Accidental Surrogate for Alpha novel Chapter 250

Ella

If I thought the dress my devious friends designed behind my back was stunning on the hanger, it’s nothing compared to the way it looks on me. I’ve never seen anything like it. The pearlescent fabric hugs my curves, the neckline plunging between my breasts and thin straps leaving my back and sides almost completely bare. The skirt billows out into a cascade of shimmering chiffon, with a modest train that flows behind me as I walk.

Of course, my threat to ruin my makeup with tears is soon fulfilled as my eyes well and I reach for Cora and Isabel, babbling thank yous and declarations of love for them both. Then placate me for a few minutes, before my sister puts her foot down.

“Enough.” Cora says after my third outpouring of thanks, “let’s not waste all this beauty on us. Your mate is waiting.”

My heart is pounding as we leave the suite, and I caress my belly in wonderment. Your Daddy has done it again, I tell my tiny pup. You make sure to pay close attention to his romantic instincts as you grow up, and just ignore Mommy’s. You definitely want to follow his example when it’s time to choose a mate. Even as I think the words, I realize how profoundly I believe them. I couldn’t ask for a better role model for my son, and I almost start crying again just thinking about the kind of man we’ll raise together.

I don’t even mind walking into the unknown anymore, not when I know Sinclair is pulling the strings behind all this. I lift my skirts as we exit my room, grinning inanely at the lacy white heels which peek out below my baby bump. I expected Cora and Isabel to lead me to the ballroom, instead I find myself following them towards the palace gardens, my breath catching the closer we get. When the balcony doors open I have one startled moment of panic when I fear my knees might actually give out – and the last thing I want to do is land on my ass before I’ve even taken a step down the aisle.

Still, if anyone is to blame for my dizzy spell, it’s surely the palace elves who have been running around working their magic to create the scene before us. It must have taken days, and yet I managed to miss it all. The neatly landscaped flower beds and familiar sculpted topiaries have been concealed by a vision directly out of a fairy tale. An enchanted woodland sprawls where there was once only a hedge maze, wreathed in fairy lights and wildflowers. Lanterns cast glowing amber light over the petal-strewn pathway at my feet, which winds down to an archway of towering trees. And at its center stands my mate, his father and brother stationed by his side, looking up at me with an awe-struck expression that fills my heart to bursting.

All the Alpha delegations, the Vanaran courtiers, and scores upon scores of refugees have filed into the spaces between the trees. I feel their outpouring of support and affection like a tangible embrace, and I can only laugh and smile with incandescent bliss. The pups from the nursery are all dressed up in formal dresses and tiny tuxes, and Isabel leads them down the aisle as they scatter more flower petals wherever they can.

Ethereal music floats through the air, though I cannot decipher its origin. As the tune shifts my sister turns to me. “Are you ready?” She asks, clucking and wiping an escaped tear from my cheek.

“Are you giving me away?” I hiccup, wondering how I’ll ever be able to stay serene enough to get through my vows.

“Of course not.” Cora laughs. “That’s a human tradition. Wolves believe that nothing can break the bonds of family, and finding your mate certainly doesn’t mean giving up your family. I’m just here to lead the way.”

“What if I want you to walk with me?” I ask, feeling oddly vulnerable. It’s not as if Sinclair hasn’t already claimed me, or that this is changing anything. Yet at the same time, I can’t help but feel the magnitude of this ceremony. Perhaps it’s something to do with the fact that we spent so much of our relationship caught up in secrets, and now everything is out in the open. Perhaps it’s because devoting ourselves to one another in private feels so intimate and meaningful, but doing it before the entire world lends an unavoidable gravity to the affair. Perhaps it’s simply the visceral magic in the air, like an electric current pulsing around and within us – in a way that makes me wonder if the Goddess might be looking down at us this very moment.

“Well only a monster would refuse such a request.” Cora smiles, moving beside me and looping her arm through my own. “I’ve got you, little sister.”

My vision goes blurry, and I look up at my sister with trembling lips, “I love you.”

Cora dips her forehead, resting it against my own and swallowing me up in her chocolatey gaze. “I love you too.” A wave of Alpha power reaches us as we take in this moment, and I understand that my mate is feeling impatient.

“We better get going.” Cora laughs, “before he storms up here and decides to escort you himself.

As we begin our descent Sinclair’s expression goes from worshipful to ravenous and possessive, then back again at least three times. I can’t take my eyes off him, and I can feel his passion for me as keenly as I feel my own desire.

He chuckles warmly, giving me a final squeeze before situating us to finish the procession. “Trust me, mate, it will be worth it.” Sinclair’s arm snakes around me in a protective cage as we continue over the tender grass. Cora has gone ahead, and now stands next to Isabel at the altar.

When we finally reach the end of the aisle, we say our vows under the full moon and stars, reaffirming our commitment to love and cherish each other for the rest of our days. Part of me wants to complain that Sinclair had time to write and rehearse his speech, but when I open my mouth the words come on their own.

“Dominic, until you found me, I didn’t even know I was lost.” I begin, staring up at his brilliant green eyes. “I thought I knew who I was and what I wanted out of life… I thought I was at the end of a Chapter, until you showed me it was just the beginning.” I pause to try and steady my shaking voice. “When I was young, I dreamed of a life free of fear. But now I see that such an existence must also be free of meaning – because there can only be no fear if we have nothing to lose. Now there are a lot of things I no longer worry about since meeting you. I don’t mind losing my way, because I know you will always find me – even in my dreams… I don’t mind being hurt, because I know you will protect me however you can, and share my pain when it can’t be avoided. I don’t even mind facing the unknown, because no matter where life leads me, I know that as long as you are there, it’s where I am meant to be.”

“But I am also terrified, because of how much you have given me. How much you and this pup have added to my life. I never knew it was possible to be so happy to be afraid, but I am.” I hiccup. “I’m so thrilled to have so much to lose, and I promise to never take a single moment with you for granted. I may be frightened, but I know in the deepest part of my soul that no matter what challenges might carry us apart, we will always find our way back to each other.” I take another deep breath, drawing strength for the finish. “You might be my destiny, but you are also my choice. I vow to always do everything in my power to make your life as full and glorious as you’ve made mine; to always love and support you, to share your burdens and relieve them whenever I can. I vow to be a true partner and friend in good times and bad, and whatever titles I might earn in the future, whether Luna, Queen, or even Empress – the only one that matters to me, is mate.”

“My Ella,” Sinclair purrs in reply, cupping my cheek in his overly-large hand. “You are not the only one who was lost, little wolf. And you are not the only one who is afraid. Every day I wake up fearing the last few months have been a miraculous dream, and as desperately as I may pray I’m wrong, I would rather dream of you for a thousand years than live without you.” His wolf flashes behind his eyes, and I know he speaks the truth. “But you are better than any dream, Ella. So much so that sometimes I find it hard to believe you are real – not because you aren’t flawed or have no faults, not because I’ve mistaken you for a fantasy – but because you make the fantasies I once held for a mate sound shallow and empty in comparison.” Sinclair admits with a wry smile. “When I was a boy, I imagined love was one-dimensional, that it was all sunshine and rainbows and fate. I thought I wanted nothing more than passion and adventure, preferably with someone beautiful and intelligent.” He reveals sheepishly.

“But life is not one-dimensional, and now I know that I don’t just want passion, I also want compassion. I don’t just want adventure, I want an anchor to keep me moored through the stormiest seas and remind me of what’s truly important in life... I don’t just want intelligence, I want friendship and support. And as far as beauty goes, I’d much rather have good humor and a courageous spirit.” Sinclair continues, his voice husky. “You are all this, and more – my greatest weakness and my greatest strength. I am a far better man with you, than I am without you, and you make the worst moments of my life a blessing – because at least if I’m struggling, I’m struggling with you. So I vow to honor and protect you for all time. I vow to continue growing and learning, to always be there for you and our pups. I vow to always find you, no matter how much distance stands between us, or what trials we face. I vow that each kiss will be filled with more love than the last, and that our days together will only grow in love and devotion.”

We’re kissing before anyone can declare our vows complete, and when Sinclair finally sinks his fangs into my neck a deafening cheer raises into the heavens. The stars themselves begin to fall, prompting a swell of oohs and ahs from the crowd as they gaze into the sky. I can’t drag myself away from my mate to look, but everyone seems to come to the same conclusion while Sinclair and I remain locked in the shelter of each other’s arms – the Goddess is looking down on us after all.

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