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

speaking to him quietly, asking him how he likes it here and if he’s ready to meet his

claps and gurgles

sometimes,” I say quietly, smiling up at

proudly down

my baby’s forehead “Yes, he is. The most clever baby

more months,” Roger calls to

chest with a smirk.

and shakes his

ready, Cora?” I ask, moving again

I give it, and, with another deep. breath, the five of us begin to walk towards the temple. As we approach,

comes out of the

going still at the

time I

little pulse of comfort. comes down the bond and I

This is…this is not the same situation we were in before. This is

meet is going to try to take my

serve my mother.

giving us a deep

you are welcome here. And you are

I smile at each other and then look back to the woman. “Is she here?”

priestess smiles warmly at me but Cora turns to me with a frown.

1

for a second and then, as I

bite my lip, feeling a very deep

—

used the magic

and Cora, and my mate. Cora realizes this very suddenly,

a startled “o” of concern, but I just shake my head and work hard to give her

smile

say, squeezing her hand “I’m glad you can feel her

me, sympathetic, and then we both tum back to

at our whole party and taking a moment to let

linger on the baby, admiring him “Please, do come

we follow the priestess into my mother’s temple And as we go, I wonder a everyone’s heart is pounding

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

does not pause in the middle of the large central room of the temple, the space beneath the dome, but instead leads us across it to a door at the back. Before she opens it, she turns to us with a

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 carrier. I don’t know why I do it, but somehow I

–

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

immediately, we all

Her face breaks into a smile as we cross the room, her eyes

as I look at her