#Chapter 405 – Pillow plans Ella
I sigh, closing my eyes for a second. “I forgot all about the Atalaxians,” I murmur.
“You’ve had a long day,” Sinclair replies, even though that’s not really an excuse. Not for a Queen, who needs to balance it all. I take a moment to collect my thoughts before opening my eyes and looking at him again.
“What I want,” I say quietly, “is a big team to go solve a lot of the overarching problems with the refugees. Doctors, lawyers, social workers anyone who can help us start to patch the big problems there, to get these camps functioning not as a holding space but as a system that helps people get back to their lives, or start new ones.”
I think more on his question of how long I think this will take. “But once that’s done…” I shrug a little, “I won’t need such a big team, once that’s accomplished. But I still want systems in place that help people, and I want to run them. Would that be…possible?”
“I think it’s very possible,” Sinclair says seriously, reaching out a hand to stroke my hair. “And I think it’s very good of you to want to do it. When do you want to start?”
“Tomorrow,” I say, my eyes going wide. “I need to go to the Human Camp – I need to see if anyone there needs to be healed immediately, especially the children – ”
Sinclair laughs, shaking his head at me. I make a little squeak of protest at his wanting to delay me, but he shakes his head, letting me know that I’m misinterpreting him. “I’ll make sure you have the bodyguards to do it, first thing in the morning. The lawyers and social workers – they’ll take a bit longer. Is that all right?”
“Yes!” I breathe, suddenly incredibly excited. And then my eyes fill with tears again as I smile at my mate, as I scooch closer across the gigantic bed until our baby is frankly squeezed between us, wanting to be close to my mate and our child at the same time. ” Thank you, Dominic.”
“Of course, Ella,” he says, kissing me on the forehead. We stay like that for a long moment, passing love between our bond in a steady loop, each of us connecting with Rafe so that he feels it too. He gives us a contented little burble in reply.
“Although Ella,” Sinclair murmurs, making me look up at him.
“What?” I ask, curious and a little worried. “This time?” he says, leaning in to hold my gaze, making sure he hears me. “You’re taking your phone.”
And I laugh, nodding and tucking my head under his chin, perfectly happy and excited about our new plans. Okay, love,” I sigh, content. “I’ll take my phone. I promise.”
Cora
I’m completely beat that evening as I unlock the door to our little house – but even if I’m almost too exhausted to feel my own feet beneath me, I can’t help but smile as my key twists in the lock. My key, I think, grinning. My lock. My house!
As I push the door open and look around, I still can’t quite believe it – that Ella and Sinclair gave us this house, that it’s really ours. At first it felt a lot like Roger and I were just living here, that it was just a loaner or something.
But as every day passes, and we feel more and more relaxed here….
Well. It starts to settle in. That this is my home, with my mate.
And I smile down at my belly, running a hand over it even though I’m not showing at all. Because in a couple of months, we’re going to bring a little baby home here. And he’s going to grow up calling this place home.
And it’s such a rich, wonderful anticipation that…well, I lose my breath a bit, I’m so happy. But I inhale deeply and look up when I hear my mate at the top of the stairs.
“Hey,” Roger says, smiling widely and starting to hurry down them, eager to be at my side. He reaches me almost in an instant, pushing the door shut behind me in the same moment that he wraps and arm around my waist and kisses me.
And I wrap my arms around his neck and kiss him back, smiling as I do so – because this, too, feels a little unreal, especially after the horrible things that I saw today. Roger, mine, my mate – waiting for me, in our house.
How the hell did I get so lucky?
“Where you been, gorgeous?” Roger murmurs, moving his face back from mine just an inch, his arms still wrapped around my waist. “I was surprised you weren’t home when I got here.”
“I know,” I sigh, shaking my head a little. “It was…a crazier day than I thought it would be.”
“Really,” he says, surprised. “What happened?” And then he lets me go, moving to the door to twist the lock and then taking my hand, leading me into the kitchen where I’m sure that there’s some kind of takeout waiting for me.
“We went to the refugee camp, the one with the wolves,” I tell him, smiling with pleasure as my suspicions are confirmed. Roger opens the fridge and pulls out some packages of my favorite Thai noodles. He starts to put them into a bowl for me as I sit down at the table and continue. “There were so many children there who needed help. Ella healed the ones who needed it most – but it was…it was a lot.”
“I’m surprised to hear that,” Roger replies, bringing me my food along with a big glass of cold water. “Well – or maybe not to hear it. But I’m surprised that I didn’t know that it was so bad that so many children were suffering. That seems like the sort of thing that Sinclair would be on top of.”
“We’ve been gone for long time, and we’ve been distracted,” I say, starting to slurp up the noodles eagerly, so hungry that I’m unable to help myself from being messy. But in my heart, I know Roger couldn’t care less, so I allow myself to dig in and indulge. “I guess Sinclair didn’t have all of his information systems in place to give him all the details.”
“Are you guys going back?” Roger asks, curious, and I hear a little hesitation in his voice.
“Yes,” I reply, continuing to eat as I look up at him. “Tomorrow, if we can. But to the human camps. There’s just… so much to do. So many people who need immediate help – and Ella really can provide that immediate care that other doctors can’t. And she needs me,” I say, giving a little shrug, “or else she’ll have an emotional breakdown over each and every kid.” I smirk, remembering how she was today. “And try to adopt them.”
Roger laughs at this, shaking his head a little, because he knows Ella’s personality well enough by this point to understand exactly what I mean. But then he quietly looks at the floor, raising my suspicions.
“What?” I ask, putting my fork down and waiting. Because I know there’s something he’s not saying. Roger just sighs and looks up at me.” Can’t you guess?”
“You’re worried,” I reply, shaking my head a little. “That it’s too dangerous.”
“Knew you were clever,” he says with a cheeky wink. I open my mouth to protest but Roger just raises a hand, asking me to wait. And, obliging my dear mate, I do. After a moment he starts again.
“I trust you, Cora,” he says, taking a deep breath. “But you are pregnant. And even beyond the baby, you’re aware that I’m…” he shrugs and I smile already, anticipating the joke, “mildly fond of you.”
I laugh aloud and he grins at me, holding my gaze. “Cora, after everything that we’ve been through, you know it would kill me if anything happened to you, right? So, would you mind if I asked Sinclair to ensure that you’re going to these camps with a heavy guard?”
I open my mouth to agree instantly, but then I hesitate.
“What?” Roger asks, encouraging me to speak.
“I don’t mind the guards,” I say honestly, “but we’re going to the human camp. And…I wonder if it’s good for us to show up with like, twenty wolves to help a group of people who patently distrust wolves.”
“A good point,” he says, nodding and looking off into the distance a little. ” I’ll bring it up with Sinclair. But do you mind, overall?” he asks, looking back at me again, “the idea of an increased guard?”
“I do not,” I say, smiling at him and giving a little shrug. “Though I imagine Sinclair’s already got it planned.”
“That’s what’s nice about having an Alpha brother,” Roger says, laughing a little. “He solves your problems before you ever even know they existed.”
“He also gives you houses,” I point out, reaching for my glass of water and taking a big gulp.
“Yeah…” Roger says, hesitating and rubbing the back of his neck, looking down at the floor.
“What?” I ask, picking up on a hesitation in Roger’s voice that’s new to me. I stand up, finished with my noodles and go to stand next to my mate at his place leaning against the granite countertop. “What’s wrong?”
“Are you ready to get pissed off?” he asks, looking up at me through his eyelashes a bit.
I cross my arms, saying nothing, just waiting for my mate to continue.
