Filed To Story: Falling for the Alpha as a Surrogate Novel
“Ella,” he sighs, laughing a little as he shakes his head at me. “The idea of old times’ with me and your family means I’m either going to be watching you die slowly in bed or getting punched in the face for crimes I didn’t commit. So…maybe let’s cut that as an excuse.”
I laugh here, genuinely surprised by his sense of humor. I mean, he’s dead on and definitely seeing through my ploy.
“Well then come for new times, Hank,” I say, grinning at him. “It will be fun. I mean…Sarah could be there.”
“Give me this,” he mumbles, snatching at the chart in my hands, looking for a distraction from this conversation so I don’t notice the little flush in his cheeks.
“Hey, I was reading that!” I protest, laughing and holding the chart out of his reach.
“You don’t even understand what it says,” he chides, glaring at me a little but unable to help the little smile that pulls at the corner of his lips.
“Well, a girl can learn, can’t she?” I say, lofty. But I hand the chart to him with a wink. “Think on it,” I say. And then I look up at Conner. “You can come too! It will be a party!”
“Oh,” he says, genuinely surprised at the invitation as he takes the baby from me. “Um, I’m not sure that’s appropriate, Luna…I mean. I can’t… hang out with the King.”
“Why not?” I ask, confused.
“Because he’s the king, Ella,” Hank replies, rolling his eyes at me again good-naturedly. “You’re just too used to him to see how intimidating he is to literally everyone else.”
“Ohhh,” I say, waving a hand behind me as I dismiss what they’re saying. ” Dominic is nice!”
“Nice,” I hear Conner murmur to Hank behind me. “She just described the most powerful Alpha in the kingdom – maybe the world as nice.”
“Yeah, she’s…Ella.” Hank sighs.
But I ignore them, smiling down at the little brown-haired girl looking sadly up at me. “Hi, sweetheart,” I say to her, reaching out and offering my hand. “My name is Ella. What’s yours?”
Ella
I’m quite tired when evening approaches in the refugee camp and Cora comes to my side, placing a hand on my back and telling me that we should probably head home. I sigh, looking around, knowing that I can do more but…
“I get it, Ells,” she says, looking around with me. “But there’s only so much we can do. And you’re a queen and a mom as much as a healer now. You’ve got to find a balance.”
“Is it normal to feel guilty?” I ask my sister, who has been working to heal people for much longer than I have. ” When you prioritize yourself, and other things, even though you know you can help people who are suffering?”
“It is,” Cora says with a little sigh. ”
But you, my big-hearted sister, probably feel it more keenly than most.
“Yeah,” I say, glancing over at Hank. ” He, for instance, compartmentalizes well.”
“Don’t count Hank out,” she says softly, shaking her head. “He’s got a big heart too. Maybe just…hides it better.”
I turn my head a little, considering him, considering her point. And then my heart aches for him again as I think of how disappointed he was when Cora left him for her mate – because as much as he loved her, we know now that he never stood a chance. Cora and Roger were written in the stars.
But is there someone out there for Hank too?
I hope, quite desperately, that there is. He’s so good, and he deserves that, like the rest of us.
“Ready, Luna?” Conner asks, coming over and bringing my baby with him, who reaches for me with his little grasping hands.
“Sure am!” I say, taking my baby and cuddling him close. Cora laughs and leans in as well, fussing over Rafe and I can see thinking about her own little baby, who will be here so much sooner than she realizes. Together, we start to walk out of the tent, but as I turn I hear a little voice calling me back.
“Hey, wolf lady!” a little boy calls, and I turn and laugh to see little Benny running for me.
“Well hey,” I say, falling to one knee and wrapping him in a hug as he runs over. “How are you feeling, Bens?”
“It’s Benny,” he corrects with a little frown, making me smile as he adjusts a set of glasses on his nose. Then, he peers down at Rafe. “Is this your baby?”
“Yup,” I say, turning Rafe a little so Benny can see him better. “What do you think of him?”
“I think he’s fat,” Benny murmurs, reaching out a hand to poke Rafe’s belly. I burst out laughing at this, honestly charmed. “He’s not fat, he’s a baby! They’re supposed to be chubby so that they can grow big and strong.”
“Well,” Benny says, his eyes going wide as they’re still fastened on Rafe. ” This one’s gonna be real big and strong, then.”
I laugh again, harder this time as Cora crouches down next to us. “Who are you?” Benny asks, looking Cora up and down.
Cora introduces herself as my sister and Benny narrows his eyes at her. ” Oh,” he says. “Are you the human one?”
“Yes,” she replies, her eyebrows going up. “Does my reputation proceed me?”
“Um, I don’t know what that means,” Benny replies, blinking at her and making me laugh again, “but she told me she has a human sister,” he continues, nodding towards me. “So, you can’t turn into a wolf?”
“Unfortunately not,” she says, giving a little shrug. “But I’m going to have a baby soon,” she says, her hand settling on her stomach, “and he’s going to be able to do it.”
“Oh,” Benny says, his own eyebrows going up now. Then he takes a moment to think before speaking again. “Does that mean he’s going to be fat too?”
I burst into real laughter at this, falling back a little with the force of it so that Cora has to reach out a hand and steady me as she grins between us.
New Book: Veiled Desires of the Alpha King Novel
Dayson was the alpha of the largest pack in North America. Powerful figures from other packs sought to offer gorgeous girls as potential mates for Dayson. He steadfastly rejected these advances, he was not a pawn to be manipulated. But eventually there came a mysterious girl he could hardly say No. Who was she?