Accidental Surrogate for Alpha novel Chapter 304

#Chapter 304 – Dedicated to the Goddess

Ella

As a group, we head together into the darkness of the forest.

“Did we have to go somewhere so creepy for this?” I ask Sinclair, looking warily around the woods. Usually my wolf thrills to be under the canopy of the trees, but today, I can feel her wary inside me.
“It’s a sacred space,” Sinclair explains, smiling down at me, placing one hand on my back to ensure that I don’t trip over any errant roots. “Are you feeling it too? The magic in the air?”

“How could I miss it,” I murmur, looking around. “This place is… thick with it.”

–

It’s true – I can’t see anything in the air around us, but I’m certainly aware that this place is sacred. Either because it was always a special place, or made special due to the repeated process of bringing children here with the intent of dedication, this patch of forest is unique. Even the trees around us are just a little different – their trunks darker, thicker. The way that the branches twine up towards the sky is more elegantly twisted than I’ve seen elsewhere.

Overall it’s not a bad feeling just…different.

I glance over my shoulder at Cora, who I can see is uncomfortable. She’s the only human in the party today and, even though she doesn’t have a wolf who can sense the magic like mine can, I can tell that she, too, senses the difference of this place. I give her a warm smile which she returns, coming closer to my side.

“This place is weird,” she says softly, rubbing her hands up and down her arms as if she’s cold. “Scared,” I correct. “But yeah, sacred and weird.”

We take a little path deeper into the woods, worn flat enough by the passing of thousands of feet over the years that Henry’s chair has no trouble passing down it. When we lose sight of the vans behind us, so deep in the forest that the trees obscure our sight of the road, I see a figure ahead, dressed in silver robes.

“Welcome,” she calls to us, and I recognize the voice of the priestess who we met in the temple. We murmur our greetings when we come close and she bends down to smile at Rafe, who is still asleep in my arms.

“Are you ready?” The priestess asks me, and I feel a little twist in my stomach. Actually, I’m not ready – not at all. I haven’t been parted from Rafe since that day in the hospital where he slept in the nursery for a few hours. Since then, I haven’t been further than one room away from him, and even that I kept as short as possible. And now I was going to hand him over to his godparents to take him into the woods alone at night?

All of my motherly instincts scream at me to take my baby home and curl up warm and safe in bed, but the priestess gives me a warm smile, perhaps reading my mind. My wolf gives me a little nudge with her nose too, letting me know that it’s all right.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I sigh, still anxious. I feel Sinclair’s hand press more firmly against my spine, supporting me.

“The child?” she asks, putting out her hands in a request for me to hand him over to her. Sighing, I do, and then I wrap my arms around Sinclair’s waist, resting my head against his chest. I know that Cora and Roger will take good care of Rafe but…until I have my baby back, I’m going to need to keep Sinclair close.

The priestess coos to the baby, who starts to fuss in her arms, and then nods to Cora and Roger, who each take a step forward. She holds the baby carefully against her as she begins the ceremony in front of our gathered group of family and friends.

“Who presents this child for dedication?” she calls out, her voice steady and resonant.

“We do,” Sinclair responds, his voice resonant and strong. “His mother and I.”

The priestess nods deeply to us, part of the ritual, recognizing our intent. Then, she continues. ” And who will carry this boy to meet the Goddess?”

”