The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

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?” I gasp, spinning towards Sinclair as my eyes fly open, desperate. “Where is Rafe?” Then I start to look all around me, searching for him – he’s here, he has to be, I remember him, my little baby, wrapped in white swaddling, holding him in my arms

“A dream,” Sinclair says hurriedly, “it was a dream, Ella – we met him in the dream –”

He puts his hand on the swell of my stomach then, drawing my attention to it, reminding me that he’s here – of course he’s here, I haven’t given birth yet –

of my baby. Then I close my eyes, resting my head back on the pillow, and search for him. And it’s hard, it’s distant,

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

I open my eyes again, feeling a rush of sudden and unexpected

one of my hands and lowering his head so that our foreheads touch. We stay like that for a long minute as tears start to slide down my cheeks, unbidden but unstoppable. It’s all just…it’s a lot to take in in just a few minutes. To come flying back to reality after such a

I’d want to be. “I’ll get the doctor,” I hear Roger murmur, and then his footsteps move to the door,

opening my eyes and reaching my other hand for her. Sinclair straightens at my side, letting us have our

right,” she huffs, laughing through the tears that are

so?” I feel so weak but there is

mom’s the

you – it’s yours “Ella,” she chides, “you’re being ridiculous – you were dying – of course I gave

a gift from a Goddess – from our mom – I worked so hard to

childish, arguing with my sister like this in front of him, especially when I’m clearly so sick. I look up at him, my eyes apologetic, and

and then turning to Cora. “Okay,” I repeat, raising a finger to point at her. “But as

laughs, agreeing to these terms, wiping the tears

—

his heels. It’s a man I haven’t seen before certainly not

worried. “I have to say, 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 new

was…” I say, hesitating, looking up at

intervention from the Goddess, if you will,” he observes, a little humor

he says, turning back to the monitors. “Whatever

spikes through my back. Sinclair starts at my grimace, leaning closer to me, scenting me, clearly working to figure out what’s wrong

is…” the doctor says, looking at a small monitor tucked in amongst the larger ones. “He’s fine,” he mumbles, almost to himself. “Better, if anything, than he was 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

the doctor scolds, turning towards me and frowning. “You’re still incredibly weak. You have days yet in this hospital – tests,

head too, letting me know he agrees with the doctor. “I want you home as