Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 316 – Determination

Ella

I gasp and quickly reach out my hand to clasp Roger’s. I feel that he is just as tense as I am as we

both sit on the end of the bed, staring at Cora.

Leon flicks his gaze to me and gives me a very subtle shake of his head and a tiny frown. It’s a small gesture, but the meaning is clear: I absolutely must not disturb Cora’s state. As a precaution, I raise a hand to my mouth and cover it, knowing that in the upcoming moments I may hear

details that make me react involuntarily.

Roger squeezes my other hand tightly as Leon continues.

“Cora,” Leon continues, curious. “I admit that I am intrigued by this man, this priest. Can you tell

me more about him? What details do you remember?”

“It’s…hard,” Cora says, and I see her brow ruffle. “He…he didn’t want me to remember.”

“That’s very frustrating,” Leon continues, his voice like honey. “Just tell me what you see.”

“He’s tall,” Cora says, her frown deepening. “He has pale skin and dark hair…he’s not old, but not

young. His robe is black.” She gives a little shrug and huffs a sigh through her nose. I can see that

she’s frustrated, even in her hypnotic state.

“That’s all right, Cora, that’s wonderful detail,” Leon says soothingly. I hear Roger’s mouth pop

open and snap my head to him, but Leon holds up one finger towards us, begging patience while

he continues.

“What happened next, my dear?” Leon asks.

“He told me,” she says, sighing, “to destroy the sample in my hand – to wash it down the sink, and then discard the vial. And then, once I did that,” she sighs, almost peaceful again, “he had me go to the other freezer – the one with the shifter samples and to take out number 7285692. So I did. And then I prepared that, and tested it for motility, and when it was ready,” she shrugs, “I went into the exam room and helped Ella.”

“Thank you, Cora,” Leon says smoothly, smiling at her. “That is wonderful detail. You’ve

remembered it all so beautifully.” Then, he turns to Roger and nods, giving him permission to take control of the investigation.

“Cora,” Roger says, releasing my hand and crossing his arms over his chest. “Can you hear me?”

“Roger?” she asks, her eyes still closed. “What are you doing here in my lab?”

“I’m just…visiting…” he says awkwardly, clearly not very good at the kind of play acting that Cora’s

hypnosis requires.

allowed to be back here,” she

she had no protests about a strange man

who apparently took control of her will and made

a hard nudge with my elbow

clearly communicating that he needs to be nice to my sister. This was, after

her fault.

sighs and nods, agreeing to my terms. “Cora,” he continues, “what did the priest say to you

Did he ask you to…forget anything? Or do anything

her head to the side and considering. “He simply…took my hands,

was a white light…and then

asks, “and you didn’t know to whom it belonged?”

lap, looking if anything a little bored. “I thought, at the

that it was the right sample. I thought it was

next to her. “You’re doing wonderfully.”

onto

you ever see the priest again?” he

then, a darkness

her closely, and then looks

I say, intuiting that Roger may have hit on something here but…..perhaps, just

wrong question.

her voice a little

softly, quickly standing up and moving to her side, sitting back down on the bed and taking her hand. I’m probably blocking the remote investigators‘ view of Cora now, but I don’t care.

Ella,” she says, her voice wavering a little

you don’t remember seeing the man in the black

you

starting to tremble. She turns to me, unseeing, and

tightly. “Ella…”

say, worried, glancing between her and

eyes flying open, and she tilts back her head

screams.

– her screams are unending – she barely draws breath before the next one

working to hold her, to keep her down.

her side,

from his hands – leaning over and injecting Cora in the arm where Leon

time she’s screaming, a sound of pure terror

—

now, reaching for her face, calling her name – and then slowly,

and she

my hands to her cheeks as tears

starting to sob.

for me, and I wrap my sister in my arms, climbing fully onto the