Twice Tempted: Between Two Alphas (Mia and Cameron) novel Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-Five

I move to the crib and stare at Cameron’s daughter.

A baby he had with that evil bitch Ashley.

The little girl has my son’s eyes. Cameron’s eyes. Jace’s. Their bloodline is strong.

She’s cute and coos and holds Aaron’s hand.

But something is not… right.

Nala whimpers and growls. My wolf senses it too.

I glance at my dad. He shakes his head.

“She’s sick, mommy,” Aaron tells me. My son shouldn’t be able to sense such things, but he does.

Outwardly the baby girl appears normal, if not small and thin.

“How old is she?” I ask.

“Merilee is eighteen months old,” my dad says.

I gasp. She’s so small. She seems more like a baby half that age. That can’t be good.

My dad sweeps the baby up, natural as can be and she taps at his mouth. He blows air and makes kissy sounds.

Who is this man? And where was this doting father when he raised me?!

The hurt lingers, but I won’t allow the jealousy to fester or take hold.

All children are innocent. They should just be loved.

I touch the little girl’s cheek. “You’re such a pretty little angel.”

“We have to help her, mommy.” My son is agitated and worried. He holds his arms up, a silent demand for the baby, and my dad takes a knee so Aaron can hold her with my father supporting.

The naturalness of it all is astounding.

I glance at Morgan. “Well, you’re certainly getting Werewolf 101.”

She’s been watching our interactions closely and I can tell she’s fascinated. But there is also a wariness about her. I sensed it when we started arguing in the sick bay and she’s especially fraught with tension now after seeing Merilee.

“Aaron,” I kiss his forehead. “I’m going to talk to Auntie Morgan for a bit. You stay here and visit with your sister and Grandpa.”

“Pop-pop,” he corrects me.

Wow. Okay. He already has a special name for my dad.

Acid rises in my throat. Is there any world in which I can take my kids away?

“Morgan, a word,” I tell her.

She nods and follows me back outside. We trace our steps back to the hospital wing and then we pause in the middle of the room.

She glances between Cameron and across to Ashley.

“What do you see?” I ask her.

Dr. Lee enters and joins us. “Yes. I would value your opinion too, as these are inflictions beyond modern medicine and our werewolf genes.”

Morgan nods. “It’s magic. Dark magic.”

A chill traipses up my arms.

“Do you know who wove this spell?” I ask.

She looks away. “I do.”

But that’s all she says.

Dr. Lee and I share a worried look. “Can it be undone?”

“No.” Morgan jerks her head toward Ashley. “Humans and non-mystical beings…they all think magic is like a chalkboard where you write your desire and then when you’re done you just erase it and everything goes back to the way it used to be. But that's not how magic works. It is permanent. Binding. This spell especially.”

“What is it, exactly?” Dr. Lee presses.

“A soul binding…animus ligare.”

Dr. Lee nods. “Wolves mate naturally. We consider a ‘true’ mating a gift of the Goddess.”

“As you should,’ Morgan agrees. “But when we trick nature there can be consequences. Every spell comes with a price. Nothing is ever given freely.”

There is a warning in her words and it gives me a prickle of unease.

“Is there a spell to break it?” I ask. I’m staring at Cameron and watching him decline before my eyes. “There has to be something…”

“I told you. That’s not how this works.” She sighs. “I feel especially bad for the baby… her genes would be mutated.”

“Yes, we’ve assessed as much,” the doctor says. He frowns. “This is one of the rare times, I’d say human medicine could be of real merit. With a stem cell match, we could intervene.”

“Stem cells. Like from the placenta?” It’s the first time I’ve ever heard a wolf talk about science as a solution for anything.

“Yes.” The doctor nods at me.

“How long does Merilee have?” I ask. I still don’t know if I’m carrying a baby–that dreamscape makes me think it’s possible, but that would defy all the rules of science.

As in…every rule.