Accidental Surrogate for Alpha

#Chapter 339 – Choices

Cora

“It’s all right,” Roger says, his eyes going wide as he takes in my pale face, my scared expression and realizes that he’s freaked me out for the third or fourth time today. “It’s not – it’s not bad, I was just kind of a dick – it was a misunderstanding –”

“What?” I ask, more confused now than ever.

–

“Listen,” he says, leaning in towards me. “Just let me tell you, all right? II was going to tell you at some point, definitely not like this but…” he sighs, looking into my face and then down at my stomach, and then back up into my eyes. “I think that… if we’re going to start on this new part

–

–

of our lives – this parent thing – well,” he says, giving me a charming little half–smile and a

shrug. “We should be on the same page, right?”

I nod, agreeing, but looking at him a little askance. “Did you not think that we should…go into our mating? On the same page?”

He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “It’s a little different, Cora – because it didn’t matter – I didn’t think we could have kids

་་

I frown at him – not mad or angry, but confused…

“Listen, let me just tell it,” he says, leaning forward and looking at me with pleading eyes.

“Okay,” I say, quite simply, taking his hands and leaning even closer to press a kiss to his mouthr letting him know that I’m listening with an open heart.

“Okay,” Roger says again, taking a deep breath before he begins. “Do you remember… when you and Ella went into the desert with her mother, Regina?”

“Reina,” I correct softly, and he laughs.

“Right,” he says, shaking his head. “Those names are so easy to mix up. Anyway – you three were out on your girls trip, and my choice was either to hang out with those priests in the temple, or go back on to the ship all alone.”

Ismirk at him, knowing precisely which one he chose. He sees my smile and laughs a little.

“Yeah,” he says, grinning at me. “I chose solitude. Or at least…I thought I did.”

there someone on the ship?” I

standing at the bow looking out at the desert – honestly, a little pissed off at being left behind. Sinclair sent me to protect Ella, and there’s

smile when I hear this,

thought that I was just crazy or drunk I mean, the captain gave me a little of his whiskey when he saw how upset

squeeze his hands a little, begging him to focus, and he looks at me again

little, looking down

little breathless, but some part of me knowing

me now, his eyes wide and still a little startled by the experience.

me is a little jealous. We all met the goddess that night in the temple with Ella – Roger met her, and me, but she had only spoken to Ella beyond a brief introduction that Ella insisted on giving us. And at

that I know that she’s my mother too? And that she only spoke to Ella in the temple, and then went to Roger later that night for a little chat?

sigh a little through my nose, disappointed. Why does she

cheek with his thumb. “It’s half of why I didn’t want to tell you, Cora,” he

what did she do?” I ask, pushing past my jealousy

Instead, it was

his hands again, letting him know that it’s okay. That he can tell me. So Roger turns back

– and you have to realize,

nod, understanding, concentrating on nothing else but

know how to phrase it – because it wasn’t precisely words – but that for the future of the world, I had to focus on family.

-on finding my mate, and having children, and being a dad, and raising my kids well to be leaders of their

And then I lean forward, finally getting it. “Oh, so you stopped calling me

it fucking broke my heart to do it because

при

7

to me I didn’t even

–

always Dominic who was dying to be a

my

– I’m thrilled that you’re pregnant, and not just because the goddess told me to be. I want –” He pauses

to ensure that I

–

boat – I was likewise unsure if I

nothing else I wanted in the

me,” I whisper, “because you thought…my

–

goddess tells you to do something you feel compelled to do it – and I thought she was telling me to run from you, when she probably was telling me to run to you to

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