely, his eyes pinning me with a suspicious glare. I turn my indignant gaze on the doctor now, but my mate catches my chin and returns my attention to him. “Don’t blame them for telling me what you should have told me yourself.”

“And when should I have done that?” I argue, feeling truly overwhelmed now. I can’t believe they’re all ganging up on me when Sinclair is injured and needs our attention most. “You’ve been back ten minutes and you’re in much worse shape than I am. Rafe and I are fine, you’re the one we need to worry about.”

“What happened, little wolf?” He asks, his voice gentle, for I’m sure he can sense my genuine distress.

Taking a deep breath, I force the words out in a rush, speaking as quickly as I can in the futile hope that he might not catch all the details. “It wasn’t a big deal. My blood pressure spiked when Gabriel’s drones found the wreckage from the bomb, that’s all. I passed out and they sedated me. I slept for three whole days, so I’m much better rested and healthy than you are.”

Sinclair’s pupils contract, and his irate gaze swings to the King. “You let her watch you search for the wreckage?”

Gabriel shifts uneasily from foot to foot. “Well, we didn’t know what we would find. Besides, Ella is the only reason we knew something had happened.”

“And did none of you consider the possibility that you would find us dead?” He sits up, power rolling off of him in heady waves, “It was sickening for me to see that scene and I’ve been in battle. What the hell were you thinking?” A flash of the gut-wrenching horror Sinclair felt when he woke from the bomb blast slips through our bond, and my wolf whimpers in my head. 1 “Dominic, it’s okay, come back to me.” I encourage, trying to guide his shoulders back down. He obeys, but I suspect he only does it to settle my wolf.

“It’s not okay.” Sinclair tells me, his voice like gravel. He reaches up to cup my cheek. “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“It might have upset me, but it wasn’t enough to convince me you were gone.” I remind him, leaning down to kiss his pillowy lips, “My faith in our bond kept me from believing the worst.”

“So much so that she didn’t eat or bathe, or sleep again after she woke up.” Philippe offers, his arms crossed over his chest.

“She just kept trying to escape.”

I tear my attention from Sinclair, truly outraged now. “Would you stop this?!” I exclaim, feeling as though I might scream. I’m so sick of my pack of overbearing babysitters that I could honestly throttle them. And for once, I don’t give a single damn that they’re tattling on me, I care that they might further upset my mate when he’s already hurt and grieving. “Do you have any idea what he’s been through! He doesn’t need to be worrying about me right now. What is wrong with you all!?”

A tender purr begins to vibrate in my lap, and I can feel Sinclair’s wolf reaching out to mine. “Don’t be mad at them, baby.”

Sinclair murmurs, sliding his hand to my nape and massaging my tense muscles. “I know you don’t like seeing me hurt, but they’re telling me exactly what I need to know – what I want to know.”

I shake my head defiantly. “No, you need to come first this time.” I reply thickly, wondering how they can all be so blind. “You almost died... you lost Hugo and your men.” 3 “And if I had died, they would have been doing exactly what I wished – taking care of you and Rafe when I couldn’t.” Sinclair croons.

“What, by being intrusive, overbearing bullies?” I sniff, hating the very suggestion of him truly being gone.

“Is that so different from me?” Sinclair asks with a crooked smile.

“Of course it is – because you’re my mate.” I reply fervently. ‘You’re only do it because you love me.”

“Well why the hell do you think it’s different with us, Ella?” Philippe grouses, pulling my attention away from my mate.

“Because Dominic would disembowel you if you let anything happen to me.” I answer easily, my wolf feeling a bloodthirsty thrill at the thought of our mate’s prowess.

Roger rolls his eyes, sarcasm heavy on his tongue. “Guess again genius.”

Gabriel clears his throat, diplomatically adding. “I think what Roger means is – why would we have to fear that if Dominic was dead? If that’s the only reason we were doing it, why did we continue when we thought he was gone?”

I look between them, slowly piecing together the clues. When the realization strikes, I turn to Sinclair for confirmation. Do they mean what I think they mean? I mean I know Henry is fond of me but...

“Of course they love you, Ella.” He says, assuaging my doubts and making me feel extremely guilty for giving them such a hard time.

“We’ve been trying to take care of you because we would be heartbroken if anything happened to you.” Henry contributes, “And that’s why we’re telling Dominic what’s been going on – because we want what’s best for you, and he’s the only one to whom you’ll truly respond.”

‘That and you won’t tell him yourself.” Roger mutters, but there’s only humor in his voice.

“Roger.” Henry bites, shooting the wolf a scowl before stealing one of my hands and squeezing it. “I’m sorry we didn’t listen to you, Ella. But I’m not sorry for the rest. We were doing the best with the information we had. But never doubt that we acted from a place of love.” 1 My lower lip quivers, and I stare up at the men apologetically. “I didn’t realize... I’m sorry.” I try to fight back my tears, but my hormones are unrelenting. I swear once this baby comes, I won’t cry again for a year. I vow to myself, wondering if this is a promise I can keep. The tears come all the same, but I try to keep my voice steady, “I mean, not for disobeying you or smashing you in the jaw,” I tell Philippe, who chuckles good-naturedly. ” But for misunderstanding... I assumed the worst, and that wasn’t fair to you.” It takes a moment to work myself up to the next part, but I manage. “I love you all too.”

One by one, the alphas return the sentiment, and Sinclair sends me a rush of affection which warms me inside and out. “Poor little mate, dealing with all these big mean wolves all on your own. It’s no wonder you’re in such a state.” I can see Roger, Gabriel and Philippe making exasperated faces out of the corner of my eye, but I don’t care.

“It’s okay.” I tell him conspiratorially, not bothering to hide my devious grin. “I still got the better of them.”

‘That’s my girl.” Sinclair praises, pulling my head down for another kiss. It’s soft and tender, and with his pride and amusement, comes a rush of delicious dominance. “Just as long as you remember that you won’t be getting the better of me – even if I am weak and injured.”

My wolf shudders happily, and I kiss him again. “I still look forward to trying.”

His wolf gleams in his green eyes. “And I look forward to catching you.”