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?” I

standing at the bow looking out 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

when I hear this, but I

started to grow…brighter and brighter. And at first I thought that

to focus,

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

but

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

met the goddess that 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 daughter,

my mother too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and then went to Roger later that night for a

Why does she want to

reaching forward and brushing my cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he continues, his face all sympathy.

ask, pushing past

her bodily form,” he says, “like she did in the temple. Instead, it was just…a vision of sorts,

tell me. So Roger turns back to me and looks

was not in war and politics, as my brother’s was – and you have to realize, that that was devastating to hear at the time, considering

nod, understanding, concentrating on nothing

phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the

and being a dad, and raising my

surprise. And then I lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so

“And it fucking broke

при

7

anything to me I didn’t

–

who was dying to

say again, my eyes going

apologetic, “I’m fucking it all up, Cora – I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses He pauses his confused language for a

this child, Cora” he tells me, pausing to ensure that I hear him, “and I can’t wait to build a family

–

Honestly, I’m kind of in the same boat – I was likewise unsure if I wanted kids. But the moment I really understood that this was our child –

I wanted in the

you stopped calling me,” I whisper, “because you thought…my mom told

–

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