Accidental Surrogate for Alpha novel Chapter 40

Ella

“What?” I squeak, my voice catching in my throat. The moment the words left Sinclair’s mouth I felt my blood run cold, and now I feel as though I might topple over with the shock of it. I must have misheard him, surely he doesn’ mean what I think he does.

“That night you heard someone growling in your bathroom?” Sinclair explains, stepping forward as though he wants to reach for me, but stopping himself short when I flinch away. “I told you I didn’t smell anything… but I lied. There was someone in your rooms, I just didn’t want to scare you.”

“And you let me go back there, knowing there’d been an intruder?” I demand, indignation swirling to life amidst my fear, surprise and sorrow.

“Sweetheart, I had the guards do a thorough search of the grounds then and there. They were long gone, and I’ve had you sleeping in my rooms ever since. I also increased the guards during the day when I knew you’d be back there.” He shares. “Trust me, I’ve done everything possible to ensure your safety.”

“Except tell me that I was in danger!” I cry. “It’s no wonder you flipped out the way you did when I went to see your father! And you blamed me like I was supposed to know about the threat!”

“Ella –” He begins in a placating tone.

“No!” I cut him off, stomping my foot out of pure wrath. “How am I supposed to know it’s dangerous if you don’t tell me, Dominic?” I exclaim. “You didn’t even tell me about the rogue attack and that had nothing to do with me! All this time I thought you were being overbearing and overprotective, but I just didn’t have a clue what was happening in my own life!” Too late I realize my earlier desire to leave before I start crying is now a lost cause. Tears are sliding down my cheeks as I continue. “How could you do that! You know what I went through with Mike. I spent years thinking I knew my situation when it was all lies – and you turned around and did the exact same thing!”

Dominic’s usually golden skin goes very pale, “Goddess Ella, I never even thought about it that way.” He admits. “I was just trying to protect you and the pup. I didn’t want you to be afraid.”

“Well all you actually did was make a fool of me.” I inform him stiffly. “And for the record, you also made me more vulnerable to danger. Do you think I would have ever considered sneaking away without guards if I knew someone might actually be after me?! Do you believe I would ever risk my baby that way?”

“Ella, I’m sorry.” Sinclair professes, and I’m amazed to see how earnest he looks. Gone is the bossy Alpha who orders everyone about and lays down the law when they defy him, replaced by a man who has been truly humbled. “I’m truly, truly sorry. I was inconsiderate and patronizing – I assumed I knew what was best and never consulted you… I’ve been a hypocrite, I’ve been going on about being a team but I’ve been acting like a tyrant.” He continues. “You were right, and that’s not the kind of parent I want to be.”

Despite my simmering anger, I’m completely agog. I never expected a man as powerful as Sinclair to admit a mistake – or any fault for that matter. I thoroughly believed that people of his ilk never took responsibility for their actions, because they have the privilege of passing it off onto someone else. Even men without means, like Mike, often can’t admit when they’re wrong. In fact, as a woman, the number of times I’ve heard any man tell me that I’m right in a disagreement is… well, I think this is the first time.

“Can you ever forgive me?” Sinclair is still going, coming forward to brush the hair back from my face, and looking deep into my eyes.

I cross my arms over my chest, tilting my chin up and giving him a haughty sniff to hide my amazement. “As long as you promise never to do it again.”

“I promise that I’ll try to do better.” Sinclair vows, taking hold of my arms. “I’m still an Alpha, and hopefully a King. It’s in my nature to protect at all costs, and those instincts are strongest when it comes to she-wolves and pups. When I think about you in danger my wolf fairly loses his mind, and I really am concerned about this pregnancy. You’re high risk as a human, and the longer your blood pressure stays elevated, the more likely you are to become high risk in shifter terms too.”

His words send a frisson of fear through my nerves. I’ve been trying to tell myself all this worry is his overprotectiveness gone mad, but when he puts it in these terms I realize my baby and I might have a harder road ahead of us than I realized. I hadn’t considered myself high risk simply because I’m a human carrying a shifter pup, but it makes sense. Again I recall the doctor’s warnings about the size of the fetus, the spotting incident and now my persistent stress. I really don’t mind if I suffer, but the idea of my baby being at risk is enough to bowl me over.

“So I can’t say for certain that I’ll never slip up again,” Sinclair forges ahead, massaging my arms with the pads of his thumbs, “but I promise to always consider your perspective, and consult you whenever I can.”

“Thank you.” I murmur, leaning into his warmth.

He nods and kisses the top of my head, wrapping his strong arms around me. “Do you still want to sleep in your rooms?”

“Would you let me?” I inquire, already testing his resolve.