Chapter 323 His Name
Author
When the weekend rolled around, two tiny voices chirped outside the master bedroom door.
"Mama! Mama!"
Linda’s patient voice followed. "Mommy’s sleeping. Let’s go play over there, okay?"
"No! Want Mama!"
"Mama! Mama!"
Elara groaned and rolled over. Her body ached in places she forgot existed.
Last night with Alpha Dominic had been intense. Good intense.
But now she was paying for it.
She sat up slowly, stretched her sore back, and padded to the door. She ran a hand through her messy hair, wiped the sleep from her eyes, and opened it.
Two little bodies immediately launched themselves at her legs. Caleb grabbed her left knee. Hailey wrapped around her right ankle. Both of them babbling nonsense like she was the most exciting thing they’d seen all week.
Elara scooped one up in each arm and carried them downstairs.
The kitchen smelled like coffee and toast.
Linda was already there, cleaning up breakfast dishes.
Elara glanced at Linda. "Where’s Dominic?"
"Alpha Dominic left early this morning, Luna. He said he had meetings at the office."
"Meetings. Right."
Elara rolled her eyes.
Then she spent the whole afternoon with the twins.
She took them to the park down the street. Pushed them on the baby swings until her arms hurt.
Let them crawl around on the grass and eat dirt. She fed them lunch, cleaned up the mess, gave them baths with the little rubber ducks that squeaked when you squeezed them.
By the time they went down for their afternoon nap, she was exhausted. But in a good way.
She looked at the clock. Four PM.
She had time.
She handed the kids over to Linda, threw on a pair of jeans and a jacket, and slipped out the back door.
So when Alpha Dominic came home with guilt burning in his stomach, Elara was gone.
"Linda, where’s my mate?"
Linda smiled like she knew something. "Luna said she had business to handle. She won’t be home for dinner."
Alpha Dominic’s chest tightened.
By nine o’clock, no sign of Elara.
He cracked. He called her.
She answered.
"Ahh..." A soft breathy sound came through the line. Strained. Like pain. Or pleasure.
Alpha Dominic’s heart sank. "Babe, where are you?"
"Mmm, I’m busy. I’ll be home later."
She hung up before he could say another word.
That sound. That little noise she made.His mind went straight to dark places.
He called security. They said Elara ordered them not to follow her today.
Great. Perfect.
Alpha Dominic paced the driveway like a caged animal.
At ten o’clock, headlights finally swept across the gates.
She was home.
Alpha Dominic followed her car up the drive, standing right in front of it as she pulled to a stop. His expression was somewhere between hurt and suspicious, like a kid who found out Santa wasn’t real.
Elara didn’t notice him at first. When she finally looked up and saw him standing there like a guard dog, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Jesus, Dom! What are you doing? You scared the hell out of me!"
"Are you seeing someone else?" Alpha Dominic closed the distance between them in three long strides. He leaned in and actually sniffed her neck. "Tell me the truth."
Elara rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful. She tried to walk past him.
He caught her arm. "I’m serious. Where were you tonight? You were being all secretive. You made that weird noise on the phone." His voice dropped, smaller than she’d ever heard it. "Babe, do you not want me anymore?"
Yesterday he’d been second place in that magazine article. Was he about to drop to third in his own home?
"Ow..." Elara winced when his grip tightened on her hand.
Alpha Dominic’s gaze snapped down. He caught her wrist gently, turning it toward the porch light.
On the side of her ring finger, the skin was red and slightly swollen. A fresh tattoo, still healing.
His eyes went wide. "You got ink."
There, in delicate script along the inside of her ring finger, were two little letters.
D.W.
Dominic Wolfe.
"You tattooed my name on your finger." His voice cracked. A grin spread across his face, slow and almost feral. "You actually did it."
"Yeah, well." Elara shrugged, trying to look casual even though her cheeks were flushed pink. "Now I’m carrying you around everywhere. In the palm of my hand. Happy?"
She huffed. "And stop competing with the twins for my attention. They’re babies. They need us right now. That doesn’t mean you’re less important."
Alpha Dominic didn’t answer with words.
He pulled her against him and kissed her. Hard. His hand slid into her hair, tilting her head back as he claimed her mouth without hesitation.
Elara pushed at his chest for half a second before she gave in, letting her eyes close and the heat of him wash over her.
When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against hers. His breath was warm and shaky. "Thank you."