The Alpha's Surrogate: A Paranormal Pregnancy Romance

by Angela Foxxe

  "What? What... no, we just, we can't be like this. Aren't we supposed to fall in love, then move in, then have sex, then a baby? We’re doing this in the wrong order."

  "It's different with us, Reign, part human, part hunter, we feel so much more than we used to. We have powerful emotions, you sense that in me, and I in you."

  She clasped his face with her hand as he wiped tears off her face. “Is this love, can this be love?"

  He smiled, his beautiful smile that made her heart stop and her insides dance, "Yes it can."

  "Now what?"

  "Now... now we go get Cara."

  The whole pack was there, everyone but Cara. Richard smiled, while there was some justifiable nervousness, no one had outright questioned Reign's presence -- yet. He couldn't keep it a secret forever, though, once word got out, the North American Alphas would come calling.

  They all had a vested interest in keeping the humans in the dark. Hopefully, if all went well, she would have the baby by then, and be back in her life in Seattle.

  It pained him to think that. Not having her by his side, in his bed, able to speak to her, share his thoughts with her.

  It had been so long since he loved a girl with his whole heart, it was like the first time all over again. She fogged his mind, and clouded his vision.

  She didn't weaken his resolve though, she strengthened it. He could do this, save Cara, save the pack, save his people.

  Indigo cleared his throat, signaling they were all ready. Richard stood up from the head of the table and waited till everyone was focused on him. Reign sat opposite him, as much as he wanted her by his side, it would have been inappropriate.

  Since Skye was pretty much Indigo's mate, she had the position of third in the pack. Indigo was his beta, she was Indigo's.

  Richard gave Reign a brief smile while he waited for everyone’s attention. It wasn't a long wait.

  "The East Cascade has taken one of our own. By the old ways, this is an open declaration of war, and it demands a response. Or an acknowledgment that they are stronger."

  The sudden and fierce wave of growls that echoed off the walls was reassuring to him.

  "So, were not going to let this go. I'm Alpha, I could order this, or worse, compel it, I will do neither. Give me your consent and we will roll across the mountains like the vengeful fang of Lupine, and destroy them to a pup. And when we are done, they will know what real power is."

  The pack banged on the table, shouted their consent, and roared at the prospect.

  "Skye, pick two, you will stay here with Reign. The rest of you, put your affairs in order and be ready to leave at midnight."

  Skye quickly picked her companions, an older man named Chuck, and a girl with dark black hair named Abby. Skye brought the two of them to Richard while everyone else was filing out of the room.

  "What's the plan, boss?"

  She'd picked up Indigo’s annoying habit of calling him boss, though they couldn't have known the reason he did it or why.

  "They shouldn't know we are coming, and it’s only a few hours’ drive over the mountains. We should be outside of Spokane by four, however, I'm not going to discount the possibility that they have a scout we haven't managed to detect, or some kind of Intel. When we leave, I want the four of you in the mine, close it up and stay there. If worse comes to worse, use the emergency exit. Understood?"

  They all nodded their assent.

  "Skye's in charge, no question, do what she says."

  Chuck grinned, "I've got no problem there boss, I would follow that ass anywhere."

  Richard sighed, some people were too old to change, thankfully Skye took it without complaint, though he was sure she would straighten him out when they were alone.

  "Okay, pack some bags, anything you might need and get in and lock up, when you say you’re secure, we go."

  Skye took a minute to share a long, passionate kiss with Indigo.

  Reign flushed at the two's very physical embrace.

  "Are you okay?" asked Richard. "We haven't really had time to talk since this morning."

  He let it hang there, giving her an option to respond.

  "It's a lot to take in, in one day I found out there are werewolves, I'm in love, and oh yeah," she flushed an even deeper shade of crimson, "I basically had sex with you."

  Richard gave her a gentle smile, his heart beat in his chest so loud he was sure she could hear it.

  "I know, listen, Reign, it can be a lot, so I promise you two things."

  She looked down, unable to find a safe place for her vision to be. If she were wearing heels she might come up to his chin, as it was, she looked right into his muscular chest. He cupped her chin with his fingers, gently bringing her eyes up to his. Her face was so perfectly beautiful it was all he could do to not kiss her right there.

  He took in a deep breath. "I will protect you, no matter what, and two," he hoped he was about to say the right thing, "I won't do anything to disrespect you. We take it at your speed, and your speed only. If you decide to back off... well, I won't like it, but I will respect it."

  Her eyes widened, tears burst from them as she threw her arms around his neck. He leaned down, slipping his own arms around her waist, luxuriating in the feel of her skin where her tee-shirt rose up.

  "That was exactly what I wanted to hear, thank you," she didn't wait for him to respond, she pushed her lips to his, and he responded. Together their lips parted, their tongues found each other, and seconds turned into minutes.

  Richard's hands roamed her back under her shirt, her hands traced the muscles of his shoulders and arms. Her shirt was halfway up her torso, and she'd unbuckled his belt, when a polite coughing brought them out of their mutually agreed trance.

  "We could postpone for a night...," Indigo said with a huge grin on his face. Skye had stepped out at some point and Indigo had closed the door, standing with his back to the two of them.

  Richard didn't move, he held Reign in his hands, determined to burn the memory of her touch into his brain. Reign flushed a bright red, her eyes had a glazed-over look and she was breathing hard.

  "I'll see you when we get back, be safe."

  She nodded, her lip quivered, but she bit it to keep from crying.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Just after midnight Reign watched the two white SUVs roll down the drive on their way to Spokane. After Richard had left her to go get ready, she made excuses and went to her room to give herself five minutes to cry.

  She knew she loved him. How or why was irrelevant but she did. And he was leaving, quite possibly to his death.

  “Locking up, step back, Reign," Skye's Scottish brogue was out in full force, making her a little hard to understand. Reign didn't know her well, but whenever her mother was nervous or worried, she was terribly hard to understand through her thick accent.

  Reign slipped her arm around the Scot’s waist.

  “Hey, it'll be okay, they're pretty tough, and I know I haven't known them long, I don't think there is anything those two can't do."

  Skye's face lit up with a smile. “You’re a pretty smart lass, Richard chose well."

  "I have my moments, however, defending myself against werewolves is not one of them, so let’s lock this up and how about you show me everything there is to know about this place - just in case."

  Skye nodded, "let’s be about it then."

  Richard knew he was in a dream. It wasn't something that happened often, but occasionally his link to the pack would force him into his wolves’ dreams. They would run together, hunt together. For them it was a lucid experience, one that bound them even tighter together. For Richard he remembered it as it was. It gave him insight into his pack, and it strengthened their bond.

  He never spoke of it because of its very personal nature. His first alpha, from what seemed like several lifetimes ago, had shown him this gift. For he could do it, and many other things. The packs were very loosely united which never really gave Richard a chance to talk to the other
Alphas.

  He was sure others could do these things, but since no one spoke of it he didn't know. He did know that it happened gradually. Skye was the last new member of the pack and it took a full year before he shared a dream with her. Even longer before he could share his energy with her. Like with Cara.

  When he dozed off in the passenger seat, he was distantly aware of Cara's pain. Not since that moment on the cliff had she hurt enough to force the link, but her pain was always there like a headache. Richard hadn't spoken to the pack about what had happened. They had a right to know, but now wasn't the time. Suffice to say, it was that they were helping him keep her alive.

  Whoever was hurting her was doing his level best to inflict as much pain as possible without killing her. Richard wasn't sure if she could feel the pack through the link, but their combined life force poured into her, keeping her alive and strong, it even mitigated much of the pain the poor girl was in.

  "How the fuck is she not writhing in agony?"

  Richard? Cara, it’s me, I am here with you.

  Oh god Richard, they’re hurting me please, please, come get me. Oh god Richard, please.

  We’re on our way, honey, hang in there. You won’t have to suffer much longer.

  He’d never talked to anyone in his dreams before, and now he realized, while he was dreaming, Cara was not. He wasn't in the room with her, he wasn't in Wolf form, he was in her. He was her. He could see through her eyes, hear through her ears, he could feel the agony she was in. He focused his thoughts and tried to move.

  I need to see where you are. Just relax as best you can, I’ve only ever done this once.

  Which wasn't entirely true, his Alpha, the one who made him a wolf, used this trick on him one time. He'd been on the receiving end of it, but never had the bond needed to do it.

  His/her vision cleared, the haze of pain and fear subsided and he was able to look around. There were two men in the room with him. Edward, he recognized. The East Cascade's Alpha, wasn't an imposing figure, even with the wolf blood. Richard would never have turned such a man. He could almost smell the fear on the man. A born coward and sadist, Richard had no idea how such an omega, could have ever become Alpha.

  "I don't know," said the man Richard didn't recognize, he looked like a meth addict, messed up teeth, patchy goatee, and the patchy skin that came from scratching.

  Richard, he is not a wolf. He calls him the chemist.

  They are keeping me from turning. I don’t know how.

  He cleared a lot of the pain from her perception, he felt an itching in her/his arm. It was an I.V. of some kind. He couldn't make out the contents, but it sure wasn't saline.

  "She's not breaking, I don't know where the bitch found the strength she has, she certainly isn't the submissive little slut we picked up in the mountains," Edward said.

  Richard could feel Cara wince at the memories. Sharpened by her contact with him, and possibly the drugs.

  Now that he could fully look around, the room was a pit, some sort of barn, with a wood stove, a fridge, and a few windows. He could see the waxing moon through a window, smell the trees, some fresh water, and...a dump. A garbage dump.

  Armed with that knowledge, Richard started to back out of his link. He could feel her heart race, panic engulfed her.

  Oh, please god don’t go, the pain will come back.

  He hadn't really inspected her since he was trying to find a clue as to where she could be, but now though, he took stock. She was beaten badly, her arms were cut, and there were several burns from a hot poker across her stomach and thighs. She hadn't been allowed to use the bathroom, or eat or drink. She was in bad shape, the only thing keeping her alive was the link to the pack, and that wouldn't last much longer.

  Cara, I know where you are and how they are keeping you from turning. Trust me, we will be there soon and I promise –these bastards are going to pay. You won’t be alone the pack is with you.

  He wasn't sure he could do it, but he tried. He opened the link to the pack, thinking about them each, allowing them inside, almost like a group mind, all of them together, the ones in the car, Skye and hers at the lodge, all of them were in there with Cara. The warmth and love that filled their thoughts radiated like a sun. The pain vanished as they collectively gave of themselves to her.

  Soon Cara, very soon.

  Richard’s eyes opened, Indigo's eyes were on him. Everyone in the SUV was awake, and they were deathly silent.

  "Richard, what was that?"

  "Something that real packs have, a bond."

  "How are we going to save her?"

  "I have a plan, but you're not going to like it."

  Indigo had the pack spread out around the perimeter of the farm house. Other than the garbage dump the wolves had done nothing to mask their scent.

  Indigo and Richard had worked with each other a long time, and with that time came a trust and friendship forged in fire. If Richard said this was the only way, then it was the only way. The pack moved as one, all in human form, watching their alpha’s back.

  So far they hadn't encountered any guards. There was a bunk house about two hundred feet from the barn. That must be where the whole pack stayed, then the farm house beyond that. From the corner of his eye Indigo spotted Richard. He parked the white SUV just down the road and made the rest of his way on foot.

  Indigo thought the plan would be damn foolish if it didn’t work, but had learned never to underestimate Richard. He just hoped his confidence was justified.

  * * *

  "That's the emergency exit, if for some reason anyone gets through the front door, we go through here, pull the lever at the end that collapses the cave, out the back and about a mile down to the trading post, got it?"

  Reign nodded, it was a lot to take in, they had a medieval style cave complete with modern armory and food supplies. The main door alone could withstand explosives.

  "Why do you have all this? Do werewolves fight a lot?"

  "Wolves, we actually just prefer being called wolves," Skye said.

  "Okay, now that sounds interesting, spill."

  The two girls were pouring hot coffee and cocoa, Chuck and Abby stood watch at the main entrance while Skye showed Reign the ropes.

  "Not a big story, you see the tales you've read about werewolves are mostly true. We're humans that turn into wolves on the full moon. After you've been one for a while you get a sense for working with the wolf inside of you. It took me five years to not switch when I was hurt, or angry, another five after that to not switch on the full moon every month. There's only one time of year we all change though, the last new moon of the year, don't ask me why, it's just irresistible."

  "Were you born this way," Reign asked.

  "No," Skye said with a smile, "there are very few shifters born anymore."

  Reign noticed the shift in her voice, the sadness that felt palpable. Skye seemed like a very capable woman to Reign, she was physically strong, emotionally tough, respected by her peers, yet there was a sadness there, a sadness Reign had noticed with Cara as well. She assumed that Cara being barren was a cover story, but now she wondered.

  "Skye, can wolves have children?"

  "The men can father them, but all female wolves who survived the blight are barren."

  "Skye, I'm so sorry," she reached over and put her hand on the woman’s shoulder.

  "Is this why I'm..." she motioned to her belly.

  "It's Richard’s hope that a child born to a human will be a natural shifter and immune to the blight. If not, well, it won't live long. Trust me, if it wasn't for how strong the wolf is in me, I wouldn't have survived either."

  "Is it like another person?"

  "No," Skye replied, "more like a force of nature. It's why we just refer to ourselves as wolves, even when we look like humans, it's always there, guiding us, protecting us, and sometimes getting us into trouble," she said with a wry grin.

  "At least those of us who had guidance, lone wolves well..." her sentence wa
s cut off by a static burst from the intercom.

  "Better get up here, babe," came Chuck’s voice, "we got party crashers."

  * * *

  Richard was nervous as he climbed out of the SUV. It wasn't like him to be nervous, but it wasn't like him to fall head over tail for a girl barely old enough to vote. Even now, walking into danger, just thinking about her made his stomach knot t and his skin hot. Good god, man, get a grip, he thought.

  The walk from where he parked to the barn wasn't far, it only took five minutes for him to come out of the forested drive to stand in the field near the bar. The wind ruffled his leather jacket as it breezed by him and wafted his scent to the small farm.