Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 391 – Conversations with the Goddess

Cora

My heart is pounding as I follow my mother into the chamber beyond, as Roger shuts the door behind us. My mother crosses the room with ease almost seeming to float. And then I blink in surprise as I realize that…she probably is floating. I mean, she’s here – she’s corporeal – but it’s all a show, isn’t it? She doesn’t need to walk on her feet if she doesn’t want to.

And something about that idea makes me laugh a little, easing my tension. My mother turns when she hears the sound of my laugher and smiles at me, at both of us, before sitting down before a tiny table with a tray of tea on it.

Roger and I cross the short room together, sitting down across from her. Thoughtfully, Roger pours two cups of tea, which is hot and smells minty and fresh. Then, hesitating at the sight of the third cup, he raises an eyebrow at

my mother. She laughs a little too, and I’m shocked to hear that her laugh sounds just like my own – the same rhythm, the same cadence. Something about that makes me smile.

“Yes, Roger,” she says, nodding towards it. “I can’t drink the tea – but it is nice to have an offering of it.”

Nodding, Roger pours the cup of tea for the Goddess and slides it across the table towards her. Then he places a sugar cube in my teacup – knowing I’ll want it and sits back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap.

“You’ve had a long journey, Cora,” my mother says, looking at me warmly. “In more ways than one.”

“Yes,” I reply, smiling at the understatement in her words. And then I look down at my stomach and place my hands on it, shaking my head. “A journey that has raised…a lot of questions for us.’

“I understand,” she says. “It will bring me a great deal of joy to help you answer those questions, if I can.”

“How much do you know?” I ask, looking back up at her, wondering if I need…like, do I need to tell her that I’m pregnant? Or…

“I know everything,” she says, smiling at us. “Your lives are…open to me. As well as your hearts. I’m very pleased that you have found each other, little mates,” she says, and I grin to hear her use Roger’s pet term for me as if she’s heard it before. Then she turns to smile at Roger, “though I’d have preferred to see it happen sooner. I believe it would have saved you both a great deal of pain.”

“Cora’s the smart one,” he sighs,

to worry about,” the Goddess says easily. “You

but he looks up at both of us with a determined look on his face,

to me then. “You wish to know?” she

I breathe, leaning forward, eager. “Do you know? Is

healthy, Cora,” my mother says, looking down at my stomach. “I can hear the heartbeat now.

I both exhale in relief. I mean – we suspected that, but to hear it from a Goddess’ lips… Roger beams a wide smile at me and reaches out to take my hand. I slide

turning back to my mother, clutching Roger’s hand hard. “Your

glancing at Roger, who is unable to keep the crestfallen expression from his face. And in my disappointment I realize that we were both hoping very much that our child would be a wolf. Not that I would mind raising a normal human baby- but for him, for the child’s place

snapping our

mean to say here is that…hmm,” she looks up at the ceiling as if thinking it through. “It is difficult to put into words…I do

again as she sorts through her

she continues, still

ask, dropping Roger’s hand as I lean forward in

Goddess draws her eyes back down

spreading across her face, “your child is a cross between a human and a

my confusion makes her laugh – not in a

do you mean?” I ask, my voice hardly louder than

father was a human. But your mother I am the Goddess of the moon, , and of wolves, among other things.”

stare at

silent for a long moment before I stumble out my answer. “N-no,” I say, looking down at myself, and then closing my eyes and