Chapter 219 – Stolen Moments

Ella

Extracting Sinclair from the nursery wasn't easy, not after he'd charmed the children with confessions of his softer side and gotten roped into endless games of tag and hide-and-seek. When he finally shifted into his wolf form and started giving the pups rides on his back, I thought Isabel was going to have a conniption. Only naptime ended the fun, though I wasn't thrilled when he suggested we return to our suite instead of napping with the pups. Of course, that was before I realized he intended to nap with me—or, rather, not nap.

I waved goodbye to the children as Sinclair carried me out of the nursery in his arms, a delightfully rumbly laugh vibrating in his chest. "Couldn't we adopt some of them?" I asked, kissing his neck. "Just a couple dozen?"

Sinclair gazed down at me indulgently. "Baby, when this war is over, we can adopt as many pups as you want, but I think we should hold off on giving our enemies more targets for the time being."

"Fine," I groaned, throwing my head back dramatically. I heard an appreciative purr and belatedly realized the movement had given the wolf an excellent view down my dress. I giggled, attempting to pull the fabric together, but my mate arched a threatening brow.

"Don't you dare," Sinclair warned. "We have limited time and much to do, little wolf."

I guessed he was referring to the summit's kickoff in the morning, but I was surprised to see him so early in the afternoon. "Does this mean you finished working?" I asked, licking my lips.

"It wasn't easy, but I made it happen. We have to steal whatever time together we can." He kicked the door to our suite closed, and I heard Philippe and the other guards disperse to give us privacy. "Aren't there things we should talk about before tomorrow?" I asked, not wanting to deal with business but also feeling unprepared for the awaiting politics.

"As far as I'm concerned, that bomb upended half the work I did on this trip, and we'll be entering uncharted territory in the morning whether we talk about it or not," Sinclair replied, tossing me onto the bed. "I would much rather spend our evening this way."

"But—"

"Ah ah," he scolded, his eyes blazing as he stripped off my clothes. "I've made my decision, trouble."

I shuddered as a low growl filled my ears, calling my own wolf to play. "Bossy alpha," I accused, wondering when exactly I'd become so short of breath.

"You have no idea," Sinclair confirmed with a lethal grin. "I seem to remember telling you I'd be keeping a list of all your bad behavior while I was away, but I have to admit I underestimated the extent of the mischief you'd make."

He towered over me, still naked following his wolf's antics with the children. His long, thick cock was already erect, and any hint of the civilized, bubble-bath-taking politician was gone. He was pure animal now, and my instincts drove me to see just how far I could push him.

"I'm sure I don't have any idea what you're talking about," I quipped, pouting my full lips. "I only did what I thought was best for the pack."

Sinclair's corded muscles tensed and flexed, and he cocked his head to the side. His entire demeanor changed as the playfulness seeped away, replaced only with dark foreboding. "Is that really the tactic you want to choose, little wolf? Because I was going to focus on the small stuff—leave the serious things for later." He took a deep breath, rolling his neck as he considered my prone form. "But maybe it's better we deal with everything now—that way we can put it behind us and start the summit on a clean slate."

I grimaced, understanding him at once. I'd chosen the wrong words for our game and cut too close to the bone. Now Sinclair wasn't merely going to concoct sensual punishments for made-up infractions like wearing clothes in his bed; he was going to address the greatest conflicts of our time apart—things that were, in part, my fault. It wasn't a prospect I looked forward to, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel desperate to heal the rifts between us.

I nodded in agreement, dropping my gaze submissively. "I think you're right."

He leaned over me, sliding his hand around my nape and pulling my lips up to his. "Good girl," he praised. "I'd thought to wait until things calmed down, but these things don't go away, baby. Best to get it out of the way." I nodded again because I agreed. My mate almost dying was certainly a huge distraction, as were my lineage and the war, but the disagreements and fights we'd had along the way would only fester if left unresolved. No amount of distraction could change that.

"You know I love you with everything I am, and everything I ever will be?" Sinclair asked, searing me with his emerald gaze.

"You know you're my whole world, and I'd be lost without you?" I countered, blinking back tears.

Sinclair answered me with a ferocious kiss, and then it began: Every lie, every betrayal of his trust, every scheme, and every act of neglect for my well-being. At times we went in circles. "You were dead!" I cried, about half an hour into the debate. "I needed to find you! I can be held accountable for a lot, but you can't expect me to have lost you without grieving, or not to fight when I knew you were out there somewhere!"

"Of course I know you would grieve, but I need you to know that killing yourself or our child is the absolute last thing I would want. I would hope you would move on and—"

"And what, forget you?!" I interrupted. "Because I have to say, if the tables were turned, I would be pretty offended if you got over my demise in a couple of days!" I could see Sinclair getting ready to jump in, so I added, "Besides, it wasn't that serious! I would have been fine!"

"That's not what the doctor said!" Sinclair thundered.

"You went to the doctor about me!" I demanded hotly, my cheeks flushing.

"Of course I did—you're my mate, and I'm worried about you," he bit back. "So help me, Ella, if I die and you stress yourself into a coma, I will come back from the dead just to spank your impossible behind!"

"Then I would gladly do it if that's what it takes to bring you back!" I exploded, throwing my hands up.

"That's not the point!" Sinclair raged, pacing back and forth, any signs of arousal long gone. "Don't you get it? I'm not the one who has to survive this war—you are the one who was chosen by the Goddess; Rafe is my heir. You two have to live, not me!"

A little while later, we'd moved onto my hypnosis sessions, a subject that devastated me more than anything else. "I'm sorry. I've said I'm sorry, and I know it cost me your trust," I cried. "I don't know what else to do, Dominic. I can't take it back, nor would I!"

"You could have told me, even if you knew I wouldn't agree. You could have been honest and told me you needed to do it whether I liked it or not!" he countered.

"And risk you issuing one of your alpha orders?" I accused. "You and I both know you would have used your power to make me promise against my will—which isn't fair, by the way."

"And we also know that you would have found a way around it because you're too clever for your own damned good!" Sinclair replied gruffly.

"Well, that's not the point," I threw his own words back in his face. "The point is not exerting your dominance over me when I don't want you to! Forcing me to follow your orders when I don't agree with them!"

He threw back his head and laughed. "I've got news for you, little wolf—that's my job. If I only did it when you liked it, it wouldn't be real."

"Well, maybe I don't want it to be real!" I lashed out, snarling and baring my fangs.

Sinclair was on me in an instant, his hands coarse and wonderful on my body. "Is that so?" He growled, daring me to test him.

"Yes!" I insisted, notching my chin up as I finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel. I knew if I provoked him now, he wouldn't be able to resist taking me in hand, and in my experience, this was the only thing that would help me feel better. When there's no solution to our conflicts, we have to find a way to come back together as mates and put the past behind us, and he's the one who showed me how.

"Well then, maybe we should put that to the test," Sinclair answered, bending me over the bed. "Get ready, trouble. You're in for a rough ride."