Accidental Surrogate for Alpha-Chapter 475
Posted on February 10, 2025 · 1 mins read
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Ella gasped, "Cora?" the moment she brought the phone to her ear, still scrambling out of bed and tangled in the sheets.

"Hey, Ells," Cora replied, her voice both tight and bored. "Sorry to wake you—"

"You didn't wake me—" Ella interrupted, reaching for Rafe in his crib and scooping him up. Behind her, Sinclair climbed out of bed and joined them.

"I didn't?" Cora asked. "Why, actually?" Her voice hardened. "Don't tell me. Knowing you and Dominic, I probably don't want to know."

A laugh escaped Ella as she shook her head. "Cora," she said, looking down at Rafe's bright, wide-awake face, "what's up? Why are you calling? Is the baby—"

"Yeah," Cora sighed. "Roger insisted I call. The baby's on its way!"

"Oh my god!" Ella shrieked, turning to beam at Sinclair. "It's time! We'll come right away—"

"No, take your time," Cora sighed, and Ella frowned, though Cora couldn't see her. "Cora, what is going on? Why are you calling in the middle of the night, asking us to come, then telling us not to hurry?"

"Because my stupid mate made me call you," Cora said, annoyed. Lowering her voice to a whisper, she added, "He's completely freaking out, Ells, even though everything is progressing totally normally—"

"Awww," Ella said, passing Rafe to Sinclair and smiling up at him. "Go easy on him, Cora! He's a first-time dad!"

"And a last-time dad," Cora muttered, making Ella laugh. "If he's this annoying every time I go into labor."

"Okay, well, should we come?" Ella asked, looking at Sinclair, her eyes silently asking if they could go. Sinclair nodded eagerly.

"Yeah," Cora sighed. "Do you mind? Honestly, Ella, I don't think my body is anywhere close to ready to push, but Roger just wants everything in place."

"Okay," Ella said cheerfully, nodding to Sinclair, who winked and went to the closet to dress himself and Rafe. "Honestly, Cora, if he's freaking out this much, how did you ever talk him into a home birth?"

"Well, now he's trying to talk me out of it—anyway," Cora sighed, "will you just come?" Ella grinned as she heard Roger yelling something in the background, his voice thick with anxiety, though she couldn't make out the words. Her heart swelled for her secretly sweet brother-in-law, whose heart was clearly invested in the day's events.

"Yup," Ella said. "We'll be there as soon as we can. And we'll let Henry know, too."

"Okayyy," Cora sighed. "See you in a bit!"

"Excited!" Ella called before hanging up and tossing the phone onto the bed. Then, practically skipping, she went to Sinclair, wrapping her arms around his waist and grinning up at him.

"Is Cora all right?" he asked, cupping her face.

"I think so," Ella nodded. "Apparently, she still has time—Roger's just freaking out."

"Of course he is," Sinclair chuckled. "Roger's great under pressure, except when it comes to things completely out of his control. It's going to drive him crazy to watch Cora go through labor and not be able to do anything about it."

"That's so weird, but also so sweet," Ella said, kissing his chest before selecting clothes. After dressing, she took the half-dressed baby from her half-dressed mate and finished getting Rafe ready.

"Are you ready to meet your little cousin, Rafe?" she cooed, giving him baby food in their armchair while Sinclair finished getting ready. "And then, in a couple of months, your little baby sister?" Rafe grinned, and Ella laughed at how he seemed to understand.

She spent quiet moments with her son, considering his reaction to a new baby. Suddenly, tears welled in her eyes as she realized she'd stopped thinking of Rafe as the baby.

"What is it?" Sinclair asked, as she hadn't noticed him approach.

"Rafe's not the baby anymore," Ella sniffled, laughing at herself. "I didn't even think about that."

"Of course he is," Sinclair said sympathetically, taking Rafe. "He's always the baby."

"He's already so big!" Ella insisted. "He was trying to stand in his crib today! And now that there's a Sinclair cousin coming—and another baby on the way—" Tears streamed down her cheeks. "Oh, he won't be the baby anymore! He's the eldest!"

Sinclair laughed, shaking his head. "He's always our baby, Ella. You know that. He can be both."

Ella stood, clutching Rafe protectively. "It's just all going so fast…"

"Life has a habit of doing that," Sinclair murmured, wiping her tears. "But if it didn't, you wouldn't get to live it."

Ella nodded, sighing and looking at Rafe's curious green eyes. She kissed his head, then looked at Sinclair. "Let's not tell anyone about the new baby yet, all right?" she whispered, dabbing her tears. "Let Cora have her day."

"It's a good idea," Sinclair said, kissing her forehead. "Though Roger will probably be able to smell it on you."

"Do I already smell different?" Ella asked, eyes wide. She was, at best, a few days pregnant.

Sinclair sniffed the air experimentally. "A little," he shrugged. "It's subtle, and Roger will be distracted, but yes, any wolf close enough will be able to tell you're carrying my pup."

"Weird," Ella said, sniffing herself. "Why can't I smell it?"

"I don't know," Sinclair said, already looking towards the closet. "Can you usually smell yourself?"

"I don't know…" Ella admitted, honestly considering it. "Can Rafe smell the baby on me?"

Sinclair laughed, pulling her from the closet. "I don't know, ask him."

Ella babbled to Rafe as they walked, though he didn't respond verbally, sending happiness through their bond and reaching for her face.

Filled with happiness, Ella and Sinclair climbed into a car in the garage, surprising the sleepy attendants. Within minutes, they were on the road to Cora's house, ready to help her, calm her mate, and greet the new baby.