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 –

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

sending all the love I have in my

rush of sudden and unexpected joy. I look up to Sinclair and

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

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

hand for her. Sinclair straightens at my side, letting us have our moment as I take her hand. “Are

she huffs, laughing through the tears that are falling down her own cheeks. “Are

help myself, and then glance down at my poor beat up little body. “Um, I think so?” I feel so weak

she says, laughing a little and running her hand through her hair. “Yeah? I gave you back mom’s the Goddess’s – the gift, I gave it back to you,” she stumbles, not really knowing how to explain

scold. “Why?! I gave it to you – it’s yours “Ella,” she chides, “you’re being ridiculous – you were dying

gift from a Goddess – from our

me, and my eyes snap to him as I feel suddenly guilty and a little 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,

Cora. “Okay,” I repeat, raising a finger to point at her. “But as soon as I’m

to these terms, wiping the tears off of her cheeks.

—

the Doctor comes in, Rafe hot on his heels.

He quickly scans my face, his expression 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 information. “It shouldn’t

hesitating, looking up at Sinclair. “Not precisely a

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 head, dismissing it,

back to the monitors.

a sharp pain spikes through my back. Sinclair starts at my grimace,

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

turning towards me and frowning. “You’re still incredibly weak. You have

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 agrees with the doctor. “I want you home as well, baby,” he murmurs, “both of you. But he’s been good,” Sinclair says, glancing at the doctor. “We go when he says we can, and