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.”

there someone on the ship?”

at the desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair sent me to protect Ella, and there’s frankly nowhere I wanted to be except at your side

I hear this, but I

grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave me a little of his whiskey when he saw how

him to focus,

says, his voice faltering a little, looking down at our joined

breathless, but some part

wide and still a little startled by the experience. “Your mother, Cora. Except…at the time, I didn’t know she was your

night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a brief introduction that Ella insisted on giving us. And at the time it had made sense – Ella was her

too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and then went to Roger

disappointed. Why does she want to talk to everyone but

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

ask, pushing past my jealousy and truly

his story. “She didn’t come in her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was

he can tell me. So Roger turns back to me and looks at

politics, as my brother’s was – and you have to realize, that

nod, understanding, concentrating on nothing

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

children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to be leaders

lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh,

broke my heart to

при

7

she said anything to me I didn’t even care about kids – didn’t

–

always Dominic who was dying to

say again, my eyes

it all up, Cora – I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be.

me, pausing to ensure that I

–

was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the

else I wanted in

I whisper, “because you

–

his hand through his hair. “I was totally freaked out I didn’t want to, 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 to my stupid tiny bunk