The Mystical Attraction of Alpha

Ella

When I finally come out of my bedroom, Rafe strapped to my chest, and hurry through the hallways to the front of the palace where I asked Cora to wait for me, I find her sitting with crossed arms and a frustrated look on her face.

“Oh hey, Ella,” she says, smirking at me. “What took you so long.”

I just beam innocently at my sister, flicking my hair over my shoulder. “I don’t know what you mean, Cora. I came as fast as I could.”

“Oh,” she says, raising her eyebrows at me. “I’m sure you did.”

And then I burst into laughter as I realize that Cora – well. Cora hasn’t precisely been one to make dirty jokes in the past, has she? “Looks like Roger’s rubbing off on you,” I say, putting out a hand to help her up, which she accepts.

“He’s trying,” she says, giving me a wink and leaning down to give Rafe a kiss on his forehead. “Are you ready? Finally?”

“Oh, come on, Cora,” I say, rolling my eyes as we head for the door. “It wasn’t like it was that long of a wait.”

“Forty-five minutes! Honestly, Ella – it’s not a quickie anymore if it takes the better part of an hour – ”

“Cora!” I hiss, covering Rafe’s innocent ears and looking around at all of the people milling around at the front of the palace. “They’ll hear you!”

She laughs. “Oh, come on, Ella, they all know too. Do you know how many people asked me where Sinclair has been? I’ve been making excuses for you for well over half an hour and everyone saw right through them -”

I say as we step out the front door and find Conner waiting for us. “We will cease speaking

as we make our way down to the cars waiting for us. We hit the road quickly after I strap Rafe into his safety seat, heading directly for the Human Camp. When we arrive, I see that Sinclair has again sent a relative army of guards, and that Isabel

car, grateful that Isabel is as good as her

his greeting but – characteristically – keeping his hands in his pockets and refraining from giving us a hug. I

him precisely what kept us, but I step forward and beat her to it. “We were getting Sarah settled this morning,” I say, smiling at both Hank

the way that she’s helped you.” She leans down to coo to Rafe now, greeting him. The baby gratifies

to the children’s hospitalization tent, as both Isabel and Hank identified important cases which need my immediate attention. There, we fall into our routines, all of us wanting to help as many people as fast as we can, especially considering our delay in getting here this afternoon. I grimace when I think of my stolen hour, regretting it. Tomorrow I’ll try to get here earlier so I can really help

patient of the afternoon, I’m surprised when Hank

all right?” he asks, flipping

“Who?” I ask, confused.

a little bit of an afterthought. I smile a little, watching him as he pointedly doesn’t look at me, flipping through pages which I know he’s

Hank,” I say, purposefully keeping my voice breezy. ” She’s going to stay at the palace for awhile – for as long as she wants, really, until she decides where she wants to live. Jessica seems

the direction of our next patient. I can’t help that my smile grows a little bit as I wonder just how much Hank has been thinking

honestly go either way. He’s very cryptic, isn’t he? Is he asking out of professional curiosity for a doctor regarding

grins down at me as we follow. I

Well.

there’s a little

at the next hospital bed, taking the charts from his hand and flipping through them even though I have no idea what they say. “You should come over

up?” he says, his voice

up at him