Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 390 – The Temple 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 and speaking to him quietly, asking him how he likes it here and if he’s ready to meet his granny for real this time. Rafe claps and gurgles like he really is excited.

“It’s like he understands sometimes,” I say quietly, smiling up at Sinclair.

“Well,” Sinclair says, grinning proudly down at his son. “He’s very clever.”

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

arms over his chest with a smirk. Sinclair

ready, Cora?” I ask, moving

and reaching for my hand. I give it, and, with another deep breath, the

for a moment, going still at

last time I

a little pulse of

and not every priestess we

bowing a little and giving us a deep smile as we approach. “Daughters of the Goddess – you are welcome here. And

here?” I ask. The priestess

blink at Cora for a second and then, as I realize what she means that she can feel our mother here already – I

feel her. I used up’ our bond – used the magic of it to unbind my wolf and my gift so that I could save my child, and Cora, and my mate. Cora realizes this very suddenly, her mouth

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

and then

around at our whole party and taking a moment to let her gaze linger on

so, as a group, we follow the priestess into my mother’s temple. And

the ones that we’ve been

at the padded benches

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

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 carrier. I don’t

on my shoulder – Cora nods to the priestess

her immediately, we all

as we cross the room, her eyes flashing over all of us but focusing on Cora. I can’t help the tears that well in my eyes when I see her,

her face, in her expression, in the way she holds herself. Her hair is still like mine, but it seems like everything – everything else is my sister. How did I not see

as I think the thought, I dismiss it. Because she’s a Goddess, she’s divine. I think…she lets us