Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

I thought, you expected, you believed and you calculated.

You are making all the calls, all the decisions and i am sitting on the sidelines looking like an i***t-

Again!”

“I’m sorry.” Sinclair admits. “I told you this wouldn’t come easily for me. I’m trying, but I’m not used to

consulting anyone else on this sort of thing. Change doesn’t happen overnight.” He frowns. “That’s not

a copout, it’s just that my instincts are still to shield you rather than share the burden. I know that

probably seems very patronizing -“

“No.” He counters sternly. “Patronizing implies superiority. I don’t think I’m better than you Ella.”

“It doesn’t seem patronizing, it is patronizing.”I correct him.

“Of course you do!” I burst out. “You’re supematural – the bias is in the name! I’m just a human and

next to shifters we’re primitive, tiny, weak and slow. And on top of all that you’re the wealthiest, most

powerful man in the pack. How could you not feel superior?”

Sinclair’s green eyes slice through me, and I have to work very hard to stay still. I feel as though l’m

about to receive a lecture, “Because none of those things have any inherent value beyond staying alive

and controlling the world around you. There’s no integrity in being fast or rich, and our society didn’t

earn any of it. It was handed to us by the Goddess. Yes, we’re more advanced, but not due to our own

virtue.” Sinclair continues, still pinning me with his intense stare. “But you, you had to earn everything

all on your own. You started from nothing and used your brains and ingenuity to succeed, you had the

mental strength to overcome all the trials you faced, and you came out of all that with the purest heart

I’ve ever seen.”

I don’t think anyone has ever complimented me this way. Cora might, but she’s as good as my sister –

she has to love me. But I’m certain no other man has ever praised me for such things – or mentioned

my positive attributes beyond my beauty. This isn’t even the first time Sinclair has made this Kind of

speech, making me feel valued for the person I am rather than the good looks I lucked into. I feel as

though he truly sees me – and I’ll be damned if that isn’t terrifying.

” I don’t know how to respond to that.” I admit shyly, my voice barely above a whisper.

He chuckles, the sound filling me with warmth. “

You’re a far better person than I am, Ella – and you’re going to have to get used to compliments

because I have no intention of letting you continue to undervalue yourself.”

“If you think these things, why do you keep trying to shield me then?” L inquire, much more docile now.

Sinclair’s dark brow furrows. “It’s because I think those things.” He explains intently. “I don’t want you to

have to struggle and worry. You don’t deserve more hardship. And it’s in my nature besides. I’m

dominant – as a man and an Alpha. What you perceive as condescending are the power dynamics that

govern all shifters. Dominance is everything to wolves and it makes it my responsibility to protect those

less powerful.

That’s a distinction you’ll have to come to terms with if you’re going to live .”

His words remind me of the Prince’s other accusations – calling me insolent and saying I need

discipline. A shiver works its way down my spine at the memory, and as curious as I am about that

particular part of the conversation, we have more to discuss before I can bring it up. Despite Sinclair’s

kind words, I’m still incredibly hurt. And I know it’s not the fact that Sinclair kept the information from me

which stings worst, it’s that he didn’t give me his ring because he wanted to – he pretended like we

were having some intimate moment when really it was just an act.

“Tell me about the mating ceremony.” I request. “As far as I understood, we made up that excuse

assuming it would be delayed indefinitely – but you just set a date.

What do we do when that date arrives?”

Sinclair’s mouth forms a hard line, the vein in his jaw twitching dangerously. “We’ll go through with it.

Though it will only be for show.”

“What about when your true mate arrives?” I counter.

“This all seems very short sighted. How will you explain it when you leave me? Are third chance mates

as Common as seconds?”

“The endgame is about making it through the campaign. Once I’m king and I have an heir, the identity

of my Luna is… redundant. It’s important that I have one, not who she is or how many l’ve had before.”

Well that’s a slap in the face. I think sadly. I’ve basically just been told that I’m a faceless symbol, and

while this is undoubtedly the deal I agreed to when we struck this agreement, it doesn’t take away the

ache of hearing l’m basically nothing to him.

“So everything you said to me when you gave me this ring was just bullshit?” I summarize, gesturing to

my left hand. “You didn’t make the gesture because you felt it or wanted to, but because of political

pressure?”

Sinclair’s eyes flash, and too late I realize I might have shown my hand. I don’t know why I’m so

bothered that he didn’t truly want to make things official with me. I might be attracted to Sinclair, I don’t

want anything more – so why is it so upsetting? Why is my stomach tied in so many knots? Why is it so

difficult to simply breathe?

Sinclair seems to be reading my mind, because in the next moment, he inquires, “Why should that

matter, you already told me you don’t have any interest in something real with me, so shouldn’t you be

happy that it was fake?” His expression has gone truly deadly now, Iike a hunter closing in on the kill.

“Why do you care so much, Ella?”