The Mystical Attraction of Alpha
Chapter 108

Chapter 108

Chapter 108 – DNA Test

Ella

Sinclair and I stay up late into the night talking, reveling in this new discovery. I’d believed our dreamdate would give us closure, but it turns out it wasn’t the end at all – it was the beginning.

“It’s no wonder you’ve been feeling so off-kilter.” Sinclair consoles, trailing his fingers up and down mynaked back.

When he’d started stripping me, I thought we were going to make love again – something I was onlytoo eager to experience outside of my dreams. Unfortunately he’d informed me that his wolf wouldn’tbe able to resist marking me for real, so we’d better wait until we know it’s safe. Of course as soon ashe mentioned claiming me, the little voice in my head had gone wild with excitement.

I’d attempted to change his mind, showing off my curves and plying him with kisses. However when myhand snuck down to close around his hard length, he’d put a quick stop to my tricks, seizing theoffending limbs and pinning me in place. I’d whined and growled, but he only growled back, giving mybottom a few hard swats. Now I’m sprawled across his chest, chastised and sulking, and he clearlythinks he can make me feel better by sympathizing – the tyrant. “It’s not just the pregnancy or thestress. You’ve finally found your own kind, and your inner wolf has been coming out more and more.”

I sniff, preparing to argue, but then his words sink in. My inner wolf… the little voice in my head… she’sthe one that’s been urging me to behave so oddly lately. I can never recall her being so vocal before, orso unreasonable. I always assumed it was my conscience, but in hindsight… are consciences usuallyso defiant? Do they usually have personalities of their own, and feel separate and part of you at thesame time?

Suddenly I remember how that same inner voice had cried out her joy at being free when I shifted inthe dream. Conscience? I think hesitantly. Are… are you my wolf?

Well duh. She responds dryly. It certainly took you long enough to figure it out.

Why didn’t you tell me! I exclaim in reply, exasperated.

I thought you knew! You’re always talking to me! She counters hotly.

Sinclair is watching me closely, a knowing look on his face. “Wolves can be very contrary at times.”

“I… I’ve always had this voice.” I share softly, my eyes wide, “I had no idea.”

He nods. “When you grow up among wolves your elders teach you that voice is your inner animal,that’s part of why it’s so important that shifters are raised among their packs.”

“I still don’t understand.” I admit, feeling completely overwhelmed. “If this is all real, then why did I evershift when I was old enough, why is she only coming out now?”

“I hate to say it, Ella.” Sinclair begins gravely. “But I think it’s likely that someone did this to you… thatthey bound your wolf so she couldn’t get out.”

“What do you mean?” I inquire, my muscles tensing nervously.

“You have to understand that if a pack knows a child exists and something happens to their parents,then the pup will be placed with a relative or a shifter family willing to foster them. Our children areincredibly important to us, and it would be neglect of the worst kind to knowingly let them be raisedamong humans. The only time it happens is when the parents didn’t have any connections in the shifterworld, usually they’re rogues or outside their own territory. Every case I’ve ever heard of a dormant wolfbegins with a child being found by humans at the sight of an accident, or wandering unattended in thewilderness or a strange city.” Sinclair explains, stroking my hair with a pitying expression.

“Okay.” I nod, not sure where this is going. “So maybe my parents were from a different pack?”

He shakes his head. “Sweetheart, I looked into your records at the orphanage when all this began. Youweren’t found by the humans… you were given to them. Your parents surrendered you directly to theorphanage. There weren’t any names in the file – which shouldn’t have been allowed, but it’s part ofwhy I never entertained the idea that you might be a wolf. I thought if you were dormant it would haveshown years ago, and that no shifters would ever give their pup to the humans.”

It surprises me how badly this information hurts. I’d never known my family history – I left theorphanage before I reached adulthood, and it wasn’t the institution’s policy to share details like this withchildren. Still, I don’t know any orphan who hasn’t concocted a fantasy that their parents would comefor them one day. No one wants to believe they were just abandoned… unwanted. “Why didn’t you tellme?”

“Because I thought it was in the past, and that it would only hurt you.” Sinclair frowns, using the pad ofhis thumb to wipe away a rogue tear. “But now that we know the truth… it suggests that somethingmuch bigger is going on here, Ella. I think your parents must have been trying to hide you for somereason, and they cut you off from your wolf to make sure you wouldn’t be found.”

“So how do we replace out for sure?” I ask, not sure how to feel about this idea. Is it worse to just beabandoned, or for people who are supposed to love you most, to intentionally cut you off from your truesoul?

Sinclair hugs me close, seeing how badly I need his comfort. “We get a DNA test, to start.” Heproclaims. “And then we take it one step at a time.”

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The next morning I replace myself sitting in the familiar doctor’s office, with two very serious looking wolvestowering over me. The nearest one, Sinclair, looks as if he’s trying to glower the physician into the

ground, and I suspect he’s feeling particularly protective after watching the man withdraw my blood.Apparently his wolf can’t stand seeing me bleed, even if it’s just for a test. I lean into his side, not surewhether it’s to soothe him or myself.

“Well, it’s confirmed.” The doctor confirms, “You’re a wolf, Ella.”

Sinclair’s arm squeezes my shoulders, and I feel his lips graze my hair. “Then why didn’t I know, whycan’t I shift?” I inquire, only sounding a little petulant.

“I don’t know.” He purses his lips regretfully. “All this test tells us is that you have shifter DNA. I canrefer you to a geneticist to try and decipher a particular family line, traits, whether you’re an alpha oromega, but unless someone else in your family has given samples, we won’t know who you are or howthis happened. That’s probably something you’ll have to figure out yourself.”

“Do you know how we can wake her inner wolf completely?” Sinclair questions. “It’s obviously beencoming out since we met, especially with the baby, but it’s still buried deep.”

“Well the bad news is that you’ll probably have to wait until your pup is born.” The physician informs us.As soon as your wolf does wake, you’ll probably go into your first shift. Normally it’s perfectly safe forbreeding she-wolves to shift because it’s instantaneous. But a first shift breaks all the bones and tearsmuscles – as you know, Alpha. There’s no telling what it would do to the baby.”

“But I shifted in the dream, and that was instant.” I remind Sinclair.

“It’s not the same, sweetheart.” Sinclair shakes his head sadly. “Pups can dream as their wolves too,the first time is still awful.”

“You mean I have to give birth and have all my bones broken sometime in the near future?” I demandindignantly.

Before Sinclair can reply, the doctor chimes in, “let’s just hope it’s not the same day, Ella.”

“What?” both of our heads jerk towards the man, and my heart stalls in my chest.

“Well, uh – that’s the thing.” The doctor hedges, watching Sinclair warily. A low growl is rumblingsteadily in the Alpha’s chest, and I wonder if it wasn’t meant to be a purr to calm me, only he wasn’tcalm enough himself to manage it. “A couple of things could wake her wolf naturally. If you were toclaim her as your mate, or giving birth. It’s also possible that neither of those things will do it and you’llhave to replace another way.” He holds up his hands. “These are just guesses mind you, but the fact thather wolf has been coming out in response to you and the baby would indicate that her mate or her childmight be enough to break whatever binds her wolf. So if birth triggers it, it might be… well, back-to-back.”

“Why would you tell her that with so little tact.” Sinclair snarls. “She’s already under enough stress.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha, these are uncharted waters for all of us.” The doctor says, tucking an invisible tailbetween his legs. “It just came out.”

“And I suppose you have no idea how we might bring out her wolf if those things don’t work?” Sinclairinterrogates through gritted teeth.

“No. I’ve never seen a case like this. I think you need to go to the elders, if anyone knows about thiskind of magic, it’s them.”

Sinclair growls, scooping me up off the table. “Then we’ll go to the elders.”