Page 25 of The Alpha's Fated Bond

If I keep my eyes closed, I can almost physically see the child’s core. It’s like a small, glowing rock. It’s surrounded by thick, black threads, which are all tangled together. Slowly, I begin untangling the one closest to me. It’s a tedious process, but myinstincts warn me that one wrong move is going to hurt the glowing rock in the center. I’ve only managed to untangle a few threads before I’m jerked back against someone’s chest and my eyes fly open.

“What happened?”

That’s what I try to say, but my mouth is too dry, and my whole body is cold as ice.

“She’s breathing!” Alex sighs in relief, and I realize that I’m leaning against him.

Lily looks pale. “What were you doing? We’ve been trying to wake you for hours!”

“What?” I stare at her, confused. What is she saying? “I just started.”

“Four hours have passed, Sophia,” Lily tells me, her voice shaking. “You went into a trance a couple of minutes after you closed your eyes. And then you started turning cold.”

“The threads,” I try to say, but my mouth is still dry. “Water, please.”

Nathan quickly fetches me a glass before taking the child from me. The girl is sleeping peacefully.

He looks at Alex. “I’m going to give the baby back to the mother.”

“If the nannies cause a problem, tell them the Alpha wanted to see the child.”

Nathan nods and hurries out.

Lily turns her attention to me. “So, what happened?”

“I saw a glowing rock surrounded by thick, black threads. I was trying to untangle them.”

Lily’s eyes widen, and she breathes, “Fascinating. You were able to physically manifest the magic? I’ve never heard of that happening before.”

“What does that mean?”

She shakes her head. “It’s not important. What is important is that you’ll be able to break the link, but you’ll need enough time.” She looks at Alex. “I don’t think this is something she’ll be able to do all at once. It’s going to have to be one individual child at a time. You’re going to have to come up with a way to give her access to the children without the nannies finding out.”

Alex agrees.

I shiver, and he orders, “Get her a blanket.”

As Lily hurries away, I look at him over my shoulder. “Why am I so chilly?”

“I don’t know, but the bond between us was beginning to fade. It was very difficult to wake you up.”

Alex is trying to sound calm, but I can hear the distraught tone of his voice. I try to turn around to face him, but he doesn’t let me.

“I know you don’t want to, but for now, you have to accept my body heat. You have no idea how cold you are, Sophia.” His voice is fierce now.

“I want to talk to you.”

“We can talk later.”

“Alex.”

“I nearly lost you!” he roars passionately. “Do you have any idea what I just went through trying to wake you up? You wouldn’t move. Your eyes were open and completely white. And no matter how much I rubbed your hands, they wouldn’t warm up! You can’t do this to me again! We’ll find another way for the children!”

“I can do it, Alex,” I try to convince him. “I can see the threads. I can untangle them.”

“Not at the cost of your life!” He raises his voice at me, and I see the fear in his eyes. It stuns me into silence. Lily enters the room, and when she sees the way we’re looking at each other, she quietly puts the blanket on my shoulders and walks back out.

“We’ll figure out another way.” Alex looks scared. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that look on his face before.

---