Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

Chapter 497- Bonded Power Ella

I give Ariel one last kiss for luck and exhale a deep breath, focusing my eyes on Henry as I lean back against my mate, who wraps a supportive arm around me.

“Actually, Ella,” Cora says, and my eyes dart to her. She smiles and me from across the couch, her arms wrapped around her baby on her lap. ” I’m the one who has news first.”

“Oh,” I say, my eyes going wide as I shift a little to direct my attention to her now. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know – ”

She shakes her head, dismissing my apology as Roger comes to perch on the arm of the couch behind her. She reaches up a hand and he takes it, giving her a little squeeze.

“Um, we contacted mom this morning,” she says quietly, apology all over her face. “To…to ask about what the Dark God could have possibly been up to. I’m sorry we did it without you – I know you would have wanted to be there -”

“No,” I breathe, even though I am a little disappointed. “I mean, I wouldn’t have been able to see her anyway, right?”

“Yeah,” she says, cocking her head to the side. “Unless we go to the temple, it is sort of a…one-on-one experience, isn’t it?”

“But we can go,” Sinclair murmurs behind me, supportive, “if we don’t get the answers you need – ”

“It’s okay,” I say, nodding to everyone around the room. “I get it – you don’t need to be so gentle with me. I was completely knocked out from giving birth and we needed information fast. It’s okay. So…” I flick my fingers at my sister, smiling at her. “Please, divulge. I’m dying to know.”

“Well,” Cora says, laughing a little and glancing up at Roger. “Mom was not happy to hear that her boyfriend visited you.”

“Really?” I gasp, a little delighted at the immortal gossip.

“Really,” Cora confirms, her eyes going wide as a grin overtakes her face. “She figured that he knew about you, but she had no idea that he’d go so far as to bestow a gift on the baby behind her back.”

“Behind her back,” I repeat, shaking my head. “Wow. So? Did she say it was… dangerous?”

a little shrug. “Or, well, those weren’t her precise words – but that was the sentiment.

looking down at little Ariel who lays cuddled in my arms, drowsy but

Cora says, shaking her head. “But she… she said she can’t make him take it back, Ells. That

my baby up closer. “Well, at least we know it’s

mean it’s good,” Sinclair grumbles behind me. Clearly, he wanted better

some precedence,” Henry says, leaning forward in his chair and studying the baby as best he can. “The texts are old, but there are some that report on gifts given by both the Goddess and the Dark Lord. What is interesting is that they seem to be reliable – there is one text in particular that speaks of a Goddess-given gift of

I say, perking up a little. “Well, that’s interesting.

“and

some of the ‘gifts’ the Dark God has given?” Sinclair asks,

with the heart and the home – assigning mates, healing the body, changing the weather to ensure good crops.” He nods to Cora and I as he lists our gifts and

god?” Sinclair presses, his voice

“prefers…more sweeping magics. Not things that can or should

find myself holding my breath as

asks,

the gift of eclipse, allowing him to hold the

silent and still at

long moment, only Roger is bold enough to break the quiet of

he breathes, leaning forward to stare

and then Henry start to laugh as well. I shake my head at my brother-in-law, so grateful for him and his strange sense of humor, which revealed itself so late in

with wide eyes. “She’s the littlest of all of us but it sounds like she’s going

like that,” I sigh, rolling my eyes and trying to shake the tension out of my shoulders.

turns to smack him for speaking such blasphemy about our mother and a deity. Roger just

can look around at the family. “So, she is the Alpha now.” Ariel, betraying my confidence, just gives a sleepy little mew, her eyelids fluttering shut as she snuggles back

feel a little pulse of pride and pleasure down my bond with

Roger says, looking between the boys – Rafe toddling around on the floor and Jesse in Cora’s arms. “Though …none of them are very impressive just

at the group. “Does it…I mean, they all have gifts from mom, right? But will her being strong make the boys strong –

don’t know,” Henry says, tilting his head and considering his

I mean, Cora and Ella are

my shoulder. ” Excuse me, Dominic, but you have benefited many times from my gift