The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

Ella

It is, indeed, a long climb. Cora and I are panting by the time we get to the top, and even though

Sinclair took Rafe from me halfway through the hike I have to take a moment to catch my break

when we pull ourselves up to the final level.

Roger has the indecency to look a little smug about the fact that he barely looks winded and Cora

gives him a little shove on the shoulder as she works to take a few deep breaths and wipe the

sweat from her brow.

Even as I work to bring my heartrate back down, I absolutely marvel at the sight before me.

The Goddess’ temple, like the one in the city, is built completely with white marble. But unlike

the one in the city, this one looks….ancient. Vines grow in ropes all over it, looking almost as if the

structure is part of the forest itself, having grown up organically from it. The temple is tall and

wide, the pillars in front drawing my eyes upward to the slanted roof which curls into a dome. At

the very peak of the dome is a golden crescent moon, reaching up towards the sky, glinting in the

bright sunlight.

“Wow,” Cora says, standing straight next to me and likewise marveling at the temple. “Mom has

some….impressive property.”

“I know, right?” I mutter back, crossing my arms and shaking my head. If someone had told me,

when I was a little girl sleeping in my creaky little orphan bed, that my mom lived here…

Well. I probably would have believed them.

But I was a very imaginative child.

“Um,” Roger says, looking anxiously at Cora. “Shall we?”

I smile at him, seeing that he’s eager to move on but also that he wants to give her room to process this experience. It’s more intense for her than it is for him, and I think that it’s very sweet that he realizes this. Roger really has come leaps and bounds as a person from when I first met

him

Sinclair comes to stand next to me and I grin at him and then turn to my baby, taking his hands

likes it

real this time Rafe claps and gurgles like

understands sometimes,” I say quietly,

says, grinning proudly down at his son “He’s very

say, leaning closer to kiss my baby’s forehead “Yes, he is. The most

keep that title for about…five more months,” Roger

chest with a smirk.

just laughs and shakes his

I ask, moving again to

and, with another deep. breath, the five of us begin to walk towards the temple. As we approach, a woman in

comes out of

still at the sight of those robes

time I saw

my back, and then a little pulse of comfort. comes down the bond and I exhale, skipping forward a little to stay

the same situation we

to take my baby away.

serve my mother.

giving us a deep smile as we approach.

are welcome here. And you are

and then look back to the woman. “Is she here?”

but Cora turns to me with a frown.

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and then, as I realize what she means that she can

already I bite my lip, feeling a very deep

—

her. I used up our bond used the magic of it to

save my child, and Cora,

but I just shake my head and work hard

smile

her hand “I’m glad you can feel

and then we both tum back to the

at our whole party and taking a

on the baby, admiring him

priestess into my mother’s temple And as we go, I

While the desert temple. was elegantly sparse, and the city temple was sweeping and impressive, this one is…cozy. The architecture is still bright and wide, but you can tell that women live here and treat it as a home. As I look around at the padded benches by the windows, at the well-loved books neatly tucked into alcoves and the little worn stick broom tucked into a corner, I decide quite suddenly that this is my favorite temple of

dome, but instead leads us across it to a

comes to stand behind her, straightening his shoulders, his face very serious. He is, after all, about to be introduced to his mate’s mother as such for the first time. I smile at both of them as I reach for the baby, who Sinclair helps me unbuckle from the

–

once we’re all ready and Sinclair has placed a warm hand on my shoulder – Cora nods to the priestess who

her immediately, we all

end of the room, glowing with the faint luminescence of moonlight. Her face breaks into a smile as we cross the room, her eyes

And this time, as I look at