Accidental Surrogate for Alpha-Accidental Surrogate For Alpha Novel Chapter 31
Posted on February 17, 2025 · 1 mins read
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Sinclair was weary of fighting his instincts. Ella looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes, the scent of her arousal thick in the air. Why was he resisting his desire for her? She was human, yes, but she was also beautiful, spirited, and intelligent—everything he could want in a woman. Reining in his wolf was exhausting, and he was tired of denying himself. He wanted Ella more intensely than anyone he could remember. His logical mind insisted it was merely the pup growing in her womb, but as time passed, the Alpha believed it was the woman herself.

He dipped his head until their mouths were inches apart. Ella sighed, tilting her chin up, offering her lips. He was about to kiss her when a knock sounded at the door, followed by a squeak and a familiar voice: "What on earth...?"

Sinclair turned to see Hugo, frozen in the doorway, staring at the food-splattered kitchen and the couple on the floor in abject shock. "Not now," Sinclair growled, his wolf clamoring beneath his skin.

Hugo met the Alpha's piercing gaze. "Dom—"

"I said, not now," Sinclair repeated fiercely.

"Trust me," Hugo said resolutely. "You want to hear this."

Grumbling with annoyance, Sinclair looked back at Ella, sorely tempted to tell her not to move until he returned. However, he knew that Hugo's persistence meant he wouldn't be back anytime soon. He regretted that he wouldn't be able to lick the chocolate from Ella's body or help her wash it away in a steaming shower. His mind overflowed with sensuous possibilities, but he could only promise the little human, "We'll finish this later."

He helped Ella to her feet before leaving, grabbing a dish towel to wipe flour, chocolate, and syrup from his face. "What's up?" he asked Hugo once they were alone.

"Rogue attack in Old Town," the Beta said gravely. "Several fatalities."

Sinclair cursed. "Any idea who's responsible?"

"Witnesses say the attackers appeared suddenly, bursting onto the canals and wreaking havoc," Hugo explained. "It was clearly an attack; nothing was stolen."

Sinclair's wolf, already vying for control, reared up, overwhelmed by urgent concern for his pack. There hadn't been a rogue attack in a long time, and he doubted the timing was coincidental. "I'll shower quickly and be right there."

The scene of the attack was worse than Sinclair imagined. Moon Valley's Old Town was usually enchanting this time of year. Its idyllic maze of canals, woven through historic buildings and blanketed in thick white snow, should have looked like a winter wonderland—if not for the blood. Since the river froze weeks earlier, the waterways had become bustling thoroughfares, dotted with pop-up shops, navigated by humans and shifters on ice skates. They weren't as grand as they would be after the solstice celebrations the following week, but they certainly shouldn't have looked like this.

At least a dozen bodies littered the ice; thick crimson pools steamed, then froze solid on the glassy surface. Keening filled the air as shifters mourned and injured beings suffered on the sidelines, tended to by concerned bystanders and emergency responders. Sinclair scanned the carnage—all the victims were wolves, unsurprisingly. This part of the city was dominated by estates passed down through generations of wealth, combined with steep rents and high-end businesses, all but guaranteeing the inhabitants were shifters.

Moon Valley's human mayor was present, but only for appearances' sake. Human tourists might visit for the natural beauty, but Old Town was strictly under Sinclair's jurisdiction. Sighing, Sinclair approached the austere woman. "Madame Mayor."

"Alpha," she replied tersely. "I presume this was your kind's doing?"

"Definitely a wolf attack," he confirmed, ignoring her disdain. "My investigators are on the case."

"This isn't the kind of press our city needs—right before the holidays. It's high tourist season."

"It's the holidays for us as well," Sinclair reminded her. "And you'd do well to recall that I don't blame you when humans wreak havoc in the territory."

"That's because my kind is no threat to yours," the mayor quipped.

Sinclair scoffed. "Right, that's why we exist in secret—because humans are so accepting of those who are different."

The mayor, like all Moon Valley's human mayors, had been less than amused to discover the existence of shifters when she took office two years earlier. She also struggled to understand the power dynamics—the monarchy resided in Moon Valley but didn't rule the pack directly, delegating power to the territory's Alpha. Sinclair believed it was pure stubbornness on her part, as she had no problem understanding state versus federal governance in her own society.

"And I suppose this has nothing to do with your campaign?" she questioned. "The Prince's statement yesterday was quite damning."

Sinclair blinked. What statement? Had he been so distracted by Ella that he'd missed an important development in the race? He knew the answer was yes. He'd become so preoccupied with the human over the last couple of weeks that he'd thought of little else—including the campaign. He'd kept his appointments, but his mind was rarely focused; it was permanently locked on Ella. He'd scarcely thought of anything else since she'd come begging for her sister's job—even before he knew about the pup.

If he'd missed a major statement by the prince, then she wasn't only a distraction, but a dangerous one. Had he been paying attention, would he have seen this attack coming? He imagined the kind of drivel the statement included—was the Prince behind the attack? He wouldn't put it past him, and this was undoubtedly going to hurt him. This was his city, not the Prince's, and the attack would make him look like an Alpha who couldn't protect his people.

Guilt washed over him. The criticism would be true either way. Whether a political scheme or a genuine rogue threat, he had failed to secure Old Town. He had failed to protect his people, and the deaths surrounding him were his fault. The lives of all Moon Valley shifters were in his hands, and he'd let them slip through his fingers—worse, he hadn't even noticed.

If not for Ella, this might never have happened. He wasn't blaming her; he knew he was the only one to blame. His distraction with the human beauty had allowed this to happen, and if it was a princely plot, then his heir and his campaign were responsible.

The mayor, seeing Sinclair lost in thought, moved to make a statement to the media, leaving the Alpha with his guilt. He'd always hated seeing his people hurt, but this was the first time he knew without a doubt that they were hurt because of him. The reasons he'd been fighting his instincts regarding Ella came rushing back like a wildfire. His wolf might want her, but taking his eye off the ball was dangerous to them all.

Even as he considered this, he caught a flash of silver in his peripheral vision. Turning, he looked up at the raised street parallel to the canal. A sleek town car was parked near the bridge, and a crowd of shifters gathered at the railing, looking down at the bloody scene below.

He recognized the Prince immediately, with his sleek blonde hair and gaudy clothes. The Prince gazed over the crime scene with cold disinterest until he met Sinclair's gaze. He arched a blond brow and shook his head, as if in disappointment, but he couldn't hide the smirk. A moment later, the mayor appeared at his side, whispering in his ear.

Ice froze Sinclair's blood. He looked at Hugo, a grave expression on his face. "Tighten Ella's security immediately," he commanded. "I want eyes on her at all times."