The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

“Oh, Ella,” Cora sighs, her shoulders slumping as she sees my reaction to her words. She strides over to me and wraps me in a big hug. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs into my hair, “I shouldn’t have said it like that.” “No,” I sniff, you’re right – I should have listened – ”

“It’s okay. You didso goodby her,” Cora says, loosening her grip and turning me towards the little girl asleep in her bed. “She wasn’t going to make it, Ella,” Cora whispers as we look down at the girl. “Not even a few more days maybe not even through the night. And look at her now.”

Tears are streaming freely down my cheeks now. “She’s perfect,” I murmur, and Cora nods.

“So, you did a good thing,” she sighs, wiping at my tears in her own brusk way, “but we still haveworkto do. All right?”

“Okay,” I say nodding and looking around the room. “Who’s next?” “A little boy,” she says, looking down at her clipboard. “Named Philip.” “A sweet little boy!” I gasp, and then I bury my face in my hands and start crying again, thinking of my own sweet baby – and if he ever got sick – “Ella,” Cora sighs next to me, and I hear her take a deep steadying breath.

“We are not going to get through this if you keep crying all the time.” “I can’t help it,” I sniff, looking up at her and wiping again at my tears, which just seem to keep coming. “Do you think…if these kids don’t have a home, Sinclair will…” “If you go home tonight and ask Sinclair to adopt all these kids,” she says slowly, raising her eyebrows and shaking her head at me, though unable to keep a smile from starting on her lips, “he’s gonna flip, Ella.” “But -” ”

push between the shoulder blades to keep

very difficult. We don’t have far to go, but as we walk I take my baby

sadness as I look down into his perfect little face. ” Should we bring home about a dozen new orphan siblings for you today? Do you think daddy will be

drops Cora off first and then drives us back to the palace. To my extreme disappointment, I was convinced not to bring any children back with me tonight, so it’s just me and Rafe in the car with him. Conner surprises me by driving around to the back of the palace and pressing a button at the top of the car, opening a

forward curiously.

I hesitate here, not really knowing what to say. “I should what?” he asks, curious. “Well, I know that you’re part of the military,” say, taking my hand away and twisting my fingers together anxiously, “and I know that you probably have all sorts of ambitions there, but…well, if you’d like to be part

promise I will.” And then we both nod at each

the second floor, I’m very surprised to find us in the hallway where my personal rooms are. “Oh,” I say, my eyebrows arching almost to my hairline. “Well, that’s terribly convenient, isn’t it?” “Only the best for our Queen,” Conner says, gesturing forward so that I can step out ahead of him. I smile at him and do so, but frown and turn when he stays in the elevator. “You aren’t coming?” Nah,” he says, smiling at me and shrugging. “I’ve got to get back to the barracks,

and hang out with me and Sinclair? I wave goodbye to him and

As long as I don’t fall asleep on my feet first. But when I push open the door to our suite, I can tell already that Sinclair is mad. Frowning, I close the door behind me, looking

as he gestures to the darkness outside the window. “You were goneall day- and while I don’t care about that, you didnotanswer your phone the