Surrogate For Alpha Dom

#Chapter 274 – Bonded

Ella

My head feels…so heavy. I groan, trying to move my hands up so I can press them against my temples, but I can’t move them.

“Easy,” I hear him say beside me and instinctually I turn towards his voice. Where –

“Easy, Ella,” he murmurs, his words thick with emotion. “It’s all right…”

I peel my eyelids apart, then, confused at the effort. It’s like I haven’t opened my eyes for weeks…

My vision comes back to me slowly, the room around me coming into focus with effort. I blink rapidly, looking around at Sinclair, and Cora, and Roger all standing around me, peering at me with worried faces. I feel very suddenly like Dorothy, when she wakes up from her trip to Oz.

“What?” I murmur, my voice thick and my throat scratchy. Suddenly anxious, I try to sit up, pushing at the bed beneath me but –

What the hell were all these wires, tied to my arms?

“Easy, trouble,” Sinclair whispers, pressing his hand to my shoulder, keeping me down. My body responds to his command, relaxing backwards as I look up at him. But…

“Where am I?” I ask, staring at him, and then I press my eyes closed. It’s all just too much.

“You’re in the hospital,” I hear my sister explain. “After the gift, at the temple…”

But her voice fades, almost as if I can’t hear it. I feel my heart start to pound, my breath ratchet up as my memories start to come back to me. Of being on the temple steps of Cora there, and what we learned about each other of Sinclair’s warm arms around me –

–

–

–

And then, nothing – and then clouds – and Sinclair again, and my baby –

Oh my god, where was my baby?

Rafe?” Then I start to look all around me, searching for him – he’s here, he has to be, I remember him, my little

was a dream, Ella – we met him in the dream

of my stomach then, drawing my attention to it, reminding me that he’s here – of course he’s here, I haven’t

on either side of my baby. Then I close my eyes, resting my head

Yes, there. I can feel him, my ties to him. My bond with my baby. I reach out to him, sending all the love I have in my heart down our bond, and feeling a little pulse back. He hears me. He tells me he knows. He’s

feeling my whole body relax. I open my eyes again, feeling a rush of sudden and unexpected joy. I look up to Sinclair and nod. “Okay. Yes. He’s here.”

of air, grasping one of my hands and lowering his head

that for a long minute as tears start to slide down my

such a hard few weeks, after days

there’s no where else I’d want to

hear Roger murmur, and then his footsteps move to the door, heading out the

room.

Sinclair straightens at my side, letting us have our moment

tears that are falling

I feel so weak but there

back mom’s the Goddess’s – the gift, I gave it back to you,” she stumbles,

bed. “Cora!” I scold. “Why?! I

”

–

–

ridiculous – you were dying – of course I gave it back to you I didn’t even want

from a Goddess – from our mom – I worked so hard to get it here, the least you could do

”

in front of him, especially when I’m clearly so sick. I look up at him, my eyes

whisper, nodding up at him and then turning to Cora. “Okay,” I repeat, raising a finger to point at

she laughs, agreeing to these terms, wiping the tears off

—

my sister, holding my mate’s hand tight in my own, when the Doctor comes in, Rafe hot on his heels. It’s a man I haven’t seen before certainly

I’m shocked to see you awake –” He quickly grasps my wrist, feeling for a pulse and turning towards the monitors behind them, scanning them for

looking up at

holding my hand. “An intervention from the Goddess, if you will,” he observes, a little humor in his voice. The doctor’s face screws up further with confusion but then he simply exhales quickly and shakes his

to the monitors. “Whatever it was it is a…remarkable

Sinclair starts at my grimace, leaning closer to me,

the last time I was in here.” “Good,” I say, almost under my breath, pleased to have my suspicions confirmed. My baby and I… we are going to make it. “Can

frowning. “You’re still incredibly weak. You have days yet in this hospital – tests, monitoring…”

look up at Sinclair then, my eyes pleading. I know that if I ask him, if I want it enough, he’ll pick me up and carry me bodily out of this hospital right now. But he slowly shakes his head too, letting me know he