Accidental Surrogate

Chapter 500

Chapter 500 – A Story to Come

Cora

The images of Ariel’s future come in quick flashes, and somehow I get the impression that the Goddess is eager to share these glimpses of her life.

The ones that come first are what I sort of expected, especially after seeing some images of Rafe’s childhood and hearing about the ones that Ella and Sinclair saw during Jesse’s baptism. But these ones focus on an angelic little girl with rose-gold hair who is just… ridiculously happy.

My ears fill almost instantly with tears to see her running and playing with the boys who are so clearly Rafe and Jesse. Ariel – she’s always at the center of their games, always laughing so heartily her eyes are barely open above her rosy cheeks. In one flash, Jesse’s climbed up onto the branch of a tree and is reaching a hand down for her as Rafe boosts her up from below. In another, Ariel is cuddled between her brother and her cousin, all wrapped up in a big blanket as the three sit around a campfire, their eyes wide and bright as they roast marshmallows and look with awe up at Roger, who is clearly in the midst of telling a scary story.

Roger laughs beside me at the sight and I press myself close to them as we get more insight into her life as she grows older, her teenager years as she becomes the Nation’s princess, as she grows into a beautiful, graceful young woman but still one full of pranks, running through the halls of the palace with her brother and Jesse chasing behind.

And then I gasp, a little, to see our little girl dressed as a bride –

My hand goes to my mouth- because she looks so young and so afraid –

My stomach drops when I see her what looks like a moment later, her back pressed to a door as she sobs in her wedding gown as two young men who are so clearly my son and my nephew jump to her side.

The images move faster than I can truly process them next, but my hand falls from my mouth, and my jaw drops in awe as I realize that

That she didn’t get married after all, but instead that she ran, that she’s…

She’s with Jesse and Rafe, as they attend some kind of military school dressed up in fatigues, her hair tucked up beneath a cap, looking for anything like…like a boy…

“Oh my god,” I mutter, and then I laugh because it just gets stranger after that-

Ariel, mixing potions in a chemistry class, her eyes going wide as one goes awry and explodes in front of her –

Ariel, an expert sniper, crouching on top of a tower and hitting the bullseye of a target that must be half a mile away

Ariel, curled up in a chair by the fire, sitting in the lap of a very handsome young man whose jaw could cut glass and whose adorable dimples are

And joy swells in me, because I know it instantly, that that boy – he’s her mate

But then I gasp again because the image changes – and Ariel is looking up at another young man powerfully built, scowling down at her in some hallway made of stone, but she shoves him, hard, and whips a finger up to point in his face, a defiant snarl on her lips, looking so much like her mother –

And even as a shocked little laugh spills from my mouth, anxiety twists in my stomach, because I know…

I know just as much as I did with the first boy, that this one – he’s her mate too.

I can’t help it then, I look down at my little baby niece, who burbles and looks up at the moon –

Two fated mates, just like her father…

And suddenly, what the Goddess said to me in my living room that day so many months ago…

It makes…so much sense.

My eyes move back to the images, which fly by even faster now – too swift to catch them all – and I see of our children training hard, laughing together, working to build their lives and help each other and serve our nation – © 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

The last image, though, lingers.

Ariel, with Rafe and Jesse on either side as they always are and her two mates behind her. All standing together on a battlefield with Ariel at the center, magic welling between her hands and passing to her brother, to her cousin.

Their faces are serious as they look at something gathering above them some force I cannot see.

And then…

The image disperses. It disappears.

Roger and I stay still for a long moment, and I’m only shaken out of it by a little mewling cry from Ariel’s tiny mouth.

“Poor baby, you must be cold,” I murmur, pulling her close and wrapping her up in her blanket. Ariel tacks her little head against me, closing her eyes and opening her mouth in a wide yawn.

“Wow,” Roger murmurs as he stares down at our niece. “Wow, I was not expecting that…”

I laugh a little, looking up at him and shaking my head. “Neither was I.”

“Damn, Ariel,” he says, laughing and running a shocked hand through his hair. “Looks like you’ve got one hell of a story to tell.”

“Come on, baby,” I say, laughing and shaking my head at her. “Let’s go tell your mom…only the things she absolutely needs to know.”

“Really?” Roger asks, raising his eyebrows at me.

“What are aunties for?” I say, shrugging and smirking at him. “A girl’s got to have someone to keep her secrets.”

He laughs, wrapping an arm around me as we turn back. But before we go I cast one more look over my shoulder, smiling up at the moon and sending a mental thank-you to my mother for her gift, for this glimpse of the future.

And the moonlight flares, just once, and I smile. Because I know she heard.

Ella

“Oh, they’re back, they’re back!” I gasp, shoving my half-drunk glass of champagne onto a table and rushing forward when I see Cora and Roger emerging from the dark of the woods with Ariel sleeping in Cora’s arms. Our gathered family and friends shout a cheer, welcoming them back.

Cora smiles at me, her expression warm and rich as I hurry to her.

“Tell me everything,” I gasp, taking ny baby back and cooing to her as I rest her little head in the crook of my elbow, gazing down at her perfect, sleeping face.

“Well wait for me,” Sinclair says, laughing as he comes to join our little circle with Jesse on one hip and Rafe on the other. “Honestly, Ella, I’m her parent too – ”

“You should have been faster then,” I say, rolling my eyes at him.

“I’m carrying two kids – ”

But I just ignore him and turning back to Cora. “Go! Spill!”

“I don’t know, Ells,” she says, smiling at me and reaching to take Jesse from Sinclair. “Honestly, as a mother? I’m not sure you want to know.”

My face goes pale with shock and terror and Roger scowls at his mate.

“Cora, don’t say it like that,” he says, giving her a half-hearted glare before reaching out a hand and placing it on my shoulder. “Seriously, Ella, it was all fine – there’s nothing bad. I mean, both Jesse and Rafe showed us that there’s a war coming – and that affects Ariel’s life, as it will all of ours. But seriously – all good news from the Goddess. She’s going to have an incredible life.”

“Really?” I gasp, holding my daughter tight, and looking between my sister and her mate. “You wouldn’t lie to me? It’s really all okay?”

“It is,” Cora says, laughing and reaching out to gently touch my cheek.

I exhale a huge sigh of relief, looking down at my little girl. “You had me scared, baby trouble,” I murmur, tracing a finger over her soft little cheek. But then my mind traces back to what Cora said. “Wait,” I say, my head whipping back up. “What wouldn’t I want to know as a mother!?”

“I mean, I’ll tell you sis – but aren’t there some things a mom should be in the dark about?” Cora asks.

I tilt my head back and groan, honestly not knowing. “I don’t know, Cora – are there!?”

She laughs and I look first at Sinclair, who shrugs, and then back at my sister.

“Come on,” Roger says, nodding at the crowds of people waiting to congratulate us and at the small table of refreshments. “Let’s decide this over some champagne.”

Sinclair nods at me and I sigh, moving with my family and pondering my choices as we accept the congratulations of our friends and let Henry hold the baby for a while, filling him in on the good omens that the Goddess has given us about her future.

“All right,” I say, sidling up to Cora, my eyes on the baby in her grandfather’s arms. “If you think it’s going to stress me out…don’t tell me. But…give me a hint. Is it…like, illness? Or is she lonely? Oh, I really don’t want her to be lonely. Or -”

“It’s none of that, Ella,” Cora says, her eyes sparkling as she smiles at me. ” She’s a really happy kid, and her early life she really loves it. She and Jesse and Rafe are all best friends and they stay together through their twenties, at least.”

“So,” I say, cocking my head and studying her. “What…”

“Let’s just say,” Cora says, her grin widening, “that your little girl? Her love life is…tumultuous.”

“Oh my god,” I groan, but I’m laughing as I cover my face with my hands and tilt it back to the sky. Because that? A little heartbreak, a little drama? I mean, Cora’s right – I’m not sure I want to know the details. But that I can handle.

As I pull my hands away from my face, I look upwards through the trees where the moon peeks through the leaves. ” Oh mom,” I say, shaking my head a little. “What do you have in store for my little girl?”

“A lot,” Cora says, laughing and sipping at her champagne, Jesse leaning his sleepy head against her shoulder.

“So…” I say, stepping close and whispering – not really wanting Sinclair to hear because something in me tells me that this Alpha dad is not ready to hear about his three-week-old daughter’s future love life – “is she… did you see? Does she have a mate?”

Cora’s smile is bright, but a little wicked. I turn my head, curious. “Yes, Ella,” she says, nodding happily, “your little girl…she’s mated.”

I give a little squeak of joy, my face bursting into a grin as I step closer. “Is he…is he cute?!”

“Really cute,” Cora says, stepping close to share the secret and wrinkling her nose as she dishes. “Like really cute, Ella – big time – ”

I squeak again, turning in a happy little circle. “So, did you get to see…I mean, like a timeline for when she meets him!?”

Cora just shakes her head, though. “I don’t think I should say anymore,” she says, giving a shrug. “I mean, I will if you want me to, Ella, but…” she turns her smile now on our little girl. “I think …maybe just let her live her life. Don’t you want to be surprised?”

“Yes,” I sigh, leaning against my sister’s other shoulder with a scowl, even though happiness races through me. “I hate it when you’re all wise.”

“It’s the burden I bear,” she sighs, resting her head against mine. ” Because if you don’t know, that means you don’t have to keep the secret from Sinclair. Because if he knows?” she blows out a breath. “Ella, if he knew what I know, he’d lock her up in a tower. Like a princess in a fairytale.”

“Damn,” I say, pursing my lips, even though I can’t help being excited for my girl’s future even if I’m also very willing to save all of that drama for twenty years. “Baby trouble is right.”

“Baby trouble,” Cora says with a sigh, nodding, “is absolutely right.”