Chapter 94 – Falling for the Alpha as a Surrogate Novel

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Sinclair

When Ella collapses in my arms, I can hardly wait for the nurses to come running. I immediately assume we must have missed some injury from the accident, and I’m instantly furious with myself for letting her talk me into being prioritized by the medical staff.

What was I thinking? I know they checked her out and there weren’t any physical marks on her body, but what if it was something internal? What if she somehow hit her head amid all the chaos? Deep down I know that doesn’t make any sense, she was completely wrapped in my arms when we collided with the car, but my fear isn’t logical. It’s sudden and violent and overwhelming.

“It’s okay, Alpha.” The doctor assures me as they move Ella onto a gurney of her own. “It’s probably just the stress. There’s been a lot of excitement today.”

“She has high blood pressure.” I warn, “we’ve been monitoring it daily, but her OBGYN is worried she’s developing preeclampsia.”

My wolf is growling and whining at once – impatient for the doctors to help Ella, worried for her health, and hating that anyone else is near her when she’s so vulnerable. She looks so young and innocent in her unconscious state – so small and fragile. Her rose gold hair is a shining cascade over the flimsy pillow, still streaked with my blood. I stay beside her even after the nurses try to order me away. “I’m not going anywhere.” I insist, battling my guilt over whether this is all my fault.

Would she have been so overwhelmed if I hadn’t needed her to keep me calm? If I hadn’t been such an ogre with the EMTs and the doctors, would she have been free to relax and recover without added stress?

At once, I think about her comments regarding Lydia. On one hand I know she’s right, continuing our fraud when there’s an honest option changes things completely from a moral standpoint. But beyond morality, if there was a way to protect Ella from all this stress and guilt, from the threats posed by the Prince and being my Luna, shouldn’t we pursue that? I’ve been justifying our arrangement on the grounds that becoming King is the only way to make the pack and my family safe, so the threats she’s facing to help me win the crown are necessary. But that won’t be true anymore if Lydia conceives.

Should I be trying harder to find a she-wolf to become my Luna? Not for the campaign’s sake, but for Ella and Rafe’s?

It’s not that simple. My wolf insists. The pack aren’t going to accept you throwing over Ella for Lydia. You’ve been doing everything in your power to make them fall in love with the human and it’s worked.

That’s not because of me. I remind him., stroking Ella’s hair as the nurses take her vital signs and hook her up to an IV. She made them love her all on her own, just by being herself.

And Lydia made them hate her by being herself. He argues. If you come forward and tell them you’ve decided to take Lydia back, it could cost you the campaign, whether she’s breeding or not.

You may have a point. I acknowledge.

I don’t just have a point, I’m completely right and you know it. He replies haughtily.

Fine. I concede, feeling exhausted by this debate, but that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way after the campaign is over. Ella deserves to have whatever life she wants – if that’s a quiet existence with our pup out of the public eye, then I want to give that to her, even if it means letting Lydia or someone else be Luna after I’m King. That was the original plan, remember? It’s not her fault I got lost along the way.

But you’re not the only one who’s gotten lost along the way. My wolf argues. Think about how jealous she was, how upset she became over the idea that you’d been with another woman. That has to count for something.

“Dominic?” Ella’s soft murmur wrenches me from my thoughts. I breathe an instant sigh of relief – how long had I been holding my breath? It doesn’t seem fair that such a small, harmless creature can tie all my insides into knots the way Ella can. She thinks she’s powerless. I muse, standing to lean over her bed, yet there is no one on earth who has ever had so much power over me.

The doctors had declared Ella dehydrated, stressed and hypertensive, but otherwise unharmed, leaving me to brood over my thoughts while I waited for her to wake. Her OBGYN is on his way in, but until he arrives, we’re alone.

“You naughty girl.” I tease, stroking her soft cheek. “Fainting to get out of telling me your feelings?”

“It wasn’t on purpose.” She pouts, looking over me with obvious concern. “Why are you out of bed? What about your x-rays?”

“Don’t worry about me, sweetheart.” I encourage, “how are you feeling?”

“Sort of hungover.” She admits, trying to sit up. I gently catch her shoulder, keeping her in place. Eventually she huffs, “Dominic, I have to pee.”

“Well why didn’t you say so?” I’m still smiling at her like an absolute idiot, so relieved that she’s awake and talking to me that my tormented thoughts have taken a backseat – for now at least. I scoop her up into my arms, unhooking her IV so I can take her to the restroom.

Ella squeaks, holding her hands crossed over her chest as if she’s afraid to touch me. “What are you doing!? You’re hurt, you shouldn’t be doing this!”

“Don’t worry, trouble. I heal fast.” I assure her, glaring at the nurses we pass, each of whom look as though they’d like to chastise me as well. They all cower beneath my forbidding glower, and a fresh wave of amusement passes over me as I think about how much harder it is to intimidate the human in my arms.

“Not that fast.” Ella insists, gnawing on her lower lip and seeming to forget the cut she gave herself earlier until her sharp little teeth dig into the wound. She gasps with pain, so I tsk and purr.

“If you keep that up I’m going to have to find some way to keep your lips occupied so you can’t keep biting yourself.” I intone darkly, realizing too late that this might have sounded even more lascivious than I intended.

Ella doesn’t seem to mind. Her heart thumps loudly against her ribs, and her pupils dilate with interest. Luckily if there is one thing that can kill a mood quickly, it’s a bathroom. I deposit Ella on the toilet and calmly weather her glares and admonishments until I finally leave her to take care of things in private, making her promise to call for me when she’s done. Instead I hear the commode flush and the sink running, so I push the door open to glare at her, “Ella you’re a fall risk.”

“And you’re an overprotective ogre.” She counters, drying her hands and climbing back into my arms so willingly that my wolf completely melts. Indeed, she comes to me so sweetly I have to fight to maintain my stern demeanor, reminding myself that I musn’t coddle her, no matter how tempting.

“Do you think that just because I’m injured and you’re in a delicate condition I’ll let you get away with defying me?” I rumble in Ella’s ear, chuckling when she shivers in response.

“How long have I been asleep?” The brazen creature asks, ignoring my question.

“About half an hour.” I inform her, “and my x-rays did come back while you were out. I’m going to be fine.”

“Good.” She breathes, sounding as though a huge weight is leaving her shoulders.

“You were really worried, weren’t you?” I inquire, settling her back in her bed.

“How could I not be?” Ella asks in return, blinking up at me with wide eyes. “I mean, I know you’re strong, but that car… it’s a miracle you’re not more hurt after an accident like that.”

“I’m fine.” I promise, dropping a kiss to her hair. “You don’t have to worry about me, Ella.”

She shoots me a challenging stare. “I’d like to see you take your own advice.”

I flash my fangs at her, but the OBGYN interrupts us, “Knock, knock.” He says, peaking around the curtain surrounding our ER

bay. “I hear you two have been causing some real chaos among the nursing staff here, defying all the hospital’s protocols.”

“I’m innocent.” Ella immediately announces, pointing at me. “It was all him.”

I throw my head back and laugh, ignoring the pain which ricochet’s down my back. “Oh you’re really determined to dig yourself into a hole aren’t you, baby?” I remark ominously, stroking her nape.

“I”m just being honest.” She shrugs, a mischievous glint in her eye.

“Well I think it’s safe to say you’ve had more than enough excitement for the time being.” The doctor shares, giving us a reluctant frown. “I’m afraid we’ve reached the point where you need to go on bed rest, Ella.”

 

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