#Chapter 424 – The Mark Ella
“Well that’s weird,” I murmur, looking through my phone as my mate sits shirtless beside me, finishing up the last of his paperwork before bed.
“What’s weird,” he asks, though I can tell he’s only half paying attention. But I frown, looking at the message from Cora. “Cora says she’s going away with Roger for a few days.”
“What?” he asks, his head swiveling to me, his voice instantly more alert. Then he snatches his own phone off the bedside table. “That can’t be right,” he says, flicking through his messages. Roger didn’t say anything to me.”
“Well, whatever,” I say, giving a little shrug. “They can take some time for themselves –
“Ella,” Sinclair sighs, and I look over at him in surprise. “We’re planning a coronation and trying to run a country. I’m depending on him to be here!”
I frown at him and shake my head a little. “Don’t be so unromantic, Dominic,” I scold. “They’re in love, they’re going to have a baby. Plus, Cora looked amazing in the wedding dresses today – I think I’m going to be able to talk her into that wedding. If they do that for us, why wouldn’t we let them have a few days away?”
“Did she say that she was going to do it?” he asks, raising his eyebrows at me.
“Nope!” I say, smiling as I start to type a reply on my phone. “She said to forget about it.”
“What!?”
“Don’t stress,” I say, laughing and glancing at him again. “I know her! I think she’s gonna say yes. We should move forward with the plans.”
Sinclair just groans and shakes his head, typing his own message out probably to his brother. I concentrate on my own.
That’s fine, Cora! Take whatever time you need. Don’t worry about the camps Isabel, Hank, and I can hold it down. Will fill you in whenever you get back хохо.
That done, I look quickly over at the baby to make sure that he’s still sleeping – and I smile to see that he is before curling up next to my mate, resting my head against his chest and giving him a little kiss there as he finishes his message to Roger and presses send.
“Did you yell at him?” I ask.
“Yup,” he replies before tossing his phone aside and wrapping his arm around me. “Okay well don’t yell at Cora,” I murmur, getting sleepy. “That’s my job.”
“You got it,” he replies.
We’re silent for a long moment before Sinclair clears his throat. I open my eyes, surprised, before looking up at him. “What is it?” I ask. Because I know him – I know that he’s exhausted, and that we both need to catch what sleep we can.
So, if Sinclair is clearing his throat, wanting to talk about one last thing before bed?
Something’s up.
“Ella…” he says, hesitating. “I want you to trust me when I tell you what I have to say.” I sit up fully now, frowning down at him.
“Tell me,” I demand, getting suddenly anxious. “Right now.”
“Come back down here,” he says, pulling at my shoulder. But I just shake my head at him, frowning, my anxiety getting worse.
“Not until you tell me.”
“Ella,” he says, his voice low with warning.
“Dominic!”
He just glares at me for a long moment before he realizes that I’m not going to give in, and then he closes his eyes for a second, steeling himself. ” Ella, we got word from the Atalaxians today. They…they want to send a delegation to the coronation.”
“What!?” I gasp, appalled.
“All the other neighboring nations are coming,” he says quickly, “sending a delegation if not their royals themselves. It would be an incredible insult not to invite the Atalaxians as well.”
“Wait,” I say, putting out a finger to stop him. “Am I hearing you right? Not only are they coming, but you invited those bigots!? Into our HOME!?”
“Ella,” he growls, snapping his eyes open and swiping at my finger, knocking it away. “We had to extend the invitation – it would have been such an obvious act of aggression if we didn’t – ”
I scoff, thinking that perhaps the Atalaxians need a little aggression in their lives, and start to move away from Sinclair, kicking away the blankets. But before I can get far, I hear him snarl and then feel him wrap his arm around my waist and tug me, hard, back to him.
I let out a little yelp of surprise as Sinclair levers himself over me, swiftly gathering both of my wrists in one of his hands and lifting them over my head before using his body to pin me to the mattress.
“What!” I gasp, and then I frown up at him, angry. “What are you doing!? Get off of me, Dominic!”
“Not a chance, little queen,” he murmurs, glaring down at me, a little darkness in his eyes. “I’m starting to think that you need a little reminder of who is the Alpha in this relationship, and the King in this nation,” he says, firm.
I glare up at him, wriggling a little beneath him, but he holds firm. “I’m allowed to have my opinions!” I snap, starting to get pissed. “I don’t have to agree with everything you say and do!”
“You do not have to agree with it,” he growls, bringing his face close to mine. “But you do have to support it, little mate. We need to present a united front.”
I open my mouth to protest but he silences me with a look. Bitter, I close my mouth.
“There,” he says, slow, satisfied. “I listen to you, Ella,” he continues softly. “I appreciate your input, but this is serious. I cannot have you second- guessing my decisions. I am doing what I know right for both of us – for our family. And you need to trust me.”
I clench my jaw as I stare up at him for a second, but then something in me gives. I turn my attention to my wolf then, seeing her pressing herself close to the ground even as a little grumble rolls in her chest – because even if she doesn’t like it, she respects our mate’s dominance.
And she trusts him. Trusts that he will fight for us, and care for us, and never make a decision that will put us in jeopardy.
And as I see her submit, I know that it’s right. I lift my chin, staring directly into my mate’s eyes, letting him feel my submission down the bond even as my face tells him that I’m not happy about it.
Just the corner of Sinclair’s mouth pulls into a tiny smile as he lowers his face and brushes his lips briefly against mine. And then he takes his other hand, the one not pinning my wrists above my head, and runs it down the length of my flank, dipping down to grip my ass in his palm.
“See? When you do as I say…there are rewards.”
I can’t help it then when my eyes flutter shut when I feel him squeeze my ass, taking control of my body. My head falls back a little bit, baring my neck to him. Sinclair takes immediate advantage of this, pressing his mouth eagerly to my pulse, licking my skin, letting his teeth rasp sharp against my flesh. And I moan as he lets his body press closer against me, letting me feel the weight of him pinning me down.
He growls at the sound of me moaning, hungry for it, loving it. And I I love it too – because as stubborn as I can be, there is something so good about it – something perhaps biological about submitting to my Alpha that makes me want to cede him complete control.
“Say it,” he growls, moving his hand slowly up the length of my body, over my breast and across my neck until he takes my face in his hand and turns it towards him so that I can feel his breath against my lips.
“I submit,” I groan, feeling pleasure shudder through me as I feel the length of him straining against the fabric of his underwear, pressing hard and insistent against my entrance. “I trust you, Dominic – I – I know you’re doing this for us. For all of us.”
And he growls has assent before slipping his free hand down his own body, pressing his boxer briefs down so that he can free himself. Then, when I’m panting for want of him, he presses himself into me, filling me so completely that a moan breaks from my throat when I feel him slide against all of the aching parts inside of me that want all of him, more of him, all the time.
“Good girl,” he murmurs before pressing his mouth to mine and claiming me – claiming all of me as his before we lose ourselves to each other. And I give myself willingly, trusting him completely, as I know he does me. My Alpha, my mate.
