The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

Cora

“It’s all right,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he takes in my pale face, my scared expression and realizes that he’s freaked me out for the third or fourth time today. “It’s not – it’s not bad, I was just kind of a dick – it was a misunderstanding –”

“What?” I ask, more confused now than ever.

–

“Listen,” he says, leaning in towards me. “Just let me tell you, all right? II was going to tell you at some point, definitely not like this but…” he sighs, looking into my face and then down at my stomach, and then back up into my eyes. “I think that… if we’re going to start on this new part

–

–

of our lives – this parent thing – well,” he says, giving me a charming little half–smile and a

shrug. “We should be on the same page, right?”

I nod, agreeing, but looking at him a little askance. “Did you not think that we should…go into our mating? On the same page?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora – because it didn’t matter – I didn’t think we could have kids

་་

I frown at him – not mad or angry, but confused…

“Listen, let me just tell it,” he says, leaning forward and looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I say, quite simply, taking his hands and leaning even closer to press a kiss to his mouthr letting him know that I’m listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger says again, taking a deep breath before he begins. “Do you remember… when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I correct softly, and he laughs.

“Right,” he says, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway – you three were out on your girls trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple, or go back on to the ship all alone.”

Ismirk at him, knowing precisely which one he chose. He sees my smile and laughs a little.

“Yeah,” he says, grinning at me. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

the ship?”

little pissed off at being left behind.

when I hear

at the sky, staring at the moon, it started to grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave

squeeze his hands a little, begging him to focus, and

a little, looking down at our

ask, a little breathless, but some part

at me now, his eyes wide and still a little startled by the experience. “Your mother,

that night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a

only spoke to Ella in the temple, and

nose, disappointed. Why does she want to talk to

“It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continues, his face all

did she do?” I ask, pushing past my jealousy and

her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was just…a vision of sorts, more like the baptism but…not quite.” He shakes his head a little, at a loss to explain it. “But her message was perfectly

squeeze his hands again, letting him know that it’s okay. That he can tell me. So Roger turns

in war and politics, as my brother’s was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at

nod, understanding, concentrating on nothing else

said,” he twists his mouth a little, concentrating. “It’s hard to know how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world, I had to focus on

and being a dad, and raising my kids

I say, blinking with surprise. And then I lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so you stopped calling me

hands tightly. “And it fucking broke my heart to do it because I loved you I was

при

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didn’t even care about kids

–

it was always Dominic who was dying

again, my eyes going

not just because the goddess told me to be.

pausing to ensure that I hear

–

I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment

else I

calling me,” I whisper,

–

but when a goddess tells you to do something you feel compelled to do it – and I thought she was telling me to run from you, when she probably was telling me to run to you to take you directly